Nonfiction

My Own Words

My Own Words

  • Downloads：9579
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-28 11:16:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • ISBN：150114524X
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Summary

The New York Times bestselling book from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—“a comprehensive look inside her brilliantly analytical， entertainingly wry mind， revealing the fascinating life of one of our generation's most influential voices in both law and public opinion” （Harper’s Bazaar）。

My Own Words “showcases Ruth Ginsburg’s astonishing intellectual range” （The New Republic）。 In this collection Justice Ginsburg discusses gender equality， the workings of the Supreme Court， being Jewish， law and lawyers in opera， and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution。 Throughout her life Justice Ginsburg has been （and continues to be） a prolific writer and public speaker。 This book’s sampling is selected by Justice Ginsburg and her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W。 Williams， who introduce each chapter and provide biographical context and quotes gleaned from hundreds of interviews they have conducted。

Witty， engaging， serious， and playful， My Own Words is a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of America’s most influential women and “a tonic to the current national discourse” （The Washington Post）。

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Reviews

Erin ，

Didn't finish。。。was expecting a more personal account， but this was a compilation of public/formal speeches and briefs。 Didn't finish。。。was expecting a more personal account， but this was a compilation of public/formal speeches and briefs。 。。。more

J。 ，

I listened to the audible version of this work and was impressed with it on all levels。 The story itself I found engrossing and was appreciative of the background of the cases RBG found significant and the rationale of the decisions involved。 I was equally appreciative of and impressed by the performance by the narrators。 Finally， the experience of enjoying an audible rather than a digital or print reading was enhanced by hearing RBG’s voice， in the preface and the archival speeches。 Hearing her I listened to the audible version of this work and was impressed with it on all levels。 The story itself I found engrossing and was appreciative of the background of the cases RBG found significant and the rationale of the decisions involved。 I was equally appreciative of and impressed by the performance by the narrators。 Finally， the experience of enjoying an audible rather than a digital or print reading was enhanced by hearing RBG’s voice， in the preface and the archival speeches。 Hearing her husband’s humorous speech was icing on a most luscious cake。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

I love Ruth Bader Ginsburg。 I cannot adequately describe the respect I have for her and the way I still grieve her passing。 It was cathartic to read her own words about her life and how she helped to shape our country for the better。 As expected， My Own Words contained a lot of legal jargon and a wealth of information。 It is not a book that is easily consumed。 But it is well worth the time and effort put into reading it， simply to gain more insight into who RBG was and the ideals for which she s I love Ruth Bader Ginsburg。 I cannot adequately describe the respect I have for her and the way I still grieve her passing。 It was cathartic to read her own words about her life and how she helped to shape our country for the better。 As expected， My Own Words contained a lot of legal jargon and a wealth of information。 It is not a book that is easily consumed。 But it is well worth the time and effort put into reading it， simply to gain more insight into who RBG was and the ideals for which she stood。 。。。more

Joanna ，

Sigh。。。she’s got to be a new edition to my fantasy dinner party guest list。 What an icon！

Rachel ，

I didn't know I could love her any more than I already did， but I definitely do after reading this book。 I actually listened， which I highly recommend， because you get to hear audio from her and her husband Marty， which is just the best。 She is one of the most impressive humans I've ever learned about， and she was really set apart from her childhood - her parents， and mother in particular， could definitely see her potential and encouraged and empowered her every step of the way。 I want to be tha I didn't know I could love her any more than I already did， but I definitely do after reading this book。 I actually listened， which I highly recommend， because you get to hear audio from her and her husband Marty， which is just the best。 She is one of the most impressive humans I've ever learned about， and she was really set apart from her childhood - her parents， and mother in particular， could definitely see her potential and encouraged and empowered her every step of the way。 I want to be that kind of mother！I love her relationship with Justice Scalia， and all that they both taught us through their friendship。 I also was so inspired by her acceptance of her true self， and that being the least fun parent， etc。 wasn't the end of the world。 I learned so much about her actual descents and how the supreme court works， and it made me that much more grateful for all of the hard work she did throughout her battles with cancer and all she did up until the very end of her life。 She was so much more than we deserved， and we were so lucky to have her。 I'm also extremely disgusted that Armie Hammer played her husband Marty in the movie "On the Basis of Sex，" because he deserved far better than a cannibalistic woman abuser to show who he was。 。。。more

Melissa Martin ，

Listened to the audiobook and so glad I did。 I loved hearing live snippets of Ruth and Marty。 Great story。

Kristen Lammons ，

Audiobook was hard to follow the organization at times but neat with the various sound bites included from actual speeches。

Becky Schwartz ，

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was a brilliant writer， orator and person。 And I thought all that before I read her book。 This compilation of addresses RBG gave has incredible variety and is awe inspiring。In this book， RBG’s writing is explored from her early life through her days on the Supreme Court。 The reader is introduced to the many facets of RBG in a fun， mostly engaging way。 （I can’t say Supreme Court procedure was all that engaging。）Now， I can’t pretend that this was even clos Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was a brilliant writer， orator and person。 And I thought all that before I read her book。 This compilation of addresses RBG gave has incredible variety and is awe inspiring。In this book， RBG’s writing is explored from her early life through her days on the Supreme Court。 The reader is introduced to the many facets of RBG in a fun， mostly engaging way。 （I can’t say Supreme Court procedure was all that engaging。）Now， I can’t pretend that this was even close to the best book I’ve ever read。 Originally， I wanted to give it four stars instead of five。 But， out of respect to her and her legacy， I went with five。RBG was a complicated and fascinating person。 How she balanced her values and her relationships with those she disagreed with I’ll never fully grasp。 Yet， as a woman， I owe her many thanks。 She is lauded as a hero， but I think it’s important to keep in mind that she wasn’t a perfect person。 I hope she’s always granted the respect she absolutely deserves。 。。。more

Jean ，

Some great insights and understanding as to the functioning of the Supreme Court that was new information to me。 However， much of it was very academic， and not as enjoyable reading as the more personal stories and insights into her life， which was a smaller part of the book。

Mary ，

If you are a legal or feminist geek this is your book！

Alli Morrow ，

I really enjoyed this read！ Several reviews I read add feelings of disappointment that this isn’t an “actual memoir”， but personally I would not expect to read a RBG’s memoir about anything else other than her life’s work。 I learned a lot about the Supreme Court in general and could not give less than 5 stars for a woman I have grown to admire。

Allison Lavelle ，

Very interesting and informative， but VERY dense。。。I found myself feeling dumb on occasion because it felt like a lot of the legal jargon and technicality of it all went over my head。 I definitely expected this to be more biographical， and while it was at times， it was also very legal and technical。 The best part of the book by far for me was reading the bench announcements and dissents in the last section - while still very legal， they felt more approachable and understandable to me than a lot Very interesting and informative， but VERY dense。。。I found myself feeling dumb on occasion because it felt like a lot of the legal jargon and technicality of it all went over my head。 I definitely expected this to be more biographical， and while it was at times， it was also very legal and technical。 The best part of the book by far for me was reading the bench announcements and dissents in the last section - while still very legal， they felt more approachable and understandable to me than a lot of the rest of the book， and it was also a lot of cases that I could actually remember and felt like I had some basic prior understanding of， which definitely helped。 It was really interesting to read about RBG in her own words， but I was not expecting so many speeches and lectures。 If you’re looking for anecdotes and a casual read about her life， this probably isn’t it， but it’s a good read nonetheless。。。I would just recommend breaking it up into very small chunks so as not to get overwhelmed like I did。 。。。more

Julie ，

Interesting read; an incredible woman and husband。 They were a great team。 The insights from the two contributing co-authors were slightly repetitive and condescending at times， but Ruth’s speeches were empowering and filled with optimism。 It is incredible to reflect on how much she influenced contemporary America， and quietly pushed for gender and racial equality。

Nina Post ，

Not a memoir。。but an interesting compilation of events and narrations from the outstanding life of a most amazing and respected lady！ RBG rest on peace ！

Hannah Hilbert ，

I did not read every page of this book， as it was somewhat difficult to get through the format （essentially of essay compilations without much if a flow or overarching story）。 However， I did enjoy what I learned about RBG and several of the people mentioned （Sandra Day O'Connor and Belva Lockwood particularly stuck out to me）。 I did not read every page of this book， as it was somewhat difficult to get through the format （essentially of essay compilations without much if a flow or overarching story）。 However， I did enjoy what I learned about RBG and several of the people mentioned （Sandra Day O'Connor and Belva Lockwood particularly stuck out to me）。 。。。more

Melinda Fierro ，

What a remarkable woman！ This is a good insight into her thought process。 You will learn a lot about her， including how staunchly she support men and women alike。

Katsmewsings ，

I love， love， love RBG and I learned plenty in this book， but it read too much like a university text book。

AmbroseKalifornia ，

I wanted to love this book， and I hate rating it so low， but I can't remember a book a had a harder time reading。 Ginsburg is ethical， informed， articulate， and probably one of the smartest， hardest working people to have ever lived， but that doesn't make this a page turner。 I'm glad I read it， I feel like I learned more than I thought I would， but I don't imagine I'll ever want to read it again。 I wanted to love this book， and I hate rating it so low， but I can't remember a book a had a harder time reading。 Ginsburg is ethical， informed， articulate， and probably one of the smartest， hardest working people to have ever lived， but that doesn't make this a page turner。 I'm glad I read it， I feel like I learned more than I thought I would， but I don't imagine I'll ever want to read it again。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

Mixed feelings。 I loved the content but the audiobook was brutal。

Grace Scully ，

I'm not going to rate this one， but it was a tough read at times。 I ended up skipping some of the writings toward the end because I am no legal scholar， but I did enjoy the sections about Ruth's personal life and some of the more intimate writings included in the book。 The last half was very dense （which is why it took me a full month to read！） but I do feel I got something out of it which makes it worthwhile。 Ruth is extraordinary。 I'm not going to rate this one， but it was a tough read at times。 I ended up skipping some of the writings toward the end because I am no legal scholar， but I did enjoy the sections about Ruth's personal life and some of the more intimate writings included in the book。 The last half was very dense （which is why it took me a full month to read！） but I do feel I got something out of it which makes it worthwhile。 Ruth is extraordinary。 。。。more

Laura Zahn ，

I applaude what RBG stood for， however I did not enjoy this book。 Truth be told， I couldn't even finish it。 I thought it would be more of a memoir， but instead it seemed like a collection of court cases and written briefs。 Again， her life is something to be honored but unfortunately this book is not 😞 I applaude what RBG stood for， however I did not enjoy this book。 Truth be told， I couldn't even finish it。 I thought it would be more of a memoir， but instead it seemed like a collection of court cases and written briefs。 Again， her life is something to be honored but unfortunately this book is not 😞 。。。more

Chena Lee ，

Inspirational even for someone working in a completely different field！ The book also introduced me to many important historical events that I'm so glad to have learned about， because those happened surprisingly recently and must have collectively enabled me to live the life I get to live now。 Inspirational even for someone working in a completely different field！ The book also introduced me to many important historical events that I'm so glad to have learned about， because those happened surprisingly recently and must have collectively enabled me to live the life I get to live now。 。。。more

Peter Heisler ，

This book strikes the right balance of biography and collection of writings， with helpful intros by the co-authors。 I thought the long chapter with bench dissents was great--and I'm glad the co-authors included so many of these accessible summaries of some of Justice Ginsburg's most trenchant opinions。 It's a little sad reading the hopeful ending of the book now， following Justice Ginsburg's death and the remaking of the Supreme Court--but still encouraging to gain a fuller understanding of the This book strikes the right balance of biography and collection of writings， with helpful intros by the co-authors。 I thought the long chapter with bench dissents was great--and I'm glad the co-authors included so many of these accessible summaries of some of Justice Ginsburg's most trenchant opinions。 It's a little sad reading the hopeful ending of the book now， following Justice Ginsburg's death and the remaking of the Supreme Court--but still encouraging to gain a fuller understanding of the legacy she left。 。。。more

Courtney ，

How could I not give one of my heroes five stars？ Listen to this one—please！ You’ll be able to hear recordings of RBG throughout and even a special guest-her husband Marty-for a personal speech。 This is not really a memoir， although it begins at her childhood and you get a glimpse of her personal life-but it is more about her professional life and her speeches from the Supreme Court。 Her steady and intelligent speeches are always so awe-inspiring。 We were blessed to know of her。 She is missed te How could I not give one of my heroes five stars？ Listen to this one—please！ You’ll be able to hear recordings of RBG throughout and even a special guest-her husband Marty-for a personal speech。 This is not really a memoir， although it begins at her childhood and you get a glimpse of her personal life-but it is more about her professional life and her speeches from the Supreme Court。 Her steady and intelligent speeches are always so awe-inspiring。 We were blessed to know of her。 She is missed terribly。 。。。more

Christine Rosskopf ，

This collection of speeches and writings is interesting and offers insight into the Justice's professional life in the best way possible， in her own words。 There are some real gems here。 The phrase， "leave tracks" （p。 279） likely will make an appearance on my office wall in the near future。However， the work's strength is also it's weakness。 I'm a lawyer and used to reading legal writing。 Supreme Court opinions， in particular， are notorious for long discussions of fine points of constitutional in This collection of speeches and writings is interesting and offers insight into the Justice's professional life in the best way possible， in her own words。 There are some real gems here。 The phrase， "leave tracks" （p。 279） likely will make an appearance on my office wall in the near future。However， the work's strength is also it's weakness。 I'm a lawyer and used to reading legal writing。 Supreme Court opinions， in particular， are notorious for long discussions of fine points of constitutional interpretation。 Reading them can be a slog for all but the geekiest of con law buffs。 On days I was looking for relaxing reading， this book was not it。 Fans of Ruth Bader Ginsburg unfamiliar with this style of writing will find it dull and dense。 Hint， read pp。 239 through 286 first。 If the compilers don't lose you on some of the most fascinating material， then read the whole collection。 。。。more

Maura Danehey ，

Beautiful， powerful， RBG - Enough said。

Lisette ，

As much as I like and admire RBG this book just wasn't that engrossing。 Some parts were very interesting but overall I wasn't that enthralled As much as I like and admire RBG this book just wasn't that engrossing。 Some parts were very interesting but overall I wasn't that enthralled 。。。more

Monica Ishida ，

I absolutely love RBG and my review is not a reflection of her and the content that reflects her but rather towards the haphazard organization and copy and paste nature of the book。 The book read more like a research paper at points with RBG's speeches put in at various points。 Wish there was more content about her life rather than about thr judicial processes that seemed to go over my head。 Highly recommend listening as an audiobook as you get to hear RBG reading the speeches herself。 I absolutely love RBG and my review is not a reflection of her and the content that reflects her but rather towards the haphazard organization and copy and paste nature of the book。 The book read more like a research paper at points with RBG's speeches put in at various points。 Wish there was more content about her life rather than about thr judicial processes that seemed to go over my head。 Highly recommend listening as an audiobook as you get to hear RBG reading the speeches herself。 。。。more

Kristina ，

What a life Ruth！！

Mia Balsamo ，

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an absolute legend， who， like so many other women of her time and talent， was able to make a difference for all women。 For her work， I will be forever grateful， and I know I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn't for her perseverance， candor， and open-mindedness。 All of that aside， this book was a very difficult read。 When she says "my own words"， she means， her own words。 The book is a compilation of statements， speeches， and op-eds throughout her life。 Her earlie Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an absolute legend， who， like so many other women of her time and talent， was able to make a difference for all women。 For her work， I will be forever grateful， and I know I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn't for her perseverance， candor， and open-mindedness。 All of that aside， this book was a very difficult read。 When she says "my own words"， she means， her own words。 The book is a compilation of statements， speeches， and op-eds throughout her life。 Her earliest piece was an article she wrote in her school newspaper， and continued through her later years on the Supreme Court。 There is no doubt the woman knows how to write。 There also is no doubt that law is a career path I am happy I did not enter into。 Her lawyer speak was often hard to comprehend。 Additionally， the structure of the book seemed mostly structure-less。 I was anticipating this book to be more biographical and less anthological。 Nevertheless， I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the life of a Supreme Court Justice， and the level of dedication their position necessitates。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Own Words

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Own Words&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Own Words&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0