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Summary
Summary
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a trailblazer. A fighter. And a public servant who has dedicated her life to the pursuit of equality.
When Ruth was a young girl, her mother encouraged her to read, be independent, and stand up for what she thought was right. Ruth graduated first in her class at Cornell University and tied for top of her graduating class at Columbia Law School. But she faced prejudice as both a woman and a Jew, making it difficult to get a job. Ruth eventually found work as a law clerk, and her determination, diligence, and skill led to a distinguished career as a lawyer. In 1993, she became the second woman ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court. As a Supreme Court justice, Ruth has inspired fierce admiration and faced fervent opposition for her judgments in high-profile cases, many of which have involved discrimination. She has been lauded for her sharp wit and boldness, even when her opinions differ from that of the majority.
As a student, teacher, lawyer, and judge, Ruth often experienced unfair treatment. But she persisted, becoming a cultural icon, championing equality in pay and opportunity. Her brilliant mind, compelling arguments, and staunch commitment to truth and justice have convinced many to stand with her, and her fight continues to this day.
This installment of the award-winning Big Words series brings a legendary figure into focus with Doreen Rappaport's incisive prose combined with Ruth's own words. Eric Velasquez's dynamic illustrations infuse every scene with life in a moving tribute that will inspire young justice seekers everywhere.
Author Notes
Author Bio:Doreen Rappaport's nonfiction and historical fiction books have been acclaimed for their meticulous research and varied literary styles. She is the recipient of the Washington Post Children's Book Guild lifetime achievement award for the writing of nonfiction. Among her many award-winning biographies are Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier, a Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Orbis Pictus Honor Book, and a Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner; and Abe's Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the Library of Virginia's Whitney and Scott Cardozo Award winner, a CCBC Best Book of the Year, and an IRA Teachers' Choice. Doreen lives in upstate New York. Visit her at www.doreenrappaport.com.Illustrator Bio:Eric Velasquez was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem. He earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has been illustrating for over 30 years. He has illustrated over 30 children's books; his first picturebook, The Piano Man by Debbie Chocolate, won the Coretta-Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. In 2010, Eric was awarded an NAACP Image award for his work in Our Children Can Soar, which he collaborated on with 12 notable illustrators of children's literature. Eric also wrote and illustrated Grandma's Records and its follow-up Grandma's Gift, which won the 2011 Pura Belpre Award for illustration and was nominated for a 2011 NAACP Image Award. His latest book, Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford, won the 2018 Walter Award and Golden Kite Award and was an International Latino Book Award Honorable Mention. Eric lives and works in New York, where he teaches book illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology. For more information, please visit his website EricVelasquez.com.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rappaport adds to her Big Words series with this well-researched picture biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As with all books in the series, quotations--set apart via color and larger text size--appear on each spread, bringing Ginsberg's own voice to her story ("Traditional law firms were just beginning to hire Jews, but to be a woman, a Jew, and a mother to boot, that combination was a bit much"). Velasquez (Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library) creates pared-down compositions that immediately draw readers into Ginsberg's facial expressions and emotions. The realistic oil paintings depict the justice early on as a cello-playing, baton-twirling teenager who loses her mother just before her high school graduation. She rebuffs mid-20th-century social norms, becoming a spouse and parent while breaking ground as a female law student, professor, lawyer, and, eventually, the second woman justice on the Supreme Court. The concise narrative weaves in five of Ginsburg's landmark court cases, in which she champions women's rights and gender parity. A timeline, author and illustrator notes, and a selected bibliography wrap up this very handsome addition to the growing collection of RBG literature for young readers. Ages 6--8. Author's agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. Illustrator's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Feb.)
Horn Book Review
Velasquezs arresting jacket portrait of Ginsburg, superimposed on a facsimile of the U.S. Constitution, conveys a woman of purpose; Rappaports biography, largely focused on Ginsburgs work for gender equality, reinforces this first impression. Despite societal inequalities between men and women in the 1950s, Ginsburg receives a full scholarship to Cornell and is then accepted to Harvard Law School. She graduates first in her class from Columbia Law (where she had transferred), but not a single law firm interviews her. She begins teaching at Rutgers with a salary less than those of her male counterparts and a legal barrier against claiming her student husband as a dependent. After joining several lawsuits addressing these issues, she successfully argues one such case before the Supreme Court. Rappaports narrative scope includes Ginsburgs personal life, where her marriage mirrored her beliefs of shared and equal gender roles. Generous oil paintings place Ginsburg front and center except in illustrations relating to her marriage; there both husband and wife share the visual spotlight. Ginsburgs own words, stating both the inequalities she endured and her own convictions, conclude thus: When Im sometimes asked when will there be enough women on the Court, and I respond when there are nine, people are shocked. But the Supreme Court has had nine men for ever so long, and nobodys ever raised a question about that. Appended with a timeline, notes from both author and illustrator, a brief bibliography, and source notes. Betty Carter March/April 2020 p.106(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ruth Bader Ginsburg stares out from the cover in an almost life-size portrait, calmly confident and assured, but a Jewish girl raised in Brooklyn in the '30s and '40s was not expected to end up on the U.S. Supreme Court. Through college and law school, as a university professor and a judge, Ginsburg continued to challenge other people's limited expectations. In this picture-book biography, each two-page spread is broken up roughly into two-thirds illustrations and one-third text. Velasquez's striking paintings may fill the whole space or be divided into panels depicting a series of events. The nature of Ginsburg's work is inherently difficult to explain to a young audience, but Rappaport frames many of the justice's court cases around the ideas of fairness, discrimination, and equality, concepts that children generally can recognize. Debbie Levy's similar I Dissent (2016) is told more as a continuous narrative, while this work examines pivotal points in Ginsburg's life. The text is anchored by quotations, effectively communicating Ginsburg's voice and providing insight into her motivations and beliefs.--Lucinda Whitehurst Copyright 2019 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--This picture book biography vividly examines the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Rappaport explains that Celia, Ginsburg's mother, was unable to pursue higher education and instead had to financially support her brother through college. This setback fueled Celia's insistence that Ginsburg achieve independence and stick to her beliefs. Treatment is given to Ginsburg's childhood and teen years. An extended amount of time is spent on Ginsburg's college years, when she met her husband and decided to attend law school. Rappaport describes Ginsburg's role as a wife and mother, but this is downplayed in comparison to her impressive professional accomplishments. Quotes from Ginsburg are spread throughout the book, with at least one on each page. The narrative ends in 2010. Velasquez's illustrations are realistic and feature prominently. Back matter includes important dates, an author's note, and an illustrator's note. VERDICT A welcome addition to any library's picture book biography collection. Due to the length of the written passages, this title may be a better fit as an independent text for students in intermediate grades rather than as a read-aloud.--Kate Olson, Bangor School District, WI
Kirkus Review
Ruth Bader Ginsburg witnessed and experienced discrimination, both subtle and overt, that profoundly affected her choices and the direction her life would take.Her mother was denied many opportunities, but she was determined that Ruth would achieve independence. She died just before Ruth's high school graduation, never seeing her daughter's splendid achievements. Colleges had quotas for admitting women, Jews, and racial minorities. School administrators openly disparaged women, and there were severe restrictions regarding housing, dining, curfews, and studying. Women, including Ruth, had to leave jobs when pregnant. There was discrimination in hiring for positions in law firms or for clerkships. But Ruth persevered, with her husband as equal life-partner every step of the way. While a law professor at Rutgers University she participated in a successful lawsuit seeking equal pay with her male counterparts. Many more lawsuits seeking to end gender inequities followed. As lawyer, federal judge, and the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court, her remarkable career was forged from strength, determination, and pure guts. Rappaport tells Ruth's story chronologically, punctuating it with Bader's own words. Differing typesets, font sizes, and colors separate the quotes from the cogent, informative narration supplied. Per series formula, there is no title on the front coverjust Velasquez's oil portrait depicting her intensity and serious demeanor. Interior illustrations focus on Ruth in every phase of her life and perfectly match the text.An insightful and fascinating examination of Ginsburg as woman and jurist. (timeline, author's note, illustrator's note, selected bibliography, additional resources) (Picture book/biography. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
