I'll tell you a secret. Generally speaking I have no sustainable interest in the law or politics. Being a lawyer or politician sound like terrible, awful jobs to me. Presumably being an environmental engineer / hydrogeologist sounds equally horrible to them. However, somehow I have developed a deep love of the Supreme Court. Thinking about it, I can attribute the beginning of my interest directly to Emily Bazelon
I liked what I have previously read about Justice Sotomayor and I have heard her interviewed on NPR and been completely charmed. So when her memoir of her youth (life up to becoming a judge) appeared on sale on amazon the other day, I jumped on it.
Not surprisingly, Sotomayor is an inspiring woman. She came from a disadvantaged background and rose to well, the Supreme Court of the US. But the the book is not just a list of her accomplishments, it also includes very personal details of her struggles. The most obvious are from her childhood. She had type 1 diabetes as a child at a time when treatment was not well understood. Spanish is her native language, and schools were not well equipped for non-native speakers. Her father was alcoholic and died when she was in grade school. Her childhood best friend and intellectual twin becomes a heroin addict while she succeeds academically. But it also includes things from her young adulthood - looking for meaningful mentors, maintaining her career at the end of her first marriage, deciding whether or not to have children, etc.
The memoir was readable and engaging. Like in her interviews, I was charmed. I finished the book really wanting to be this woman's friend. I also liked her overall thesis in that innate intellectual ability and a healthy amount of luck are important, but the key to success is incessant hard work. Throw in humbleness and a commitment to being a lifelong learner and you'll do even better.
Long Story Short: If you've ever felt ill equipped to meet a challenge in your life, read this book.
I liked what I have previously read about Justice Sotomayor and I have heard her interviewed on NPR and been completely charmed. So when her memoir of her youth (life up to becoming a judge) appeared on sale on amazon the other day, I jumped on it.
Not surprisingly, Sotomayor is an inspiring woman. She came from a disadvantaged background and rose to well, the Supreme Court of the US. But the the book is not just a list of her accomplishments, it also includes very personal details of her struggles. The most obvious are from her childhood. She had type 1 diabetes as a child at a time when treatment was not well understood. Spanish is her native language, and schools were not well equipped for non-native speakers. Her father was alcoholic and died when she was in grade school. Her childhood best friend and intellectual twin becomes a heroin addict while she succeeds academically. But it also includes things from her young adulthood - looking for meaningful mentors, maintaining her career at the end of her first marriage, deciding whether or not to have children, etc.
The memoir was readable and engaging. Like in her interviews, I was charmed. I finished the book really wanting to be this woman's friend. I also liked her overall thesis in that innate intellectual ability and a healthy amount of luck are important, but the key to success is incessant hard work. Throw in humbleness and a commitment to being a lifelong learner and you'll do even better.
Long Story Short: If you've ever felt ill equipped to meet a challenge in your life, read this book.
RSS Feed