Free to Be: Ruth Bader Ginsburg; The Story of Women and Law

Kanefield (The Girl from the Tar Paper School), who writes largely for young adults, derives from mixed sources an informative, simply written account of the impressive arc of Ginsburg’s life. She begins with Ginsburg’s humble beginnings as the daughter of a Russian Jewish immigrant who struggled to make a go in New York City’s garment business. From an early age, she demonstrated the intelligence and diligence that became her hallmark as the second woman ever on the Supreme Court. Kanefield makes accessible to laypersons the legal arguments at the heart of many of Ginsburg’s cases, including the gender discrimination Ginsburg attacked when she was a practicing attorney. The justice’s personal life gets appropriate attention, especially her warm and mutually supportive relationship with her late husband, Marty. Despite the book’s positive tone, this is not a hagiography; Kanefield does include quotes from those critical of Ginsburg. Those who have followed Ginsburg’s career and jurisprudence will not find anything new here, but most readers will emerge with a great deal of respect for a fiercely independent woman who battled sexism to reach the pinnacle of her profession. (BookLife)

This review has been corrected. Our review originally failed to note that some primary sources were consulted by the author.