In the past several years, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has had books written about her, a documentary and a biopic hit theaters, and been made into an action figure. She's become almost more of an idea than a person, which made My Own Words, a collection of her writings/speeches, organized with her co-writers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, all the more relevant to read. There is an actual woman beneath the mythologizing, and that woman is whip-smart and has a lot of important things to say that can't be slapped on a photo and turned into a meme. Not that I have any beef with that picture of her that says "all them fives need to listen when a ten is talking" in the Beyonce font, but in a world where complex thought is increasingly rare, we owe it to one of our best thinkers to really listen to what she has to say.

The book's collection of her writings has examples all the way from pre-teen editorials submitted to the school paper to oral announcements of Supreme Court dissents. That she is a serious, thoughtful person is obvious even in the early writings, and examples of her work as she pushed for gender equity at the ACLU and then was elevated to the federal bench demonstrate her prodigious intellect and ability to distill arguments to their essence. But it's not all ponderous and serious. There's a written version of remarks about the role of lawyers in opera and an excerpt from the comic opera that was written about Justices Scalia and Ginsburg's close personal friendship, which included trips to the opera, despite the gulf between their views on the law. There are a few pieces that were written/delivered by Gibsburg's beloved husband Marty, whose wit made me giggle in few places.

The co-authors are apparently working on an authorized full biography of Justice Ginsburg, and the way they've worked with the material they have here gives me high hopes that it'll be excellent. It can be challenging to edit down legal writing into something that can be understood by an audience not trained to read it, but between what's clearly Ginsburg's own facility with language and careful tweaks, the material will definitely require attention but isn't difficult to understand. That it's just relatively short vignettes may disappoint some who are looking for something more like a traditional biography, though there is interstitial writing to fill in the gaps and provide context. You do definitely get a sense of who she is through reading it, though. I'd highly recommend this for anyone who's interested in the law, as well as any RBG enthusiasts. ( )

I was truly disappointed with this book. I was expecting more about her life, insights into her feelings about her accomplishments, and some reflection about the effects of her accomplishments in a historical sense.
Instead, it was mostly a selection of her supreme court decision and speeches, printed in the book for the reader's perusal. ( )

My favorite parts of the book were how Ruth thinks about cases she hears. Those thought processes are fascinating. Of course, the workings of the court were so different from the highly political fashion that the current justices practice. Ruth’s words take on a nostalgic tone. The way she uses women’s rights with examples of men is genius. ( )

A fantastic look into Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Career through her own writings, from editorials in the school newspaper, to Supreme Court Dissents. Always well written, with humor, and someone who can understand all sides of an argument (and disregards that side if its obvious that what they say doesn't make sense, or has a very biased view). I especially like included Opera of Scalia and Ginsburg - Amusing, and shows how two people who disagree can agree.

I especially like the insight into how the Supreme Court decides cases, makes decisions, and generally comes to agreement. Her ACLU cases are incredibly important, showing how there is unfairness (to both sexes) when it comes to laws.

An amazing lady who is one of the few women of her day who actually managed to make a successful career, while having a successful family.

Highly Recomended. ( )

Survey of RBG life as judge including many cases she felt were important. She also gently presents her dissents in several important decisions that roll-back voting rights, women's equality under the law, Roe v W, Citizens United, etc. Especially nice is that the audio book contains her and sometimes her husband's recorded speeches rather than the transcripts presumably contained in the book. ( )