Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life & Work, written by Victoria Ortiz, reviewed by Anneliese White

Summary: The Notorious R.B.G. comes to life in this biography, allowing young readers a great glimpse into not only her life, but her accomplishments and struggles throughout her career. Right from the beginning, readers will learn of important court cases that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was involved with as either a lawyer or a judge, and are allowed to find out the outcome of Ruth’s court cases and how they have impacted U.S. law. Intermixed is her life’s story, from a girl who lost her mother at a very young age, then as a young woman who is a brilliant law student. “Dissenter on the Bench,” also shares the love story that Ruth had with her husband of more than fifty years, Marty. It weaves the discrimination Ruth faces herself, as a woman who wants a career during a time period when women were expected to stay home, and again, as a mother of two, who was refused jobs more than once because mothers were considered to be unreliable to hold jobs. Done in a way that is appealing to a younger age group, this book covers R.B.G.’s fascinating life, while offering lessons in discrimination, equality, human rights, and many more important topics.

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book gave mixed feelings; on one hand, it does an excellent job of showcasing important court cases that R.B.G. worked on during her lifetime, as either a lawyer or a judge, and what the outcome of those cases were. Readers are able to truly get a full picture of the changes Justice Ginsburg has made during her career to fight discrimintation and improve civil rights. “Dissenter on the Bench,” also does a great job of telling R.B.G.’s life story, from childhood to becoming the second woman justice on the Supreme Court, in a way that is interesting and understandable to young readers. Critically speaking, the book hops around a lot from Ruth’s life to various court cases, and in some areas, were hard to follow. There are also some details that seemed to be too mature for young readers, and could have been left out (for example, a description of a strip search of in the first chapter of a middle school girl whose case made it to the Supreme Court when R.B.G. was a justice). With a little more editing and congruence in the storytelling, this book would have received a perfect recommendation. This is still a title that is recommended for purchase for it’s high value of classroom use, for lessons on human rights, civil rights, discrimination, government, and more.