Why it's easy to admire Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Im going to be upfront here: this book made me cry. As a woman, mother to a daughter, and formerly outspoken little girl in a time and place where feminism was was an anachronistic term for bra-burning rather than the badge of pride and call to action it is today, this book made me grateful and proud. I was already an RBG fan its pretty hard not to be but I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark hammered home all of the reasons why its easy to admire the influential Supreme Court Justice through a beautiful, illustrated biography that stresses the importance of standing up for whats right.

Debbie Levy frames RBGs story with objections, beginning with her mother, Celia Amster Bader, who sets the tone for the book and for her daughters trajectory by encouraging little Ruth to strive for more in life than finding a husband. Ruths mother disagreed, is the first of many hand-lettered, marquee-like pronouncements that tie together Levys text and Elizabeth Baddeleys visual storytelling. This bold dissention (Then she protested. She resisted. And persisted. Ruth really, really disagreed with this!) in the face of prejudice and sexism allows readers to feel the weight of injustice and the power of speaking up as they straighten their shoulders, square their feet, and shout with Ruth, I dissent!

I learned a lot through this book. Who knew that RBG and Antonin Scalia were friends? Or that Justice Ginsburgs mother was such a driving force in her life? There is also a section for further reading after the story ends, including photos of RBG, information on cases referenced in the story, and a selected bibliography, which serves as a great resource for curious readers who want to learn more.

See sample pages from this book at Wink.

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy (author) and Elizabeth Baddeley (illustrator)
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2016, 40 pages, 8.5 x 11 x 0.6 inches (hardcover)
$14 Buy a copy on Amazon