Tag Archives: Womens History

Review: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Biography, Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,
Notorious RBG by Irin Carmoun and Shana Knizhnik

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
Dey Street Books
Published October 27, 2015

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Notorious RBG

You can’t spell truth without Ruth.
Only Ruth Bader Ginsburg can judge me.
The Ruth will set you free.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg never asked for fame—she was just trying to make the world a little better and a little freer. But along the way, the feminist pioneer’s searing dissents and steely strength have inspired millions. NOTORIOUS RBG: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RUTH BADER GINSBERG, created by the young lawyer who began the internet sensation and an award-winning journalist, takes you behind the myth for an intimate, irreverent look at the justice’s life and work. As America struggles with the unfinished business of gender equality and civil rights, Ginsburg stays fierce. And if you don’t know, now you know.

My Review

I’ve been looking for a biography about Ruth Bader Ginsburg for a while, and I’m super excited to have found this one. It’s upbeat, filled with facts and personal stories from Ginsburg’s life. I really enjoyed reading about her career as a lawyer and law professor as well as her relationship with her husband Marty, who not only believed in her and celebrated her successes with her but also seemed like a really fun and wonderful person, too.

I thought it was cool to learn that Justice Ginsburg had such a close relationship with Justice Scalia even though they had vastly different views. Her work ethic is legendary, but the compliments from her clerks and the people she worked with say so much about the kind of person she was.

It’s worth pointing out that the book was written before Justice Ginsburg passed away, so some of the wording is still in present tense. I don’t know if there are plans to release an updated version of the book, but I would love to see that and would definitely buy it!

All in all, I loved THE NOTORIOUS RBG. It only reinforced my admiration of Justice Ginsburg for her careful way with words and her unwavering commitment to human rights.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mentions of her marriage to Marty Ginsburg.

Spiritual Content
Mentions of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Jewish faith and the fact that when she was a child, she would not have had the option to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah with a big ceremony, though boys had ceremonies for their Bar Mitzvah celebrations.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Drawing Outside the Lines by Susan J. Austin

Book Review and Content, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Drawing Outside the Lines: a Julia Morgan Novel
Susan J. Austin
Sparkpress
Published October 18, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Drawing Outside the Lines

Meet the brilliant, fearless, and ambitious Julia Morgan. In 1883, eleven-year-old Julia visits the amazing new Brooklyn Bridge—an experience that ignites within her a small but persistent flame. Someday, she decides, she too will build an astounding structure. 

 
Growing up in horse-and-buggy Oakland, Julia enjoys daring fence walks, climbing the tallest trees, and constantly testing her mother’s patience with her lack of interest in domestic duties and social events. At a time when “brainy” girls are the object of ridicule, Julia excels in school and consistently outsmarts her ornery brothers—but she has an even greater battle ahead. When she enrolls at university to study engineering, the male students taunt her, and the professors belittle her. Through it all, however, Julia holds on to her dream of becoming an architect. She faces each challenge head-on, firmly standing up to those who believe a woman’s place is in the home. Fortunately, the world has yet to meet anyone like the indomitable Miss Morgan. 


DRAWING OUTSIDE THE LINES is an imagined childhood of pioneering architect Julia Morgan, who left behind her an extraordinary legacy of creativity, beauty, and engineering marvels.

My Review

Lately I feel like I keep running into repeated mentions of women in history that I didn’t previously know anything about. For example, a week or so before I read this book, I picked up another book about 50 women artists that also includes a bio of Julia Morgan.

I enjoyed this sweet imagining of the early life of Julia Morgan and her family. The story includes brushes with other famous people from her time as well as some of the architectural marvels that were created during her early life, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.

The story follows her journey through school, graduation and into college. As a woman in an engineering program at that time, she faced a lot of gender discrimination and prejudice. Her kindness and strength as she perseveres through it all can’t help but be inspiring. It was easy to celebrate Julia’s successes with her.

After the story ends, the author includes a note explaining some of the other famous people who appear as minor characters in the story as well as commenting on a few key events, such as her school burning down twice. I found myself wishing that there were also some biographical notes summarizing the rest of Julia Morgan’s life and accomplishments, especially in architecture. The book definitely made me more curious about and more appreciative of Julia Morgan as an architect, and I look forward to learning even more.

I think readers who enjoy history will love reading this story imagining Julia Morgan’s early life.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
A boy knocks Julia into the mud on purpose. Several boys in her college program say derisive things to her. A couple of male professors do, too.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of DRAWING OUTSIDE THE LINES in exchange for my honest review.