Let’s be clear. Sandra Day O’Connor is no Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg gave us the legal architecture of women’s place in America. O’Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, gave us George W. Bush. The tie-breaker in Bush v. Gore, O’Connor added color and contrast to the court, but the Reagan appointee was vastly more Republican than feminist. And while the ostensible thesis of the book is that sisterhood is powerful, the main story that author Linda Hirshman tells us is the story of “The Notorious RBG.”
This is not a standard biography or dual biography, nor has Hirshman interviewed the principals. The book is based on the author’s own legal expertise and experiences practicing before the Supreme Court, her access to various justices’ papers and opinions, as well as interviews with supporting cast. Smart money says that O’Connor declined to participate and the book’s concept would not work with Ginsburg interviews alone. Still, without a direct word from her subjects, the writer seamlessly weaves their voices, along with history, politics and her own point of view, which only the sleepiest reader could miss.
