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Notorious RBG
Read in 19 min.
Listen in 24 min.
Learn the key ideas of the book by Shana Knizhnik , Irin Carmon

Notorious RBG

The story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, from judge to pop icon.

Notorious RBG is the biography of the most popular judge in American history, Ruth Bader Ginsburg: an extraordinary woman, who decided to embark on a legal career to make the world a better place. She fought against descrimination to affirm equal rights for everyone, teaching new generations the value of dissent. Her own life was relatively sobre and low-key, yet she inadvertently conquered the hearts of the sceptical millennials, and became a pop icon. She was the example of a truly independent woman, who was brave, and capable of mediating, as well as expressing her own dissent, depending on the specific cause she was supporting in trying to achieve equality for her country and everyone in it. 

Notorious RBG
Read in 19 min.
Listen in 24 min.
IDEA CHIAVE 1/11

Ruth Bader was a passionate young reader whose mother taught her an important lesson: get a good degree instead of a good catch

Ruth Bader was born in Brooklyn in 1933, to Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine. Her childhood and adolescence were similar to most children of her age, even though they were marked with pain and suffering. When she was just two years old, her older sister died of meningitis; when she was only 13 Ruth learned of her mother being diagnosed with cancer. Kiki (her nickname) was brave and reserved in the face of these painful challenges; she didn’t want people to feel sorry for her. Since she was young, Kiki had been an avid reader; once a week her mother used to leave her at the local library while she went to the hairdresser, and this is where Kiki would immerse herself in the world of books, and choose which titles she wanted to take home with her. Cecilia (her mother) was an intelligent woman with an aptitude for studying, who graduated high school with top marks, but wasn’t able to go on to University: her family was focusing on sending her brother. He was destined to pursue a career, while she, being a woman, could only aspire to becoming a good wife, and with the money that she earned as a bookkeeper, she could help her brother pay for his studies.

Cecilia had a different dream for her daughter, a dream in which she could study, become a teacher and become an accomplished professional. Ruth worked hard during her high school years and achieved excellent results. Unfortunately, her mother died the night before Ruth was due to graduate. Cecilia left her daughter with both a moral and material legacy. From a moral standpoint, her mother taught Kiki two principles, which she would carry with her for the rest of her life: to be independent, and to be a lady. Her mother explained to her that being a lady meant never allowing yourself to be swept away by negative emotions, to be true to your beliefs, and to maintain a deep sense of self-respect. The second thing Ruth’s mother left her was money: when she died, Kiki inherited $8000 that Cecilia had saved, with much patience and sacrifice, for her daughter’s education.

  

The key ideas of "Notorious RBG"

01.
Ruth Bader was a passionate young reader whose mother taught her an important lesson: get a good degree instead of a good catch
02.
University, marriage and the first impact with the working world: a hostile place for women
03.
Studying and pursuing a career while raising a family
04.
Her time in Sweden showed her that a world in which men and women are free of gender roles is possible
05.
Her voluntary role with the American Civil Liberties Union was her first important victory at the Supreme Court
06.
RGB’s strategy: changing the law one case at a time and helping people understand that gender equality benefits everyone, not just women
07.
Her nomination as Supreme Court Judge: RBG was the second woman in history to fulfil this role
08.
The Supreme Court leans towards the right and a period of dissent begins for RBG
09.
2013: the year in which Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the Notorious RBG
10.
Quotes
11.
Take-home message
 
 
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