What do you think?
Rate this book
Ordinary People Change the World
I am Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, is the subject of the sixteenth picture book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about heroes. (Cover may vary)
This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume features Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. From her home in the Bronx to law school, Sonia Sotomayor was always driven by her love of learning and her commitment to justice. With the support of her loving family and supportive mentors, she pursued a career in law and proved there's no limit to what someone can accomplish. She was proof that opportunity comes with justice.
This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big.
Included in each book
• A timeline of key events in the hero’s history
• Photos that bring the story more fully to life
• Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable
• Childhood moments that influenced the hero
• Facts that make great conversation-starters
• A virtue this person Justice Sonia Sotomayor's enthusiasm carried her through life's challenges
You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series
This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume features Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. From her home in the Bronx to law school, Sonia Sotomayor was always driven by her love of learning and her commitment to justice. With the support of her loving family and supportive mentors, she pursued a career in law and proved there's no limit to what someone can accomplish. She was proof that opportunity comes with justice.
This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big.
Included in each book
• A timeline of key events in the hero’s history
• Photos that bring the story more fully to life
• Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable
• Childhood moments that influenced the hero
• Facts that make great conversation-starters
• A virtue this person Justice Sonia Sotomayor's enthusiasm carried her through life's challenges
You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series
40 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2018
13 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
Brad Meltzer
323 books7,438 followersBrad Meltzer is the Emmy-nominated, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and eleven other bestselling thrillers. He also writes non-fiction books like The JFK Conspiracy, about a secret plot to kill JFK before he was sworn in – and the Ordinary People Change the World kids book series, which he does with Chris Eliopoulos and inspired the PBS KIDS TV show, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. His newest kids books are We are the Beatles, We are the Beatles, and I am Simone Biles. His newest inspirational book is Make Magic, based on his viral commencement address.
In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (The Nazi Conspiracy), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award.
He is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel, and is responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero, making national news on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Meltzer unveiled the flag at the 9/11 Museum in New York, where it is now on display. See the video here. The Hollywood Reporter recently put him on their list of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors.
He also recently delivered the commencement address at the University of Michigan, in front of 70,000 people, including his graduating son. Entitled Make Magic and called “one of the best commencement addresses of all time,” it’s been shared millions of times across social media. Do yourself a favor, watch it here and buy the book here.
For sure, it’s tough to find anyone being so successful in so many different mediums of the popular culture. But why does Brad thrive in all these different professions? His belief that ordinary people change the world. It is that core belief that runs through every one of his projects.
His newest thriller, The Lightning Rod, brings back characters Nola and Zig in a setting that will blow your mind (you won't believe where the government let Brad go). For now, we'll say this: What's the one secret no one knows about you? It's about to come out. Nearly 2,000 five-star reviews. Raves by everyone from the Wall Street Journal, to James Patterson, to Brad's mother-in-law. Plus that twist at the end! And yes, the new Zig & Nola thriller is coming soon!
His newest non-fiction book, The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy -- and Why It Failed, which he wrote with Josh Mensch, is a true story about a secret assassination plot to kill JFK at the start of his Presidency and, if successful, would’ve changed history.
His illustrated children’s books I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln, which he does with artist Chris Eliopoulos, were written for his own children, to give them better heroes to look up to. Try them. You won’t believe how inspired you and your family will be. Some of our favorites in the series are I am Mister Rogers and I am Dolly Parton.
His other non-fiction books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, are collections of heroes – from Jim Henson to Sally Ride — that he’s been working on since the day his kids were born and is on sale now, as well as History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time.
He’s also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby.
Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times bestseller list, as have all thirteen of his novels. The First Counsel came next, which was about a White House lawyer dating the President’s daughter, then The Millionaires, which was about two brothers who
In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (The Nazi Conspiracy), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award.
He is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel, and is responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero, making national news on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Meltzer unveiled the flag at the 9/11 Museum in New York, where it is now on display. See the video here. The Hollywood Reporter recently put him on their list of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors.
He also recently delivered the commencement address at the University of Michigan, in front of 70,000 people, including his graduating son. Entitled Make Magic and called “one of the best commencement addresses of all time,” it’s been shared millions of times across social media. Do yourself a favor, watch it here and buy the book here.
For sure, it’s tough to find anyone being so successful in so many different mediums of the popular culture. But why does Brad thrive in all these different professions? His belief that ordinary people change the world. It is that core belief that runs through every one of his projects.
His newest thriller, The Lightning Rod, brings back characters Nola and Zig in a setting that will blow your mind (you won't believe where the government let Brad go). For now, we'll say this: What's the one secret no one knows about you? It's about to come out. Nearly 2,000 five-star reviews. Raves by everyone from the Wall Street Journal, to James Patterson, to Brad's mother-in-law. Plus that twist at the end! And yes, the new Zig & Nola thriller is coming soon!
His newest non-fiction book, The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy -- and Why It Failed, which he wrote with Josh Mensch, is a true story about a secret assassination plot to kill JFK at the start of his Presidency and, if successful, would’ve changed history.
His illustrated children’s books I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln, which he does with artist Chris Eliopoulos, were written for his own children, to give them better heroes to look up to. Try them. You won’t believe how inspired you and your family will be. Some of our favorites in the series are I am Mister Rogers and I am Dolly Parton.
His other non-fiction books, Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter, are collections of heroes – from Jim Henson to Sally Ride — that he’s been working on since the day his kids were born and is on sale now, as well as History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time.
He’s also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby.
Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times bestseller list, as have all thirteen of his novels. The First Counsel came next, which was about a White House lawyer dating the President’s daughter, then The Millionaires, which was about two brothers who
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
October 29, 2018
What can I say? Meltzer is my favorite author. Seriously, I can't wait for you to read this book. Chris knocked it out of the universe.
May 4, 2020
We have read the book Sonia about herself “Just ask!” that was very good. So I knew from that that she had diabetes. I didn’t know a whole lot else. She was a tough cookie from the Bronx and she was Puerto Rican. She loved to read. Her mother got them an encyclopedia and they had fun reading this. My parents got us an encyclopedia and you know, I only used it to do reports at school. I wasn’t the type of kid where I sat down to read the encyclopedia. I guess that’s why I’m not one of the top minds in the country.
She graduated with top honors from high school and college, she went to Princeton, by the way. She then got into Princeton Law. You know, only the top law school in the country. She became a judge. As a kid, she wanted to be a detective like Nancy Drew, but you can’t be a cop with diabetes. Then watching Perry Mason, she realized that he was a detective and solved things too. She noticed the judge in those cases was the one to really be the authority so she decided to be a judge. We know where she ends up.
It’s an amazing story told by Brad in his Brad way. I love how accessible these books are for kids. They really are and there are great facts about the people in here. These are great biographies for kids.
The nephew relates to these biographies more than anything else. The adults look like kids the whole time and he loves that. He actually enjoys this series and is excited for a new one. He thought Sonia was sassy and brassy (my words) and she would be fun to play with. He didn’t want to read encyclopedias, but he thought this was a good story and gave it 3 stars.
She graduated with top honors from high school and college, she went to Princeton, by the way. She then got into Princeton Law. You know, only the top law school in the country. She became a judge. As a kid, she wanted to be a detective like Nancy Drew, but you can’t be a cop with diabetes. Then watching Perry Mason, she realized that he was a detective and solved things too. She noticed the judge in those cases was the one to really be the authority so she decided to be a judge. We know where she ends up.
It’s an amazing story told by Brad in his Brad way. I love how accessible these books are for kids. They really are and there are great facts about the people in here. These are great biographies for kids.
The nephew relates to these biographies more than anything else. The adults look like kids the whole time and he loves that. He actually enjoys this series and is excited for a new one. He thought Sonia was sassy and brassy (my words) and she would be fun to play with. He didn’t want to read encyclopedias, but he thought this was a good story and gave it 3 stars.
September 15, 2023
Excellent introduction to Justice Sotomayor! Small children are sure to draw inspiration from the many challenges she had to overcome to get to SCOTUS. I really think it is important the we all learn more about SCOTUS; I have talked to individuals who can't even name one member (past or present)! This book will help change that!
December 30, 2019
This book is a welcome addition to the “Ordinary People Change the World” series. Other bios in this series are as expected: Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Neil Armstrong, Martin Luther King... so you get the drift.
Here’s hoping this book is a success and that other contemporary heroes with low name recognition to the grade school readership will be so honored.
Here’s hoping this book is a success and that other contemporary heroes with low name recognition to the grade school readership will be so honored.
January 13, 2020
This is an informative nonfiction biography with an appealing graphic novel format. I have seen (and shelved) these books at the elementary school library where I work and this is the first in the Ordinary People Change the World series by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos that I've chosen to read.
Wow.
I didn't know how good these books are (if this one is any indication of the others). The cartoonish characters on each cover gave me an impression that this would be a short, very simplistic biography. And I figured I'd get around to reading one or two of them.
But after reading this one, I want to read them all! I loved the first person narrative. I loved the inspiring words and messages. And I loved the graphic novel format.
Following the story, the author has included a timeline of her life up to the point where she was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, as well as a list of his sources and additional books for children to read about her life.
Wonderful!
interesting quotes:
"It wasn't that my Puerto Rican neighbors didn't work hard. People aren't poor because they are lazy. My mother worked long hours to pay our bills. But sometimes where you live affects the kind of opportunities you have." (p. 11 - unpaged)
"...I could tell that each case was like a good puzzle - a complicated game with its own rules." (p. 19 - unpaged)
"...I also learned that one of the most important parts of making a good argument is being a good listener." (p. 20 - unpaged)
"To some people, athletes or astronauts are heroes. To me, the best action hero was a lawyer. That's what I wanted to be." (p. 25 - unpaged)
"I know lawyers can make a lot of money in a law firm. But I'd like you to consider a public service job where you can help other people and seek justice in a courtroom." (p. 25 - unpaged)
"'Do you know the real reason juries loved Sonia? She could talk to all people - young, old, rich, poor, people of all races and backgrounds. Sonia understood everyone.'
I also understood that when people don't get along, it's usually because they can't imagine how someone else is feeling." (p. 26 - unpaged)
"When I was little, did I ever dream about being a Supreme Court Justice? You can't dream about what you don't know about. If I wanted others to have this dream...I needed to show them it was possible. On October 8, 2009, at 55 years old, I was sworn in as the first Hispanic and third female Justice to ever serve on the Supreme Court of the United States." (pp. 29-30 - unpaged)
"Remember: No one is self-made. No matter who you are, everyone gets help from someone." (p. 30 - unpaged)
"Justice Sotomayor tries to end each day asking two questions! 'What did I learn new today?' and 'What act of giving did I do today?' If she didn't learn something new, she reads. If she didn't do any giving, she sends an email to someone she cares about." (p. 35 - unpaged)
"Don't worry about whether your dream will come true. A good dream will always stir something amazing inside you." (p. 35 - unpaged)
"...our dreams are often the same:
A loving family.
Kind friends.
A safe place to call home.
And the chance to reach our potential." (p. 36 - unpaged)
"The world outside your window is a starting point. But there's so much more beyond that. Read. Study. Do right by people.
No matter where you're born, there's no limit to what you can accomplish." (p. 37 - unpaged)
Wow.
I didn't know how good these books are (if this one is any indication of the others). The cartoonish characters on each cover gave me an impression that this would be a short, very simplistic biography. And I figured I'd get around to reading one or two of them.
But after reading this one, I want to read them all! I loved the first person narrative. I loved the inspiring words and messages. And I loved the graphic novel format.
Following the story, the author has included a timeline of her life up to the point where she was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, as well as a list of his sources and additional books for children to read about her life.
Wonderful!
interesting quotes:
"It wasn't that my Puerto Rican neighbors didn't work hard. People aren't poor because they are lazy. My mother worked long hours to pay our bills. But sometimes where you live affects the kind of opportunities you have." (p. 11 - unpaged)
"...I could tell that each case was like a good puzzle - a complicated game with its own rules." (p. 19 - unpaged)
"...I also learned that one of the most important parts of making a good argument is being a good listener." (p. 20 - unpaged)
"To some people, athletes or astronauts are heroes. To me, the best action hero was a lawyer. That's what I wanted to be." (p. 25 - unpaged)
"I know lawyers can make a lot of money in a law firm. But I'd like you to consider a public service job where you can help other people and seek justice in a courtroom." (p. 25 - unpaged)
"'Do you know the real reason juries loved Sonia? She could talk to all people - young, old, rich, poor, people of all races and backgrounds. Sonia understood everyone.'
I also understood that when people don't get along, it's usually because they can't imagine how someone else is feeling." (p. 26 - unpaged)
"When I was little, did I ever dream about being a Supreme Court Justice? You can't dream about what you don't know about. If I wanted others to have this dream...I needed to show them it was possible. On October 8, 2009, at 55 years old, I was sworn in as the first Hispanic and third female Justice to ever serve on the Supreme Court of the United States." (pp. 29-30 - unpaged)
"Remember: No one is self-made. No matter who you are, everyone gets help from someone." (p. 30 - unpaged)
"Justice Sotomayor tries to end each day asking two questions! 'What did I learn new today?' and 'What act of giving did I do today?' If she didn't learn something new, she reads. If she didn't do any giving, she sends an email to someone she cares about." (p. 35 - unpaged)
"Don't worry about whether your dream will come true. A good dream will always stir something amazing inside you." (p. 35 - unpaged)
"...our dreams are often the same:
A loving family.
Kind friends.
A safe place to call home.
And the chance to reach our potential." (p. 36 - unpaged)
"The world outside your window is a starting point. But there's so much more beyond that. Read. Study. Do right by people.
No matter where you're born, there's no limit to what you can accomplish." (p. 37 - unpaged)
October 31, 2018
Pair with Turning Pages.
November 21, 2018
Love this series
April 19, 2019
I am Sonia Sotomayor by Brad Meltzer is a great biography to be used as a read aloud in 3rd or 4th grade. This was a WOW book for me because it shows how “ordinary people can change the world.” I love how through struggle and perseverance an ordinary, latina female from the Bronx grows to become a justice of the highest court in the country. This story is great for introducing biographies/autobiographies as well as opening discussion on the opportunity gap, perseverance, and helping others. I love that this story ends in success but mostly focuses on the small steps it takes along the way, allowing students to relate more to Sonia and her life. I love that this book is sort of like a short graphic novel giving students a more humorous take on a powerful story of someone’s life.
The first activity I think students could do with this book would be a Social Studies integrated project where students make a timeline of their own life. Students could imitate the cartoon style of the book and draw/write about important accomplishments and moments in their life thus far.
Another activity students could do with this book, that also integrates Social Studies, would be choosing their own hero to research and write a biography on. At the culmination of the unit the class could act as a living history museum and dress as/present their character to their classmates, parents, etc.
The first activity I think students could do with this book would be a Social Studies integrated project where students make a timeline of their own life. Students could imitate the cartoon style of the book and draw/write about important accomplishments and moments in their life thus far.
Another activity students could do with this book, that also integrates Social Studies, would be choosing their own hero to research and write a biography on. At the culmination of the unit the class could act as a living history museum and dress as/present their character to their classmates, parents, etc.
January 1, 2019
Favorite passage:
"Whether it's in English, Spanish or any other language,
our dreams are often the same:
A loving family.
Kind friends.
A safe place to call home.
And the chance to reach our potential."
"Whether it's in English, Spanish or any other language,
our dreams are often the same:
A loving family.
Kind friends.
A safe place to call home.
And the chance to reach our potential."
October 27, 2018
A fantastic introduction to Sonia Sotomayor. Pairs well with her "Turning Pages" picture book.
November 2, 2018
Teachers and caregivers will certainly want to add this title, part of the Ordinary People Change the World series to their libraries. Featuring the first Hispanic and third woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, the book is quite accessible as it describes Sonia Sotomayor's formative years growing up in the Bronx borough of New York, and how she set and reached various professional goals. Young readers will appreciate the graphic novel format used in telling her inspiring story as well as the challenges she faced with diabetes and the death of her father. The Supreme Court Justice even offers some helpful advice to encourage others who might have been born poor or learned English as a second language. This series is highly addictive, and I cannot imagine a youngster who wouldn't find it entertaining and informative. I know that I enjoyed the book a great deal even though the caricature of Sonia at a later age sometimes seemed a bit odd.
November 6, 2018
Ordinary People Change the World is a biographical picture book series from Brad Meltzer, best known as a bestselling author of adult thrillers. Positive and inspiring for preschoolers. Christopher Eliopoulos’ cute illustrations just add another layer of appeal! Introducing young readers to these ordinary people who fought against stereotypes and/or injustice, the books have tackled various well-known people and their causes. This one is great to pair with Justice Sotomayor's picture book autobiography, Turning Pages.
December 20, 2018
Want a child to read a biography on Sonia Sotomayor? I would recommend this book over her own picture book biography, "Turning Pages; My Life Story." While I disliked Christopher Eliopoulos' illustrations particularly that Sonia is always shown as a child, the text and story line will be much more interesting to children. I liked the cartoon style of the illustrations which gave the text life. Brad Meltzer made Sotomayer human and approachable to children by including normal life activities and emotions.
December 22, 2018
Perfect for all ages
I recently read another book about Sonya. I was floored at what she had accomplished. I wanted to teach my children about her as well. This book breaks her life into bite sized chunks that are easy to read. The illustrations help provide context. I learned new things about her too. I’m going to have to check out more books in this series.
I recently read another book about Sonya. I was floored at what she had accomplished. I wanted to teach my children about her as well. This book breaks her life into bite sized chunks that are easy to read. The illustrations help provide context. I learned new things about her too. I’m going to have to check out more books in this series.
October 10, 2018
Informative, accessible and inspiring, a book that should inspire many children to reach beyond their dreams. Justice Sotomayor is revealed to be a hardworking, deep-thinking woman who came from absolutely no means to become one of the most influential people in the United States today.
February 12, 2019
Biography of Sotomayor for elementary level readers. Part of the Ordinary People Change the World series.
The illustrations are detailed and support the information given from childhood until time on the Supreme Court.
Photos and further information included at the end of the book.
The illustrations are detailed and support the information given from childhood until time on the Supreme Court.
Photos and further information included at the end of the book.
January 15, 2020
I guess being the first Hispanic woman on the Supreme Court made Sonia popular, but I don't understand why she got her own book. She worked hard and deserves everything she earned, but I feel like she really is just an ordinary person.
November 5, 2018
Phenomenal biography of an incredible person. Some of the pages hit me so hard I had to share them with people around me. A must read for grades 2 & up.
November 14, 2018
My favorite of the series.
November 26, 2018
What a fun way to introduce my kid to an important woman. We love this series!
December 28, 2018
I’ve read this whole series of books with my daughter. This is by far the best one yet. Sonia Sotomayor is truly inspiring. I didn’t know this much about her until this book. Great read.
January 8, 2019
Loved this one!
October 15, 2019
I really liked this book because Sonia Sotomayor was sharing stories about her life. When she was a little girl she wanted to be a lawyer because she wanted justice.She wanted justice because she thought it wasn’t fair. For example she thought it wasn’t fair when other students got fancy schools. I like that Sonia never gave up on her dreams. I recommend this book to children who want to be a judge when they grow up.
August 11, 2022
What a lovely little book.
December 14, 2018
How do you make one of the more problematic justices of the Supreme Court into the subject of a gushing hagiography for children? The author shows the way to manage this through a book that ignores the justice's decisions or her deeply flawed judicial worldview and instead tries to make her into an object of pity, someone who overcomes self-doubt and leverages her background in urban poverty as the diabetic child of Puerto Ricans in New York into a position of more prestigious positions within the legal establishment of the United States. The author tries to shoehorn all kinds of subaltern groups and their identity politics into a book that celebrates a country where someone's background is the fastest ticket to being seen as a hero. It is not someone's position that makes them a hero, or else one would write a book like this about the heroism of President Harding and how he rose from a small town merchant to increasing positions within the politics of Ohio and then a presidency in which he oversaw the return from Wilson's war paranoia into normalacy. Never mind, come to think of it, that would be a lot better a book than this one or most of the books in this series, even if few would consider Harding a heroic figure.
Nevertheless, despite its flawed approach, this book does follow the series' pattern of talking a lot about its subject's childhood and background as a way of setting the context for her adult behavior. Here we have childhood dreams of being a detective, a lot of energy that has a hard time being directed properly, a diagnosis of diabetes that causes her to redirect her ambition to the law, whining about the poor quality of schools in urban New York City, and the idealism encouraged by her college experience. We see her as homesick and encouraged by others to maximize her potential and we see very little that makes her heroic. Is one simply a hero for serving as a standard bearer for various subaltern groups? If so, there is going to be a lot more intolerable material in this series to deal with, and I'm pretty sure I want no part of reading that dreck. Fortunately, the author doesn't even try to make her positions on things like abortion heroic, as that would be completely unacceptable. Mercifully, the author does not attempt that impossible task.
So what we are left with is a book that greatly waters down what is considered heroic. One used to have to do brave deeds in order to be considered heroic. There is even a film that tries to portray fellow Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg as a heroine for her stance regarding gender equality, while giving her among the most unpleasant accents possible and similarly avoiding the positions that make her one of America's villains rather than heroes, and the same is the case here. Being a token member of a subaltern group that succeeds because of politics and whose viewpoints are detrimental to the well-being of the United States and who sits on our high court and has the chance to vote with that unacceptable legal and moral perspective does not make one a hero, it makes our country troubled, and this book and its author have little idea about how to understand this. If all you want is for children of all backgrounds to be able to dream that they could be any sort of position, that is one thing, but encouraging them to do good deeds and believe the right things would be a far better approach than to appeal to identity politics as this book does.
Nevertheless, despite its flawed approach, this book does follow the series' pattern of talking a lot about its subject's childhood and background as a way of setting the context for her adult behavior. Here we have childhood dreams of being a detective, a lot of energy that has a hard time being directed properly, a diagnosis of diabetes that causes her to redirect her ambition to the law, whining about the poor quality of schools in urban New York City, and the idealism encouraged by her college experience. We see her as homesick and encouraged by others to maximize her potential and we see very little that makes her heroic. Is one simply a hero for serving as a standard bearer for various subaltern groups? If so, there is going to be a lot more intolerable material in this series to deal with, and I'm pretty sure I want no part of reading that dreck. Fortunately, the author doesn't even try to make her positions on things like abortion heroic, as that would be completely unacceptable. Mercifully, the author does not attempt that impossible task.
So what we are left with is a book that greatly waters down what is considered heroic. One used to have to do brave deeds in order to be considered heroic. There is even a film that tries to portray fellow Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg as a heroine for her stance regarding gender equality, while giving her among the most unpleasant accents possible and similarly avoiding the positions that make her one of America's villains rather than heroes, and the same is the case here. Being a token member of a subaltern group that succeeds because of politics and whose viewpoints are detrimental to the well-being of the United States and who sits on our high court and has the chance to vote with that unacceptable legal and moral perspective does not make one a hero, it makes our country troubled, and this book and its author have little idea about how to understand this. If all you want is for children of all backgrounds to be able to dream that they could be any sort of position, that is one thing, but encouraging them to do good deeds and believe the right things would be a far better approach than to appeal to identity politics as this book does.
April 20, 2019
Another fantastic biography in the Ordinary People Change the World series, featuring Sonia Sotomayer!
Sonia Sotomayer grew up in the Bronx where she devoured Nancy Drew books which fueled her dream to be a detective. She was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of nine and later found out that she could not become a police officer or detective with diabetes so she decided to go into law instead. She went on to be a judge and the first Latina Supreme Court Justice!
This fun but educational read highlights Sonia Sotomayer's life, starting as a child determined to succeed and into the influential woman that she is today.
This review was originally shared on Lazy Day Literature
Sonia Sotomayer grew up in the Bronx where she devoured Nancy Drew books which fueled her dream to be a detective. She was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of nine and later found out that she could not become a police officer or detective with diabetes so she decided to go into law instead. She went on to be a judge and the first Latina Supreme Court Justice!
This fun but educational read highlights Sonia Sotomayer's life, starting as a child determined to succeed and into the influential woman that she is today.
This review was originally shared on Lazy Day Literature
December 16, 2018
Bibliography of Sonia Sotomayor's life, explaining how she had never seen a female hispanic lawyer or judge and how she had to push past those lack of examples to do what she has done.
She was inspired by detectives on TV to seek justice for people and dedicated her life to that.
Points out that Sonia's Type 1 Diabetes prevented her from becoming a detective, but just treats it very matter-of-fact-ly.
She was inspired by detectives on TV to seek justice for people and dedicated her life to that.
Points out that Sonia's Type 1 Diabetes prevented her from becoming a detective, but just treats it very matter-of-fact-ly.
December 28, 2018
I find it interesting that many in government don't think youngsters should have the privilege of attending private school, but apparently Sotomayor did...
This series does provide inspiration for youngsters to not settle for 'less than' and to aspire to better and bigger things, especially through reading and learning.
This series does provide inspiration for youngsters to not settle for 'less than' and to aspire to better and bigger things, especially through reading and learning.
January 14, 2020
These books follow a similar pattern and are a bit formulaic. However, I like knowing that I will be reading a well done book with lots of information that’s put together in an easy-to-read manner. Brad Meltzer did a fantastic job with this series! I always learn something new about these famous people and enjoy the creativity of these books.
January 14, 2019
Inspirational story about a tenacious role model for all
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews