My Beloved World
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4.4 • 807 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “searching and emotionally intimate memoir” (The New York Times) told with a candor never before undertaken by a sitting Justice. This “powerful defense of empathy” (The Washington Post) is destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery.
The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon.
In this story of human triumph that “hums with hope and exhilaration” (NPR), she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.
Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life.
With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty.
Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor, born poor in the South Bronx and appointed to the federal bench as its first Hispanic justice, recounts numerous obstacles and remarkable achievements in this personal and inspiring autobiography. Her path to the highest court in the land was rife with difficulties, but it wasn't circuitous from an early age, Sotomayor was determined to become a lawyer. To reach her goal she overcame diabetes, the language barrier (her Puerto Rican family spoke Spanish at home), the early death of her beloved alcoholic father, and in the academic and professional worlds the disparaging of minorities. In some respects, her story that of a second-generation immigrant rallying familial support, educational opportunities, and plenty of ambition and discipline to realize the American dream is familiar, but her extraordinary success makes her experience noteworthy. Sotomayor is clear-eyed about the factors and people that helped her succeed, and she is open about her personal failures, foremost among them an unsuccessful marriage. Regardless of political philosophies, readers across the board will be moved by this intimate look at the life of a justice. 16 pages of photos. Announced first printing: 200,000.
Customer Reviews
Well written autobiography
A satisfying look at the personal history of a fine Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor's elegant prose details the importance of family, determination, and hard work in achieving one's goals. Interesting commentaries on things like public vs private law practice and moral philosophy. A worthy memoir.
Too self important, ruins the book for me.
She's in a little bit too much awe of herself for me, ruins what could have been an interesting book, and an interesting story. Yes, she accomplished a lot from humble beginnings, which is the kind of story I love to read about and listen to, but now she talks like everything she says is profound, just because it's her that says it. It makes you feel like she's expecting you to applaud her everytime she pauses. I was looking forward to the book and disappointed when I heard the same self importance I saw on the Daily Show in the audio book. Now I have no interest in the printed or audio version, the self importance is a major turn off.
She wanted to touch the lives of many ans so She did!
Being myself a native puertorican who left the island looking for a better quality of life in America, after reading how Sonia Sotomayor embraces her heritage and her roots, she was able to remind me of the best of my people, my culture and my homeland. Her integrity, honesty and sense of justice definitely makes her a role model for all of us. Her incredible life story is another example that any one can make it in the United States of America as long as you have a clear conviction of who you are, who you want to become and be honest, responsible and work without giving up. This book gives me hope that there will be a better tomorrow as long as we have people like Sonia Sotomayor among us. She is without a doubt a WISE LATINA!
¡Gracias Sonia por hacerme sentir orgulloso de ser BORICUA como usted!