New York based publisher Simon & Schuster has announced in a press release that it will be publishing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's memoir My Own Words in January 2017. According to the description in the announcement, the collection of Ginsburg's past speeches and writings will serve as a precursor to an upcoming biography on the second female Justice in America. Upon opening the memoir, readers will first flip to an introduction written by Bader Ginsburg herself. From there, biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams will introduce each of the following chapters, which are projected to include Bader Ginsburg's past quotes and interviews on a variety of topics close to Bader Ginsburg's heart and reflective of her career as an activist and Supreme Court Justice. Main talking points will include gender equality, the functioning of the Supreme Court, Jewish identity, opera, and the interpretation of the Constitution. RBG fans are surely hoping the memoir will kindly dedicate a section to her famous collection of lace jabots, as well, but that has yet to be confirmed.
Bader Ginsburg has held her seat as Supreme Court Justice for over 20 years. My Own Words, the first book she has written during her tenure, will present itself as an inspiring synopsis of her progressive stances, life lessons, and political knowledge. Simon & Schuster Vice President and Editorial Director Alice Mayhew released a statement on the publication's partnership with Bader Ginsburg.
Simon & Schuster is proud and thrilled to publish My Own Words by Justice Ginsburg in anticipation of her authorized biography. Justice Ginsburg is one of the most important and articulate legal thinkers and interpreters in the country. She is also a witty and engaged writer and speaker, and I am personally delighted to have another opera lover on board.
Bader Ginsburg has a long history of women's rights activism of which America should be incredibly proud. In the 1970s, she was the first female professor to be hired with tenure at Columbia University School of Law. While teaching law courses, she simultaneously worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, where she helped found the Women's Rights Project and advocated for Congress' passing of the Equal Rights Amendment. Ginsburg said she'd been taught from a young age to further equality and cherish independence.
My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent. The study of law was unusual for women of my generation. For most girls growing up in the '40s, the most important degree was not your B.A., but your M.R.S.
Once elected to the Supreme Court by former President Bill Clinton in 1993, Bader Ginsburg spearheaded historic strides towards equality for all Americans. Even then, during a 1993 Senate confirmation meeting, she strongly advocated for a woman's right to choose — a topic that is still heatedly debated today.
I said on the equality side of it, that it is essential to a woman’s equality with man that she be the decision-maker, that her choice be controlling. If you impose restraints, you are disadvantaging her because of her sex…. The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.
Ginsburg has consistently fought for these rights. In early March, the Supreme Court heard a case against a Texas abortion law that allegedly limits the availability of abortion clinics to women in the state. Pro-choice women are counting on Ginsburg to oppose the law and, once again, stand up for what she believes. When it comes to furthering women's rights, Bader Ginsburg is an icon.
