When I read picture book biographies, I’m always interested in how the author manages to compress a long, full life into a limited amount of text. What gets included? And how is it all held together?
The title of Debbie Levy’s biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg—I Dissent—gives us a clue to her approach. Through a series of chronological vignettes (and Elizabeth Baddeley’s dynamic illustrations), we see Ruth progressing from young girl to student to lawyer and, eventually, Supreme Court Justice, speaking out against injustice all the way.
Whether it was prejudice and exclusion . . .
or the insistence that girls take sewing and cooking—but not shop—classes . . .
or the belief that a woman—particularly a married, Jewish woman with a young child—could not go to law school or get hired by a law firm, Ruth would not accept it.
Instead, as we see throughout the book:
She disagreed.
She protested.
She objected.
She disapproved.
She resisted.
She persisted.
She did not concur.
Ruth didn’t always succeed in her efforts, but she kept trying. And although she might disagree with others, Levy shows that Ruth was not disagreeable. One of my favorite spreads shows her relationship with the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, her ideological opposite—but also her very good friend.
Win a Copy!
I Dissent (Simon & Schuster, 2016) is a book sure to inspire young readers—not necessarily to become lawyers, but to stand up and speak out against injustice. So in honor of Justice Ginsburg (may she serve many, many more years), I’m giving away a copy. Just leave a comment below to enter, and I’ll announce the randomly-selected winner in my next post.
And now I’m looking forward to reading The Notorious RBG.
Love your blog and I’m glad you did a post on this book!
Thanks for reading, Meridth!
Sounds like an excellent message for the younger set! Great choice for a giveaway.
Yes, it absolutely is, Janet!
This is a great analysis and just what I needed! Would love a copy of this for my students!
Thanks, Kara!
What a great mentor text. I’m definitely going to read and study it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
You’re welcome, Tanya. Thanks for reading!
What an important book to come out now!
Yes, the timing is so perfect, Paula!
I want to be just like Ruth when I grow up! And I hope to write a book just like Debbie Levy when I grow up. I work everyday on growing up! Thank you for the great post.
Me too, Terri!
It’s a marvelous book. And a marvelous post!
Thank you, marvelous Pat!
I do love this book, both for the way Debbie handles her life through a lens of dissent and also because RBG!! Thanks for the post!
Yes, she’s a rock star! Thanks, Andy!
Wonderful post ~ I can’t wait to read this book!
Thanks, Judy. I bet you’ll enjoy it!
This is the sort of book the world needs out there right now!
So true, Kathy.
Great post. I really want to read this interesting book!
It’s terrific! Thanks, Judy!
Just put this on my library’s hold list. Can’t wait to read it.
Great! I think you’ll like it, Kim.
Great book! Thanks for posting about it!
You’re welcome, Kris. Thanks for reading!
Looking forward to reading this one!
I think you’ll like it, Raven!
I really enjoyed this book. You sometimes forget that people in these kinds of positions are just regular people.
Very true, David. But kind of an extraordinary regular person. 🙂
Great choice of a book to highlight! We are sharing it with our young patrons.
Wonderful to hear that, Janet. Such an excellent choice.
Great for kids – AND adults! Can’t wait to get this one!
Yes, definitely inspiring for the grown-ups, too!
This is one of my favorite PB bios published in 2016. Loved it!
Yes, it’s excellent! Thanks, Debra!
Such an important book for young girls to read! Thanks!
Yes, RBG is a wonderful role model. Thanks, Heather!
I love when authors can make a complex subject easy for young readers to understand. This book looks great–thanks for sharing!
I agree, Lori. It has to be really challenging!
How amazing to pull someone larger than life and such a serious topic into a PB and easily understandable. I think more adults should read picture books…
Yes, Lolo. Debbie did an excellent job!
Love this book! Such a great way to describe her personality!
Yes, it’s great! Thanks, Linda!
Thanks for featuring this important book.
I agree–it IS an important book, Kathy. Thanks for reading!
Would love to win a copy but if I don’t, thank God for libraries :D:D
Thanks, Saba. I couldn’t agree more about libraries!
Fantastic post about a great book! Thanks for such a wonderful blog. 🙂
Thanks for reading, Beth!
Looks like a great book! Thanks for such an interesting post!
Thanks, Kristi. It really is a great book!
Absolutely LOVE this book!
Me, too! Thanks for reading!
What a great idea to use as a mentor text to discuss how to write biographies and a great message.
Thanks, Gayle. Yes, it makes an excellent mentor text!
I read it for the first time last week and loved it!
Great! So relevant right now, too. Thanks, Colleen!
This is such a great book! Wonderful post.
Thanks for reading, Cathy!
One to add to every school library! Love this book and RBG!
Yes, Cathy! Definitely should be in every school library!
Love this book, Linda! Not only was it a great read, but I’ve also studied it as a mentor text for writing nfpbs about strong innovative women. There is so much picture book goodness out there, all we need is more time to read. 😉
So true, Vivian. And yes, it’s an excellent mentor text for bios of strong women!
I love this and how appropriate for the times.
“She disagreed.
She protested.
She objected.
She disapproved.
She resisted.
She persisted.
She did not concur.”
Yes, Quinette, it’s so incredibly timely, isn’t it?
What a great role model for girls! I can’t wait to read this!
So true, Stacy!
Looking forward to reading the book on this important American and important topic.
I think you’ll enjoy it, Barbara!
I want this book for myself, my daughter, and my granddaughter (and grandsons!) What a woman! Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Yes, Mary–definitely include those grandsons! Thanks for reading!
Love this book, and I’m so happy to see it succeed.
Yes, it seems to be selling like hotcakes. So timely!
I aways steered away from bios but the more I read them, the more I love them. The way the author and illustrator bring the title character to life and make them accessible to all readers is incredible! What a great message for the times! Thanks for sharing this book and it’s beautiful illustrations and message with us!
I really enjoy picture book bios, too, Amanda. And stories like this one are such an inspiration to kids (and grown-ups)!
This book sounds absolutely terrific. I will definitely be checking it out. Thanks for sharing this book with us.
It is, Rosi! I think you’ll enjoy it!
Can’t wait to read this one! How fantastic to show that you can disagree with someone and still be friends.
Yes, Valerie–we could really use more of that these days!
Thanks for highlighting this important book.
You’re welcome, Maria. Thanks for reading!
This book sounds fabulous on many levels. Thank you for sharing it with us.
It really is, Andrea! Thanks for reading!
Thank you for a great post on a fabulous woman!
She really is fabulous. Thanks, Lori Ann!
I LOVE this book!!! And we need it now, more than ever! RBG is an inspiration! May she live a very, very long life!!
Now more than ever is right, Maria. And, yes, a very, VERY long life!!
Such a great topic and so well done.
Yes, it’s beautifully done. Thanks, Susan!
This is just the kind of book I’m hoping to write. Thanks for sharing!
Well, we need more books like this one, Sandy. Good luck with your writing!
You broke the book down well Linda. This book belongs in every classroom from K-12. All ages benefit from reading this and you showed us again why we do. She has a major fight on her hands now and needs support. May she carry out her legacy for many years.
I couldn’t agree more, Traci. Kids need to read this book, and WE need RBG to stay healthy and serve many, many more years!
This looks like a great book. Thanks for posting.
It is, Linda. Thanks for reading!
What an important book to get in the hands of ALL kids!
I agree, Kathy!
Thanks for sharing this. It’s a wonderful story to put before young readers–both girls and boys.
Yes, Anola, boys can definitely benefit from reading it, too!
Wonderful book. I’d love a copy.
Great! Thanks, Elizabeth!
Ruth Bader Ginsberg is my hero. I hope she lives a long time too. Can’t wait to read this book.
Mine too, Susan!
I LOVE this book. It’s an excellent example of both a life well lived and a picture-book biography well told.
Perfect summary, Laurie Ann!
This is a much-needed book in our school library! I love the message…it is so timely.
So true, Rita!
I would love to win a copy for my school library.
Thanks, Tracy!
Great job! Love it!
Thanks for reading, Angie!
I love the use of judicial language throughout the boo. Ginsberg and Scholia had a remarkable friendship that we should all try to emulate. How wonderful it is to be able to disagree and not have these differences of opinion ruin a friendship. Thank you for sharing this book!
Yes, wouldn’t it be great if we could disagree but still manage to get along? Thanks, Claire!
What a powerful message for girls..and boys!
So true, Cindy!
Very timely but a gem for girls at any time in history.
Very true. Thanks, Kathryn!
I was especially fascinated that the book came out of archival research, not interviews. So well done!
I agree, Annette!
I recently picked this book up at Barns and Noble and looked through it. It looked like an amazing story about a strong female woman. I’m glad to hear that you thought it was a good story!
Yes, she’s an inspiration. Thanks, Jen!
I found this book last month when taking a class on social justice issues for elementary students. This would be a wonderful book to add to our library and encourage teachers to utilize in their curriculum in numerous ways relating to government as well as how we handle disagreements with our friends and others.
Yes, it would be perfect for that. Thanks, Brandy!
A new book for my ‘To read’ list! Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
You’re welcome. Thanks for reading, Sarah!
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is admired. I look forward to reading this amazing book about an amazing woman.
Yes, she IS amazing. Thanks, Suzy!
Pick me, pick me. I would love to share this book with my little dissenting girls. What a great example of the power of the picture book.
Definitely a great book to share with your little dissenters! Thanks, Ginger!
This is so great! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading, Katie!
Love that it shows her disagreeing without being disagreeable. I need to read this one.
Yes, we could use more of that. Thanks, Mary!
I am sure I would fall in love with this one 🙂
I bet you would, Jenna!
Linda, thanks so much for this post about my book! It was a delight to research and write, and I’m so happy to hear about kids and adults (including RBG!) enjoying it.
It’s a wonderful book, Debbie, and RBG is such a compelling subject. The book feels especially timely and important, so it felt really good to buy a copy at my local independent (they love it too!) to give away. Thanks for stopping by!
I read this book. It is a great one. Thanks for giving me another perspective on it.
I object to bad books.
The verdict is in: ” I Dissent” wins!
I loved this book. It led me to do more reading on Justice Ginsburg.