Sonia Sotomayor: The True American Dream - Hardcover

Felix, Antonia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0425234835 ISBN 13: 9780425234839

Publisher: Berkley, 2010

Synopsis

The definitive biography of the first Latina and third woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court-from the national bestselling biographer of Condoleeza Rice and Laura Bush.

National bestselling biographer Antonia Felix delves behind the headlines to tell the compelling story of how the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants living in the South Bronx became one of the greatest legal minds in the country. With insight and thoughtful analysis, Felix explores the tenacity that makes Sotomayor a sharp, fearless judge; the sense of compassion that drives her to seek justice for the underprivileged; and her strong community ties, which never let her forget where she came from.

Drawing on candid interviews with figures from Sotomayor's personal and professional life-as well as speeches, interviews with Sotomayor, and published papers-Felix paints a revealing portrait of the woman who would come to meet President Obama's rigorous criteria for a Supreme Court justice and whose appointment would make history.

About this title

About the Author

Antonia Felix is the author of more than fifteen nonfiction books, including bestselling political biographies of Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush. A frequent and much-sought-after speaker on women’s political topics, she has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews Channel and many other networks. She has reported on the state of women’s rights in Iran at briefings in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and also writes a column on energy and sustainability issues for the historic Emporia Gazette. A longtime resident of New York City, Felix now lives with her husband in Kansas.

From Publishers Weekly

Because Sotomayor's mother was raised in Puerto Rico in "a context of poverty" unseen in the United States, she worked hard to instill in her daughter, Sonia, the believe that "education was the key to everything." Even so, when Sotomayor arrived at Princeton and realized the gap between her skills and those of students from elite high schools, she spent the next summer reading classics and reviewing grammar books. Felix, who has written biographies of Laura Bush and Condoleeza Rice, provides anecdotes to illustrate Sotomayor's pluck and perseverance. During a recruiting dinner with a large law firm, for instance, Sotomayor accused the interviewer of asking discriminatory questions, filed a complaint against the firm, and petitioned Yale to drop their recruiting privileges. Sotomayor's impressive resume includes jobs with the Manhattan DA's office (the first time she "had given any thought to public service other than the State Department"), Pavia & Harcourt, where she worked on the "Fendi contra counterfeiting program," and the distinction of becoming the first Hispanic judge on a federal bench in New York. Readers looking for a riveting and meticulously researched book on the Supreme Court Justice will be engrossed.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Berkley
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0425234835
• ISBN 13: 9780425234839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320