Dinners with Ruth by Nina Tottenberg (Review)
My wife gave me this book for Christmas, and it was a joy to read. It is a small book, so the 300 pages pass quickly. If you have listened to Nina Tottenberg on NPR, it is no surprise that her writing is an excellent example of crisp yet rich storytelling. Dinners with Ruth is as much an ode to friendship as it is a traditional memoir. The stories add great insight into the Supreme Court, which should be of interest to even non-lawyers. Yet irrespective of a prospective reader’s interest in the Supreme Court or the law, Tottenberg’s book is—at its heart—the story of two interesting individuals who both witnessed and were a part of many significant happenings over the recent decades of American history.
While there are plenty of stories to share, here are two excerpts that stood out from the book:
During Justice Ginsburg’s Commencement Speech to Washington and Lee Law, she offered this charge to the graduates:
“There is, of course, a lesson in all of this besides friendship and family. It is a lesson that involves a rather old-fashioned word. Duty. When you come to a crisis in life, I think you will find that doing your duty will serve you rather well, whether it is your crisis or someone else's. The path is clear, the choices few, and there are no regrets afterwards. Indeed, there are rewards. You are a better person…for want of a better word, a deeper person…and able to accept life's blessings, too."A second piece of advice emerged from a 2018 letter that Ginsburg wrote to a student seeking career guidance:
”Concise advice: Stay strong and be resilient. It helps, sometimes, to be a little deaf when unkind or thoughtless words are spoken.’ That was the advice about marriage that Ruth's mother-in-law gave her on the day she married Marty. She often said that she occasionally applied that deafness to her colleagues as well. It's good advice.”
Finally, here is a brief note to those who disagreed with Justice Ginsburg’s judicial philosophy and might subsequently hesitate to read this book. In 2015, Derrick Wang composed a one-act comedic opera about the friendship between Ginsburg and Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the most conservative jurists to join the Supreme Court. Despite their deep disagreements on the law, the friends found much in common and much joy because of it. I recommend Dinners with Ruth for those of all political walks. Tottenberg’s book offers interesting history and a warmth of friendship that is certainly worth a read.
