A Review of Sonia Sotomayor's "My Beloved World"

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars (This review originally appeared on my goodreads profile)

I should note in advance that this review is being written by someone who, as a conservative, does not agree with many of Justice Sotomayor's judicial views. (Calling it 'politics' doesn't seem like the right word for a figure in the judicial system)

I love reading books by public figures. In our time it seems that most of our national conversation (political or otherwise) has reached a new level of supreficiality. Something about writing a book just doesn't make that possible. You can't write a book without revealing something about yourself: how you think, what values you hold, and what's important to you. While the supreficiality I'm lamenting probably isn't true of the supreme court, I still loved this book for the same reason that I love reading books by other public figures.

That having been said, those who pick up this book with the express purpose of trying to glean something about Justice Sotomayor's views on legal issues or find clues about how she could vote in future supreme court cases are likely to walk away disappointed. She goes out of her way to state in the introduction that is not the purpose of this book. At times where the question might naturally present itself, (for example, as she was discussing how she began to gain a sense for the law at Yale) she reminds the reader that she doesn't plan to share specifics in this book. Conversely, those who are interested in that but read the book primarily as an autobiography, without expecting clues on her legal views, will likely feel pleased that she shared more than they were expecting. Some issues were too much a part of her life story, especially issues around affirmative action and national identity, to be left out.

Regardless of your political views, Sonia Sotomayor has a very interesting story. Growing up in what could be understated as less-than-privlaged circumstances, she was accepted to Princeton - which she applied to on a friend's recommendation, without fully understanding what a difficult task she had accomplished. She ultimately studied at Yale law and continued with her legal profession. The book ends at her first judgeship.

One of the things that makes this book so fun to read, and at the same so interesting, is that Sonia Sotomayor is so completely honest about her life without taking herself too seriously. When she recounts the meeting at Yale that ultimately inspired her to work as an assistant district attorney for her first job out of law school, she fully admits she "decided it was worth sticking around until [the speaker] finished so I could make for the cheddar cubes."

While conservatives will no doubt recoil from some choices she made to advocate for certain causes, her story is interesting and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of political persuasion.

View all my reviews