Sonja’s Pick
October 2015
My Beloved World
Sonia Sotomayor, Alfred A Knopf, Publisher, 2013
There’s work to be done so get on with it!
This is the memoir of an amazingly confident woman. It is especially positive for those of us that believe in the American “way” and a woman’s chance to succeed. She prefaces it is a heartfelt memoir and it is the story of a woman whose rise to the top of her profession was possible through hard work, diligence and purpose.
Her beginnings in the Bronx were meager. An alcoholic father and a mother who was even afraid to administer the life saving insulin shots she needed. At the age of 8, she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and since then determined she would have to take care of herself if she was going to succeed.
She excelled and was valedictorian of her high school class but had a great deal of “catching up” to do when she entered Princeton with a full scholarship. She joined a Puerto Rican student group which involved her with affirmative action. That began her involvement with helping others who were less fortunate. Her deprived upbringing provided her with the empathy that framed her thoughts later.
After graduating Princeton with the highest honors, she went on to Yale Law School. She worked in the NY District Attorneys office and in private practice before being appointed to the bench. Above all she values integrity, fairness and avoidance of cruelty.
A good read. A happy ending.