Synopses & Reviews
"I knew shed be trouble."So quipped Antonin Scalia about Sonia Sotomayor at the Supreme Courts annual end-of-term party in 2010. Its usually the sort of event one would expect from such a grand institution, with gentle parodies of the justices performed by their law clerks, but this year Sotomayor decided to shake it up—flooding the room with salsa music and coaxing her fellow justices to dance. It was little surprise in 2009 that President Barack Obama nominated a Hispanic judge to replace the retiring justice David Souter. The fact that there had never been a nominee to the nations highest court from the nations fastest growing minority had long been apparent. So the time was ripe—but how did it come to be Sonia Sotomayor? In Breaking In: The Rise of Sonia Sotomayor and the Politics of Justice, the veteran journalist Joan Biskupic answers that question. This is the story of how two forces providentially merged—the large ambitions of a talented Puerto Rican girl raised in the projects in the Bronx and the increasing political presence of Hispanics, from California to Texas, from Florida to the Northeast—resulting in a historical appointment. And this is not just a tale about breaking barriers as a Puerto Rican. Its about breaking barriers as a justice. Biskupic, the author of highly praised judicial biographies of Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Sandra Day OConnor, now pulls back the curtain on the Supreme Court nomination process, revealing the networks Sotomayor built and the skills she cultivated to go where no Hispanic has gone before. We see other potential candidates edged out along the way. And we see how, in challenging tradition and expanding our idea of a justice (as well as expanding her public persona), Sotomayor has created tension within and without the courts marble halls. As a Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor has shared her personal story to an unprecedented degree. And that story—of a Latina who emerged from tough times in the projects not only to prevail but also to rise to the top—has even become fabric for some of her most passionate comments on matters before the Court. But there is yet more to know about the rise of Sonia Sotomayor. Breaking In offers the larger, untold story of the woman who has been called "the peoples justice."
Review
Praise for
American Original“From start to finish, this is a lively and engrossing read. Biskupic cuts through the legal jargon to make Scalias influence and limitations readily accessible to a general audience.” —Geoffrey Stone, Chicago Tribune
Review
Praise for
Breaking In"A fascinating account of the political machinations involved in achieving a Supreme Court judgeship and of Sotomayors juridical decisions and actions since her appointment… [Biskupics] skill as a journalist enlivens [her] sources with vivid anecdotal detail" —
Publishers Weekly"Biskupic offers a compelling look at a justice who continues to face challenges to her right to sit on the bench." —Booklist"Biskupic combines scholarly rigor with a bit of human admiration in this cleareyed account of how someone advances a judicial career in 21st-century America… A balanced but also admiring portrait of a Latina, a jurist and a trailblazer." —Kirkus "This is a remarkable book about an extraordinary woman in very challenging times. Sonia Sotomayors memoir is not complete without Breaking In. Joan Biskupic has done a wonderful and insightful job writing about the most influential Latina ever. She puts together three incredibly complex elements: Sotomayors life of struggle, the rise of the Latino community, and the intricacies of the Supreme Court. The result is superb. Sotomayors mission—that a single person can make a difference in the cause of justice—is transforming our country. You have to read it to know us." —Jorge Ramos, anchor, Univision/Fusion"If you think books about Supreme Court justices are only for lawyers, think again. Joan Biskupic has written a fascinating story, at once shrewd and sympathetic, about overcoming the fear of failure. Biskupic takes you into the head and the heart of the most interesting Supreme Court justice since . . . well theres never been a justice like Sotomayor." —Evan Thomas, author of Ikes Bluff: President Eisenhowers Secret Battle to Save the WorldPraise for American Original"Its hard to write a fair-minded biography of such a polarizing figure, but thats what Joan Biskupic has done with American Original . . . Impressively balanced and well reported." —Jeffrey Rosen, The New York Times Book Review "American Original is full of strong reporting. It is scrupulously even-handed, which may irritate partisans on both sides of the Scalia divide—there are few fence-straddlers when it comes to him . . . Biskupics larger accomplishment is to present the recent evolution of the Supreme Court through the prism of its most colorful member." —Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times Praise for Sandra Day OConnor"A timely and important book . . . Illuminating." —Anthony Lewis, The New York Review of Books
"Superbly thorough and perceptive." —David J. Garrow, The New Republic
Synopsis
From a leading judicial biographer comes the untold story of Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court justiceTo become the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor went against the odds. Her historic appointment in 2009—made by President Obama, whose own 2008 victory appeared improbable—flowed from cultural and political changes in America that helped lift up this daughter of a Puerto Rican nurse and a factory worker. Sotomayor saw opportunities and, with street smarts and savvy, she seized them. In Breaking In, journalist Joan Biskupic weaves a political narrative centered on Sotomayors fortuitous timing and personal striving. From housing projects in the Bronx to Princeton University and Yale Law School, Sotomayors life tracked the ascent of Latinos in America.
Along the way, she elicited admiration and, as a self-described “affirmative action baby,” resentment. At every step in her climb to the federal bench, she almost did not make it. As Biskupic reveals with extensive research and reporting, Sotomayor developed the connections to navigate a system known for ravaging nominees, especially when race or ethnicity was an element. Obtaining close access to Sotomayor and interviews with the other justices, Biskupic shows how Sotomayor challenges an institution where justices, as a group, have been relatively bland and socially conforming even as they differ radically on the law. In a book that picks up where Sotomayors bestselling memoir left off, Biskupic explores the difference this justice is making.
About the Author
Joan Biskupic has covered the U.S. Supreme Court for more than twenty years and is the author of several books, including American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Sandra Day OConnor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice. Biskupic is an editor in charge for legal affairs at Reuters News. Before joining Reuters in 2012, she was the Supreme Court correspondent for The Washington Post and for USA Today. A graduate of Georgetown Law, she is a regular panelist on PBSs Washington Week with Gwen Ifill. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and daughter.