- Title: Sonia Sotomayor – A Judge Grows in the Bronx
- Author: Jonah Winter
- Reviewed at Nativity by: Mari Borstelmann
“You never know what can happen.” This opening line about the life of Sonia Sotomayor captures the essence of her childhood growing up in public housing in the South Bronx section of New York City, through her appointment and current position as the first Latina Supreme Court Justice of the United States. It is a remarkable story.
The book focuses on the early challenges facing Sonia and her family as her mom worked several jobs to make ends meet, and on the additional difficulties facing Sonia as she struggled with diabetes. With the support of her mom and her family Sonia worked hard in school and never gave up. She graduated first in her high school class then went to Princeton University where she excelled in her studies. These academic achievements brought Sonia closer to her dream of going to law school and becoming a judge, but she also struggled with not fitting in with many of her classmates. Sonia learned what it meant to be poor and unfairly judged for her cultural and economic background, and these insights helped to shape her understanding of the law. She continued to work hard in her career as a judge and was nominated by President Obama to be a Supreme Court Justice.
The themes of believing in yourself, overcoming obstacles and drawing on the strength and support of family and culture are the foundations of this book. The book is also bilingual in English and Spanish, making it more accessible to a wider audience.
Suggested Activities: Sonia Sotomayor wanted to be a judge from the time she was eight years old. Talk to children about what they want to be when they grow up. They could also ask parents or grandparents if their career goals as children continued into adulthood.
The book describes Sonia as being brave and determined as a young child. Ask the readers to talk about when they had to be brave or when they worked very hard to reach a goal.