My Beloved World

In “My Beloved World,” Sonia Sotomayor provides a template for the kind of revelation that every Supreme Court Justice should provide. The book, which is as decent and inspirational a self-portrait as I have ever read, presents as close to a complete picture of the current Justice as I think she could have written. In it, she reveals how she got to be the person she is now, and from it one can gain an appreciation of the way she approaches the tough decisions she must make in her role on the bench. I will readily admit that I have always viewed memoirs askance. Why, first of all, would a person write one other than for self-serving reasons? And why, if that first concern is correct, should anyone assume that the author is reporting a true picture of him- or herself? I’m sure that many memoirists’ motivations are more honorable, like recording history from a personal perspective. (And, surely, some are far less noble: remuneration, to be blunt about it.) But those personal reports of historic events can’t help but be colored by the person telling the story, right? I mean, for example, what General is going to make himself sound incompetent in a battle that was lost (assuming he will even write about that particular battle at all)? That criticism cannot be leveled at “My Beloved World,” in which Justice Sotomayor provides insights into her childhood and adolescence that help the reader gain an understanding of the person she is now. It is the kind of revelation that every Supreme Court Justice should provide, since collectively those nine jurists shape so much of our nation’s social order and set the course for so much of its future. Consider how little is known about those who serve on the Supreme Court. Those who are nominated are usually obscure figures who have little by way of published biographies when they are nominated and who reveal so little about their background or beliefs even when they are being queried on their qualifications during their confirmation hearings. Any publicity that has attached to them will usually be limited to a law review article they may have written in their youth or a case they prosecuted in their days as a trial attorney. Some have writing trails in the form of judicial opinions they have written, but they rarely, if ever, tell us anything about the person who wrote them (or even of his or her personal views) if they are carefully composed, as most judicial opinions are. But as to the real person who is about to become one of the nine powerful arbiters of what the Constitution means and how laws enacted by Congress and administered by the President will affect us, we know precious little. And, as a result of that ignorance, we know even less about why any particular justice is a “strict constructionist” or a “living Constitution” proponent, let alone why any of them tend to view issues more generally from a conservative or liberal political perspective. Ms. Sotomayor’s memoir provides a clear picture of the woman she is, and it does so in spite of the unavoidable bias to present herself favorably, a bias even she would admit to, I believe. For what Ms. Sotomayor does in her book is trace her development from her earliest memories growing up as an older sister (to her brother) with an alcoholic father and a loving but demanding mother. Her memories of her youth are full of the love she got from her grandmother (Abuelita) and are enlivened by tales of her trips to Puerto Rico and her years living in and around the projects in the Bronx with her aunts and uncles and cousins. She admits to being an unwitting beneficiary of diversity programs that had just begun to open doors to minority students at the right time for her, and she acknowledges the happenstance of any number of opportunities that came her way as she made steady strides towards her childhood dream. Her memoir is as inspirational and uplifting as the story of her life should be, for, as she says, she has been truly blessed, notwithstanding the diabetes she has had since birth and the difficult childhood she had with her father’s alcohol dependency and early death. I read her memoir with the interest of an attorney. But I heartily recommend it to anyone who is interested not so much in the law and its internal machinations, but rather as a very personal and intimate portrait of one of the nine.

Tengo que decir que en un primer momento el libro no me gusto, pensando que iba a estar lleno de historias de superación personal sin un mayor contexto (en especial pensé que todo iba a girar en torno a sus orígenes sencillos y su condición de minoría), sin embargo después de avanzar un poco más me encontré con un libro lleno de consejos de vida importantes para todo tipo de personas.La Ministra Sotomayor muchas veces hace menos sus logros de vida que son impresionantes, y creo que lo hace para que lo que tenga énfasis sea el "como" logró esos logros.La constancia es una y otra vez una virtud resaltada en el libro, me encanta también como hace énfasis en los sentimientos que le causa cada uno de los retos que le ha puesto la vida, en cada uno reconoce que le causaba miedo, pero también habla de cómo ese miedo la empujaba a esforzarse más que los demás. El miedo muchas veces paraliza a la gente y hace que no busque lo que se merece, para la Ministra fue algo bueno que la llevo a hacer Ese esfuerzo adicional.También trae lecciones muy importantes acerca del balance entre vida personal y vida profesional, en eso la ministra es contundente y nos dice que aunque queramos no se puede tener todo así que hay que ser conscientes de las decisiones profesionales que tomamos y como pueden impactar la vida personal.La Ministra es una persona brillante, es uno de los libros que más he subrayado, si bien algunos capítulos pueden ser un poco aburridos, el libro está lleno de lecciones de vida importantísimas y para mí un claro mensaje, ten muy presente tus sueños y si trabajas lo suficiente los alcanzarás no importa cuál sea tu historia u contexto./Have to say that my first impression wasn't good by the first chapters one could think that it was going to be almost a corny motivational book (focusing on her humble origins and its minority condition), but after further reading I realize that I was in front of a book full of wise life advice helpful for all type of persons.In my opinion, sometimes Justice Sotomayor simply underscores her outstanding achievements in order that the reader understands that the important thing is not the achievements but how she accomplished them.Perseverance is highlighted through the entire book, I also love the fact she emphasizes the feelings she had before every challenge in her life. She acknowledges that she had fear but fear was a good thing because she doubled her efforts to compensate. Fear is often an obstacle between people and their goals, for her it was a good thing because it made her do that extra effort.The book also includes a very important lesson about life/work balance; she bluntly states that you cannot have it all and that professional decisions will impact your personal life.Justice Sotomayor is an exceptional and brilliant person. This book has to be among the books that I have highlighted the most, even though some of the chapters may be a little bit boring, the book is full of great advice and a clear message, have always your dreams in mind and if you work hard enough you will reach them no matter your history or background.

Very interesting book, that is also well written.

This book was wonderful!

This is a really good book. Sonia is such an example, and the book is beautifully written. Fun fact: someone stole this books of mine on the train, and I bought it again. It makes the perfect present for a friend who needs to be inspired and who needs to be motivated to pursue his/her dreams despite the difficulties that life presents.

Sonia's memoirs of her life were truly inspirational to read. A very intelligent and focused person, she tries to find some of the keys to her successes in life and makes many of the difficulties that immigrants and their children face, very personal for the reader. A well written, honest and open-hearted presentation of her life. What an amazing woman!

I have been inspired by Sonia's story. She has reminded me that with goals determination courage and hard work, one literary paves their way to their ultimate dream. This book also shows the importance of family ties.