Ruth Bader Ginsberg

I admire strong women. All of the female characters in my books speak their minds. I raised a daughter who speaks her mind; she does not defer to men. What is most important is for a woman to stand up and be counted. One woman who has done this so well is Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who counts her mother, husband and in-laws as advocates for her to surge forward. Her mother counseled her constantly to "Be independent, be able to fend for herself, whatever fortune might have in store for her." Her teachers were also pivotal in inspiring her, to get her to think critically.When she was starting law school, and pregnant, her father-in-law told her, "Ruth, if you want to start law school, you have a good reason to resist the undertaking. No one will think the less of you if you make that choice. But if you really want to study law, you'll stop worrying and find a way to manage school and a child." She did. She got a nanny, at a time when it was not popular, but when she got home at four, she gave herself up to her child, until she went to sleep. This, too, I admire. Parenting should not be sacrificed in the name of a profession. And both her children, a son and a daughter, admire her as a mom and as a worker. But the best line comes in today's NYT who she has had such a wonderful marriage and worked so well on the Supreme Court, as well as other jobs she has had: "It helps sometimes to be a little deaf. It works in marriage and at the courts." Sometimes you just have to pretend not to listen-and forge ahead with your intellect, passion and privilege. Way to go, Ruth Ginsburg for your demonstration of what a woman could and should be!