What will I learn about: how RBG's mother shaped her success by teaching her to fiercely protect her independence and convictions without yielding to pointless emotions like anger or envy?

Discover how RBG's mother shaped her success by teaching her to fiercely protect her independence and convictions without yielding to pointless emotions like anger or envy.

What will I learn about: Learn the importance of a supportive, equal partnership through Ruth's marriage to Marty Ginsburg, a man who uniquely championed her intelligence and career ambitions?

Learn the importance of a supportive, equal partnership through Ruth's marriage to Marty Ginsburg, a man who uniquely championed her intelligence and career ambitions.

What will I learn about: how early exposure to injustices, such as military segregation and the Red Scare, inspired RBG to pursue constitutional law as a powerful tool to help society?

Understand how early exposure to injustices, such as military segregation and the Red Scare, inspired RBG to pursue constitutional law as a powerful tool to help society.

What will I learn about: how RBG navigated and overcame blatant gender and pregnancy discrimination, from being demoted at a government job to being barred from the Harvard Law library?

Find out how RBG navigated and overcame blatant gender and pregnancy discrimination, from being demoted at a government job to being barred from the Harvard Law library.

What will I learn about: Explore the incredible resilience and work ethic required to achieve greatness, demonstrated by RBG balancing her own elite law studies, a newborn, and a cancer-stricken husband on just two hours of sleep?

Explore the incredible resilience and work ethic required to achieve greatness, demonstrated by RBG balancing her own elite law studies, a newborn, and a cancer-stricken husband on just two hours of sleep.

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG

The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

★ 4.8 / 5(49 ratings)

Start ListeningDownload QR code that opens AudiobookHub on the App Store

Try free on iPhoneScan to start in 5 seconds

Categories:

Biography & Memoir

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why one of history’s most famous feminist icons often chose to represent men in court to secure equal rights for women?
💡What’s the secret to how a quiet, reserved girl from Brooklyn nicknamed 'Kiki' transformed into the global pop culture phenomenon known as 'The Notorious RBG'?
💡Are you curious about how RBG used the power of a single 'scathing dissent' to reshape the legal landscape of America forever?

Listen to Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG

✓Discover how RBG's mother shaped her success by teaching her to fiercely protect her independence and convictions without yielding to pointless emotions like anger or envy.
✓Learn the importance of a supportive, equal partnership through Ruth's marriage to Marty Ginsburg, a man who uniquely championed her intelligence and career ambitions.
✓Understand how early exposure to injustices, such as military segregation and the Red Scare, inspired RBG to pursue constitutional law as a powerful tool to help society.
✓Find out how RBG navigated and overcame blatant gender and pregnancy discrimination, from being demoted at a government job to being barred from the Harvard Law library.
✓Explore the incredible resilience and work ethic required to achieve greatness, demonstrated by RBG balancing her own elite law studies, a newborn, and a cancer-stricken husband on just two hours of sleep.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG

Mind Map

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG

Early Life & Influences+

Education & Early Struggles+

Legal Career & Activism+

The Supreme Court+

Personal Life & Legacy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

What was one of the most important life lessons Ruth Bader Ginsburg's mother, Celia, instilled in her from a young age?

A. To aggressively fight back against anyone who wronged her.
B. To prioritize finding a supportive husband over a professional career.
C. To hold fast to her convictions and avoid pointless emotions like anger.
D. To hide her Jewish heritage in order to avoid societal discrimination.

Question 2 of 9

What realizations primarily motivated Ruth to pursue a career as a lawyer?

A. Observing societal injustices like a segregated military and the Red Scare.
B. Failing to find a suitable husband during her time at Cornell University.
C. Reading Nancy Drew mysteries and wanting to become a private detective.
D. Wanting to fulfill her father's lifelong dream of having a lawyer in the family.

Question 3 of 9

How did RBG handle her husband Marty's battle with testicular cancer during their time at Harvard Law School?

A. She took a leave of absence to care for him full-time until he recovered.
B. She transferred immediately to Columbia University so he could get better treatment in New York.
C. She dropped off the Law Review to focus entirely on his recovery and their daughter.
D. She helped dictate his papers and type his notes while maintaining her own top grades on very little sleep.

Question 4 of 9

Why was RBG's victory in the 1975 case Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld considered a strategic stroke of genius?

A. It was the first time a woman successfully sued a major corporation for pay discrimination.
B. She represented a male widower, proving to her male colleagues that gender discrimination harms men and children too.
C. It allowed her to officially establish the ACLU's Women's Rights Project.
D. She used international law from her time in Sweden to overturn a US federal statute.

Question 5 of 9

How did RBG ultimately get on President Bill Clinton's radar for the Supreme Court in 1993?

A. She organized a massive public protest that caught the administration's attention.
B. She was Clinton's immediate first choice due to her fame as a radical feminist.
C. Her husband Marty used his network to advocate for her, and the top pick backed out.
D. Jimmy Carter strongly recommended her to Clinton as his personal favorite judge.

Question 6 of 9

Which of the following best describes the dynamic of RBG and Marty's marriage?

A. A traditional arrangement where Ruth managed the household while Marty focused on his law firm.
B. A competitive rivalry where both constantly tried to outshine each other in the legal field.
C. A distant relationship resulting from the heavy demands of their respective legal careers.
D. A partnership based on mutual respect, where Marty supported her career and even handled the cooking.

Question 7 of 9

What prompted RBG to increasingly use her voice to issue fiery dissents on the Supreme Court in the 2000s?

A. The appointment of conservative justices by George W. Bush shifted the court's balance to the right.
B. She wanted to build a public profile to sell her upcoming autobiography.
C. She was instructed by the ACLU to take a more aggressive stance on civil rights.
D. The internet began turning her quotes into viral memes, encouraging her to speak out more.

Question 8 of 9

What physical item became an iconic symbol of RBG's disagreement with the Supreme Court's majority opinions?

A. A wooden gavel she brought from her time at the DC Circuit.
B. A pair of vintage reading glasses gifted to her by her mother.
C. A simple glass-bead collar from Banana Republic.
D. A gold crown given to her by her internet fans.

Question 9 of 9

In the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder, RBG compared dismantling a key provision of the Voting Rights Act to what?

A. "Burning down your house to keep warm."
B. "Throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet."
C. "Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted."
D. "Taking the engine out of a car because it is running too fast."

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Chapter One
32 — Chapter Two
43 — Chapter Three
54 — Chapter Four
65 — The End

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG Summary & Overview

Narrated by Valeri Ross

Music by Federico Coderoni

Notorious RBG (2015) chronicles the life story of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. From her childhood in Brooklyn – when she was known by her nickname, Kiki – to capturing the public imagination with her scathing dissents on the bench, these blinks portray one woman’s relentless fight to give American women and men equal rights under the country’s legislation.

Who Should Listen to Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG?

Millennials interested in the life of America’s most unassuming pop icon
Students of US history, law, and politics
Social activists and feminists looking for inspiration

About the Author: Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Irin Carmon is an Israeli-American journalist and commentator. She is a CNN contributor, a senior correspondent at New York Magazine, and was previously a national reporter at MSNBC.

Shana Knizhnik is an American lawyer and author from Philadelphia. In 2013, she created the viral Notorious R.B.G. Tumblr, where she chronicled memes and articles about Justice Ginsberg.

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG — Full Chapter Overview

Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG?

About the Author: Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Books Similar to Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG