New Ruth Bader Ginsburg Picture Book shows the value of assertiveness

I Dissent! is the Ruth Bader Ginsburg book you wish you had as a little kid. Thankfully, it’s now available for all the current children in your life.

Even in 2016, little girls are too often encouraged to be quiet and likeable. They are pushed to be agreeable to their family and friends even if it squashes their opinions and personalities.

This discrimination acts against women throughout their lifetimes, as well. Though U.S. women have been able to vote since 1920, they remain underrepresented in many powerful fields, including in local and federal government. We are (hopefully) on the verge of electing our first female president, and have elected only a smattering of other female officials.

This makes now a prime time to read I Dissent to a little kid in your life. Regardless of their gender, any child could stand to benefit from learning the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is a pioneering figure (being, among other things, the first Jewish woman nominated to the Supreme Court) who shows girls that it’s okay to have a voice. You can have an opinion, her story says. You can be smart and strong and still be of great worth.

I Dissent! Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark is written by Debbie Levy, a lawyer and journalist. Illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley provides bold and entertaining artwork through the book.

Neither writer or artist pulls their punches when describing some of the difficulties faced by Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her rise to the highest court in our nation. In the first pages, Levy writes that, in Ginsburg’s childhood, “Boys were expected to grow up, go out in the world, and do big things. Girls? Girls were expected to find husbands.”

(Image via Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Thankfully, Ruth’s mother Celia was having none of that. Celia herself was not able to attend college, despite having graduated high school at age fifteen. Her brother went instead. Perhaps Celia still felt the sting of this lost education many years later and wanted her daughter to encounter no such roadblocks. Instead, she took Ruth to the library and was one of the most forceful champions of her daughter’s education.

She could not shield Ruth from everything, however. Another page in I Dissent! Shows young Ruth finding a hotel sign that reads “No Dogs or Jews Allowed”. This experience stayed with her and gave her an early motivation to fight against discrimination.

Other conflicts illustrated in the book range from large – classmates discourage her from attending law school – to small (though significant) – Ruth is pushed to take home economics instead of shop, and a teacher forces left-handed Ruth to write with her right hand. Thankfully, RBG switched back to left-handed writing. Her penmanship improved considerably.

Thanks in part to her mother, and to her own intellectual drive, Ruth became one of the most accomplished legal minds in her generation. She graduated from Columbia Law School and was the first woman on two major law reviews, the Harvard Law Review and the Columbia Law Review.

(Image via Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Since her nomination to the Supreme Court in 1993, Ginsburg has participated in numerous dissents. Despite her frequent disagreements with the majority opinions of the court, she remained on courteous and even friendly terms with other judges.

Ginsburg was especially good friends with Judge Antonin Scalia, a staunch conservative. Despite their sometimes wildly different political views, they maintained a strong friendship until Scalia’s death this year.

Don’t think this book is only for girls, however. There are important messages for boys as well. For example, Ruth’s husband Marty was a strong supporter of his wife. When Ruth disapproves of all the people telling her to back down, Marty disapproves along with her. The book also points out that Marty was the better cook of the two. It also shows him holding his young daughter, Jane. Girls need to see strong, opinionated women; boys should get the chance to see men in creative and nurturing roles as well.

Next: Notorious RBG Visits Notre Dame University, Reminds Us Why We Love Her

So, next time you want to read a book to a young kid in your life, reach for I Dissent! Any kid, regardless of gender, religion, class, or interest, should see the value in RBG’s accomplishments.