Breaking In: The Rise of Sonia Sotomayor and the Politics of Justice

Biskupic (American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia), who has covered the Supreme Court as a lawyer and journalist since 1989, turns her attention to the 111th Justice of the Supreme Court, the court’s first Hispanic and third woman. The book briefly traces Sotomayor’s Bronx childhood, Princeton undergraduate and Yale legal education, and first professional experiences. It then recounts in detail a “story of fortuitous timing and alignment with national events”: Sotomayor’s rise from associate judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, as a George H.W. Bush appointment; to her appointment by President Clinton to the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit; and finally to her appointment to the Supreme Court by Obama. Not a formal biography, Biskupic’s book is a fascinating account of the political machinations involved in achieving a Supreme Court judgeship and of Sotomayor’s juridical decisions and actions since her appointment. Biskupic draws extensively from Sotomayor’s memoir, My Beloved World, and from official transcripts and media coverage. Her skill as a journalist enlivens these sources with vivid anecdotal detail, which makes for a guide through a convoluted process that will be informative for adults as well as any young readers who might hope to be a Supreme Court justice one day. Agent: Gail Ross, Ross Yoon Literary Agency. (Oct.)