When Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was young, she turned to literature to help her deal with the problems she faced. “I learned how to make books my friends,” she told an audience of more than 700 people at an event hosted by the American Writers Museum and the Chicago Public Library.
At the event, which was October 12 at the Harold Washington Library, Justice Sotomayor made everyone in attendance feel like a friend too, just like the books she read as a youngster. While answering questions and discussing her two books for young readers — Turning Pages: My Life Story and The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor — Justice Sotomayor walked through the crowd, giving hugs and taking pictures with the many children in the audience. On a cold and drizzly night, the smiles and excitement of the kids after sharing a moment with Justice Sotomayor warmed the audience right up.
Before the public event, Justice Sotomayor met with 4th grade students from Horace Greeley Elementary School. The school is part of the AWM’s Write In program, which provides field trips and programs at no cost to low-income schools in the Chicago area. Justice Sotomayor was gracious with her time and energy and the young students were very excited to meet her…just look at those smiles!
After the meeting, the class joined the rest of the audience in the Library’s Winter Garden, which was a great spot for this event. The students read her book Turning Pages in class and were eager to learn more about Justice Sotomayor and her life. And luckily for them, Justice Sotomayor was just as eager to share her story! The students were able to ask questions, ranging from “Why did you become a lawyer?” (Perry Mason and Nancy Drew had something to do with it) and “What do you enjoy most when you’re not working?” (spending time with friends and “getting into trouble with them…”). For each student that asked a question, Justice Sotomayor asked them to stand up and say their name, showing an earnest interest in inspiring and validating these young people and their dreams.
AWM Board member Carolyn Curiel interviewed Justice Sotomayor at the event. Mrs. Curiel is a former speechwriter for President Clinton and a former ambassador. Her questions were thoughtful and incisive, allowing Justice Sotomayor to expand on her journey to the Supreme Court, which included trials and triumphs, as any journey does.
Justice Sotomayor covered a wide range of topics during her discussion, including the gender divide in law and how to overcome it, her love of books and libraries as a child, and the many “guardian angels” that have helped her throughout her life. Here she is hugging a young fan…perhaps a future lawyer with dreams of changing the world? “For me,” Justice Sotomayor said, “if I can inspire you in some way, to really believe that you can do it, then I’ve done my job.” Mission accomplished.
Justice Sotomayor read from her book, Turning Pages, and also used the stunning illustrations to answer questions. The book is illustrated by Lulu Delacre, and each illustration includes a specific detail directly related to Justice Sotomayor’s life. The front cover for instance, features a coquí, a frog species endemic to Puerto Rico, which is where Justice Sotomayor’s family is from.
Thank you Justice Sotomayor for being warm, inclusive, kind, and for staying until every last book had been signed and every last child hugged!
