by Evan Thomas
First published 2019
Sandra Day O'Connor begins life in 1930 on an Arizona cattle ranch, where she learns the toughness that will carry her through decades of breaking barriers. Despite graduating at the top of her Stanford Law class in 1952, not a single firm will grant her an interview. She refuses to accept defeat. O'Connor builds her career step by step, becoming the first woman to lead a state senate as majority leader, then serving as an Arizona appeals court judge where she takes on corruption and brings humanity to legal decisions. In 1981, Reagan appoints her as the first female Supreme Court Justice. For twenty-five years, she shapes American law while battling her own cancer diagnosis and caring for her husband as Alzheimer's claims his memory. Through each challenge, O'Connor maintains her blend of grace, humor, and cowgirl grit, creating a path for the women who follow.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, gender-studies, biography-memoir, 21st-century, legal-thriller, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: breaking-barriers, first-female, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Arizona
Period: 1930s, 1952, 1981
496 pages · Hardcover · Random House
Content warnings: mental-illness