First published 2018
Sonia Sotomayor grows up in the housing projects of New York City's South Bronx, where lawyers and judges seem like distant figures from another world. She manages juvenile diabetes while watching her parents struggle with their own personal battles. Money worries press on the family constantly. Yet Sonia refuses to abandon her ambitious dream of joining the legal profession. Her Puerto Rican extended family provides steady love and support. Generous mentors appear along her path, offering crucial guidance. Sonia's unwavering belief in herself drives her forward through each challenge. Her relentless determination transforms an unlikely dream into reality. The girl from the projects eventually rises to become an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 2009. This middle grade adaptation of her adult memoir reveals how someone from difficult circumstances can achieve extraordinary success through persistence and self confidence.
Genres: family-life, historical-fiction, coming-of-age, juvenile, biography-memoir, inspirational
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: against-all-odds, rags-to-riches
Setting: New York City, South Bronx
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
352 pages · Library Binding · Delacorte Press