A Bite-Size ARC Review- Shortlisted: Women in the Shadow of the Supreme Court

“Women, and especially female minorities, regularly find themselves equally or more qualified than the white men on the shortlist, but they are far less likely to be selected. Shortlists thus project a façade of diversity with their inclusion of women and minorities but function to preserve the status quo.”

Hi readers! I’m back with another ARC review this week. Thank you to netgalley and NYU press for the ARC of Shortlisted: Women in the Shadow of the Supreme Court by Renee Knake Jefferson and Hannah Brenner Johnson.

Synopsis:

“The inspiring and previously untold history of the women considered–but not selected–for the US Supreme Court

In 1981, after almost two centuries of exclusively male appointments, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Supreme Court Justice of the United States, a significant historical moment and a symbolic triumph for supporters of women’s rights. Most do not know, however, about the remarkable women shortlisted for the Supreme Court in the decades before O’Connor’s success.

Shortlisted gives nine women formally considered but ultimately passed over for a seat on the Supreme Court going back to the 1930s the recognition they deserve. Award-winning scholars Renee Knake Jefferson and Hannah Brenner Johnson rely on previously unpublished materials to illustrate the professional and personal lives of these accomplished women. From Florence Allen, the first woman judge in Ohio, and the first to appear on a president’s list for the Court, to Cornelia Kennedy, the first woman to serve as chief judge of a US district court, shortlisted by Ford and Reagan, Shortlisted shares the often overlooked stories of those who paved the way for women’s representation throughout the legal profession and beyond.

In addition to filling a notable historical gap, the book exposes the harms of shortlisting–it reveals how adding qualified female candidates to a list but passing over them ultimately creates the appearance of diversity while preserving the status quo. This phenomenon often occurs with any pursuit of professional advancement, whether the judge in the courtroom, the CEO in the corner office, or the coach on the playing field. Women, and especially female minorities, while as qualified as others on the shortlist (if not more so), find themselves far less likely to be chosen. With the stories of these nine exemplary women as a framework, Shortlisted offers all women a valuable set of strategies for upending the injustices that still endure. It is a must-read for those vying for positions of power as well as for those who select them.”

The first part of the book looks at the women shortlisted throughout history, specifically focusing on 11 women who were considered before the nomination of the first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor. This section was informative given that I had never heard of any of the women mentioned and the authors give a short background of feminist history to put the shortlistings into context. But it was a slow start and felt more like I was reading through Wikipedia pages for each woman, and I didn’t enjoy the book until part 2.

The second part of the book was a lot more interesting with evaluating how qualified women are tokens that are put on lists for leadership roles but ultimately passed over to maintain the status quo. The authors evaluate each woman’s experience being shortlisted and how they were portrayed in the media with regards to age, relationship status, motherhood, and physical looks.

It was also inspiring that they pointed out that although these women were in the legal profession, the issues of women and especially minority women being put into leadership roles and the criticism from the media spans across all professions. The authors also discuss how we need to do better with our feminism by including all women, not just heterosexual, cis gendered, able bodied, white women. Their calls to action were inspiring and just what I needed after what’s been happening in US politics lately.

Although the first half wasn’t the most exciting, I’m still happy to have learned about these lesser known, important women who were sadly passed over for men to serve on the Supreme Court. In the words of the authors, Just think where we would be in terms of equality if we had put women on the Court sooner?

Rating: 4/5 stars

 

Blog Tour: Red Letter Days Book Review

Hi readers! I hope your reading year has been going well for you all and maybe you’ve discovered some new favorite books or authors. I finished my first book of the month, ‘Red Letters Days’ by Sarah-Jane Stratford which I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy (my first ever hard copy ARC *squeals in delight*)! A special thank you to Berkley Publishing for sending me this book in exchange for a review.

Synopsis:

“When two brave women flee from the Communist Red Scare, they soon discover that no future is free from the past.

Amid the glitz and glamour of 1950s New York, Phoebe Adler pursues her dream of screenwriting. A dream that turns into a living nightmare when she is blacklisted—caught in the Red Menace that is shattering the lives of suspected Communists. Desperate to work, she escapes to London, determined to keep her dream alive and clear her good name.

There, Phoebe befriends fellow American exile Hannah Wolfson, who has defied the odds to build a career as a successful television producer in England. Hannah is a woman who has it all, and is now gambling everything in a very dangerous game—the game of hiring blacklisted writers.

Neither woman suspects that danger still looms . . . and their fight is only just beginning.”

I devoured this book! As you all know by now, I’m a sucker for historical fiction and novels told in different POVs, so ‘Red Letter Days’ was right up my alley. Stratford tells the unique story of two strong, badass women that are based on real life women writers during the Red Scare. Even the more minor characters had complex personalities and stories that pulled me into the novel. It was as if an old movie was playing throughout my head with the likes of Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Doris Day, and other Golden Age Hollywood royalty playing the parts. One relationship in the story (which I’m trying not to spoil) had the back and forth banter reminiscent of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in ‘Charade.’

The book was not only wonderfully descriptive and detailed, but I also learned new things about the Red Scare and HUAC that I hadn’t known before. It was refreshing to have a historical fiction novel that wasn’t about World War 2, although I do love those and will still continue reading them, but now I need more 1950’s era stories! I’m dying to read Stratford’s other novel, ‘Radio Girls,’ and be able to enjoy more of her writing.

From start to finish, Stratford had me biting my nails, gasping, laughing, cheering, and crying for all of the characters! I didn’t want this novel to end and I haven’t felt that way in quite some time. Thank you to Sarah-Jane Stratford for telling this lesser known story of Hannah and the female writers who risked everything to fight HUAC and the blacklist. I hope to read much more from her and this book is definitely a favorite of the month, perhaps even the year!

Rating: 5/5 stars