Book Review of My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor

In her memoir My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor describes reading Pride and Prejudice and Alice in Wonderland for the first time as a Princeton college student. “The agenda for self-cultivation that had been set for my classmates by their teachers and parents,” she realized, “was something I’d have to develop for myself” (135). This description of a late literary flowering seems incongruous not only in juxtaposition to the Justice’s extraordinary accomplishments, but also in light of the deep, sophisticated literary sensibility running through Sotomayor’s memoir. Throughout the book, Sotomayor downplays her natural abilities as a student, and particularly as a writer, attributing her success to hard work (133-34). Yet My Beloved World undermines that self-critique: With a skill that far transcends what work alone could accomplish (at least for most of us), Sotomayor delivers not a fleeting memoir, but a lasting contribution to American letters. For the most part, it is a terrific read. Simultaneously, it is a deeply affecting legal brief, arguing for Sotomayor’s worldview. Finally, My Beloved World is an excellent lens through which to teach fundamental legal concepts, particularly to undergraduates interested in a career in law. On the surface, My Beloved World seems intended as an inspirational, accessible rejoinder to those who criticized Sotomayor during her confirmation process for what became the most controversial statement from her past: that “a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”1 And the memoir, authored by this most accomplished lawyer, makes progress toward that goal. In simple but evocative language, Sotomayor describes countless examples where a background filled with adverse life experiences—her father’s terminal alcoholism (62-63); her struggle with written English (263); the needles and muggings in her housing project (19); her mother’s punishing work schedule (13-14); and her decision to complain about a recruiting law