Want to learn the ideas in Notorious Rbg better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Notorious Rbg by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of Notorious Rbg

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Notorious Rbg, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik.

1-Page Summary of Notorious Rbg

Overview

In 2013, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was 80 years old. Many thought that she would retire soon. However, something interesting happened: millennials made RBG an internet sensation by referring to her as “Notorious R.B.G.” and creating a Tumblr page for her with the same name (a tongue-in-cheek comparison to the late American rapper Notorious B.I.G.).

Ruth Bader Ginsberg has received a lot of attention lately. She’s been called many things, including “Notorious RBG.” Her dissent on the recent Hobby Lobby case went viral online. However, while she gained popularity among people who didn’t know much about her, they didn’t realize that this was just one chapter in her story.

In this article, you’ll learn about RBG’s personal life and the decisions she made that shaped her career. You’ll also learn more about two pieces of advice from her mother that helped shape her success in the courtroom.

Big Idea #1: Born in Brooklyn, RBG had a normal childhood but experienced tragedy in her family.

Joan Ruth Bader was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 15, 1933. She was given the nickname Kiki as a child because of her last name. During that time, Jews were discriminated against even by other ethnic minorities who had recently immigrated to America. Despite this fact, RBG still remembers her childhood fondly and is proud of how she grew up.

RBG’s mother was a first-generation American. She had great grades in high school, but she didn’t go to college because she was expected to be a loving wife and help pay for her brother’s tuition at Cornell. Kiki (RBG) loved learning, so RBG hoped that she would attend university one day.

Kiki, the popular but quiet girl in high school, was fond of mystery novels. She admired Nancy Drew for her independence and adventurous spirit. Kiki also attended summer camp where she played the cello. It was a fairly normal childhood – so normal that no one predicted her future success as an author and entrepreneur.

Kiki struggled to get through her childhood, and there were times when it seemed that she would not succeed, but then things turned around. She was accepted into Cornell University with multiple scholarships to her name. However, Kiki didn’t end up attending graduation because the night before the ceremony, her mother tragically died from cervical cancer.

Celia died when Kiki was young, but she remained an important influence on her daughter’s life. Celia gave Kiki two pieces of advice that stuck with her throughout her life: The first was to be a lady by controlling your emotions and not letting them get the best of you. The second piece of advice was to be independent (Celia had saved money for Kiki’s education).

Big Idea #2: As a student at Cornell, Kiki’s future husband was the first boy to appreciate her intelligence.

When Kiki arrived at Cornell University in 1950, the ratio of men to women was four-to-one. Many of her female peers were smarter than their male counterparts but they suppressed their intelligence because they wanted to find a husband instead of having careers.

Kiki was different from her sorority sisters. She studied while they partied, smuggled books into the bathroom to read in college instead of partying, and majored in government with a focus on constitutional law from Robert E. Cushman (a famous professor). She observed that the American army had been segregated until World War II ended.

During the Cold War, people were very afraid of communism. Cornell University professor Marcus Singer was indicted for protecting the names of his fellow Marxists. At that time, Kiki Cushman was helping with an exhibition on censorship; she learned about lawyers who defend the rights of those who are censored.