Dan Gutman - Ruth Bader Ginsburg Couldnt Drive? (Wait! What?)

To kids who like to learn cool stuff.

Copyright 2023 by Dan Gutman
Illustrations copyright 2023 by Allison Steinfeld

All rights reserved
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Cover design: Patrick Collins

Cover artwork: Allison Steinfeld

Book design by Patrick Collins
Production manager: Anna Oler

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

ISBN 978-1-324-03069-0 (cl)
978-1-324-03070-6 (pbk)

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
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Ill tell you whats really interestingfamous people. Everybody likes to read about famous people. The problem is that biographies for kids always leave out the good stuff. The cool stuff.

Yeah, so we decided to learn about famous people and write about them. But we leave out all the boring junk and just include the good parts. Take Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Everybody knows that she was a famous Supreme Court justice. But did you know that she was a terrible driver?

Wait! WHAT? I didnt know that. How did you find that out?

I did my research, just like you! She failed her driving test five times before she was able to get her license. And one time, she hit Justice Sandra Day OConnors car in the Supreme Court parking garage!

I think the most amazing thing about that statement is that they have a Supreme Court parking garage. There are only nine members of the Supreme Court!

Yeah, cant they park on the street like normal people? I also found out that one time Ruth Bader Ginsburg crashed her car into a gate in Washington. After that, her husband drove her to the courthouse every day.

So thats the most interesting thing you found out about Ruth Bader Ginsburg?

Yes! I look up stuff thats interesting to me .

So I guess you didnt do a whole lot of serious research for this one, did you?

No, not really.

Well, I did tons of research on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I dug up all kinds of cool facts that dont appear in other books for kids. Heres my favorite quote by her: You can disagree without being disagreeable.

Thats a good one. Look at the two of us. I never disagree with you.

You do too! You disagree with me all the time!

I do not!

You did it right there! You just proved my point!

Well, lets agree to disagree.

Okay.

See? We agreed to disagree. That proves my point.

Youre impossible!

March 15, 1933 Born in Flatbush, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

1946 Enters James Madison High School.

1950 Enters Cornell University.

1954 Graduates from Cornell, marries Martin Ginsburg.

1955 Daughter Jane is born.

1956 Ruth enters Harvard Law School.

1958 Transfers to Columbia Law School.