U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says a passion for words and reading paved her way to the highest court in the country. She delivered that message recently at a Reading is Fundamental event here promoting literacy鈥攁nd honoring her contributions to it, with her new children鈥檚 book, Turning Pages: My Life Story.
The book, aimed at 4- to 8-year-olds, describes how words riveted her, even before she could read. Sotomayor answered questions posed by Lulu Delacre, who illustrated the book, before about 100 attendees at the National Reading Coalition 2018 last week.
Lively family gatherings at Sotomayor鈥檚 grandmother鈥檚 New York City home quieted when Abuelita, her grandmother, shared poems about the island of Puerto Rico, 鈥渢he tropical land our family had left behind.鈥�
Sotomayor said she was transfixed by her grandmother鈥檚 ability to 鈥渕esmerize the crowd, just with words,鈥� and her father鈥檚 鈥減oetry duels鈥� with family members that demonstrated the power of the spoken word.
To illustrate the book, Delacre integrated meaningful words and images鈥攍ike Sotomayor鈥檚 library card鈥攊nto her work.
Sotomayor marveled that the cover of the book depicts her walking up the steps to the Supreme Court, with excerpts from a majority opinion she wrote. 鈥淚t was about the rights of children who are questioned in school by police,鈥� she said, citing words from the opinion embedded in each riser. In that 2011 ruling, by a 5-4 majority, the when determining whether a juvenile suspect merits a Miranda warning about the right against self-incrimination.
Now, Sotomayor said she incorporates her message about the power of words when she teaches law students, emphasizing 鈥渢he pictures words paint鈥攁nd how important it is for lawyers to understand their choice of words and the potentially different impacts words can have on people because of their different memories.鈥�
鈥淲ords are often called swords,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd they鈥檙e very powerful swords.鈥�
Sotomayor鈥檚 family spoke Spanish, so she was an English-learner outside of her home. 鈥淐omics were important for my initial reading experience,鈥� she said. Diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of seven, she used comic book heroes to imagine herself with the superpowers she would need to get over her fear of needles.
鈥淚 do remember having an argument with a schoolteacher many, many years ago about how much I enjoyed comics as a kid,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir texts were limited in the number of words, and they were common words. I was just learning English.鈥� Full chapter books were too difficult.
She said that she believes whatever route an educator takes to interest a child in reading鈥攚hether comic books or graphic novels鈥攊t鈥檚 an avenue to making them passionate about reading.
The justice also reiterated her commitment to education as a gateway to equity. 鈥淚 have often said that equality in America won鈥檛 come until we have equality of educational opportunity,鈥� she said in her closing remarks. Promoting literacy is important, but something more fundamental is, too: 鈥淎n enjoyment of reading. That鈥檚 the greatest gift.鈥�
Sotomayor, Delacre, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., received RIF鈥檚 2018 Champions of Children鈥檚 Literacy award as part of the event, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., although the senator was unable to attend.
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