The book features two women trailblazers, Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. O’Connor was the first woman on the Supreme Court while Ginsburg was the second. The author, Linda Hirshman, positions the women’s’ ascent to the apex court within the extensive movement of women’s rights. Although one woman was a Republican and the other a Democrat, their lives were relatively conventional. According to Hirshman, both women possessed fascinating careers and lives and fought for gender equality. The author points out that Ginsburg used her skills and advocacy to campaign for women's rights. However, O’Connor had no ambition for social change.
O’Connor was a pioneer, and she found her way into politics, where she became a majority leader in the Arizona senate. As a state senator, she targeted policies that discriminated against women. On the other hand, Ginsburg focused on social change and advocated for laws based on discrimination against the sex and race to be treated the same. The two women changed the constitutional status of women. Although Hirshman admires both women, she is critical of O’Connor. The author notes that O’Connor failed to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment for fear of compromising her party position.
Hirshman points out that O’Connor was torn between supporting her party position and advocating for women’s rights. O’Connor made it easier for Ginsburg to get appointed in the Supreme Court. Although Hirshman believes that O’Connor sometimes sounded more of a conservative rather than championing for women's rights, she concurs that O’Connor represented women as expected. The two women had passion and determination despite many challenges.
