Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships Book Review

Our friends are more than our chosen family. They are our support system and the ones we turn to in our hour of need.

For more than fifty years, respected NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg palled around with the late Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Their half-a-century friendship is detailed in Totenberg’s new memoir, Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships.

The book tells a dual narrative. It reveals the real women behind the powerhouse figures while reminding the reader of the barriers they broke along the way. Through professional highs and personal sorrows, Totenberg and Ginsburg were as thick as thieves.

The book is ok. Though there is no denying that both women made history and continue to inspire us today. The problem is that the story is slow. Though I did finish it, I was left with an eh feeling.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships is available wherever books are sold.

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Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra Podcast Review

January 6th, 2021 was an extraordinary day in American history. It is one of those moments that I don’t think anyone over a certain age will ever forget. Up until recently, it appeared to be the only event of this nature in recent memory.

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow tells us otherwise. Her new limited podcast, Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra tells the story of a failed coup led by prominent Americans to overthrow the US government in the 1940s. Among them are members of Congress and notorious antisemite Father Charles Coughlin.

Though only two episodes have aired, the parallels between then and now are hard to ignore. I got chills listening to it. There are too many similarities to January 6th. Though the names have obviously changed, the basics remain the same.

For that reason alone, this should be required listening for every American and a reminder of how delicate our democracy is.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

New episodes of Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra are released every Monday.