On Our Bookshelf: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

Since Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court appointment in 2009, she has more than differentiated herself from the other nine justices. Not only is she the Court's third female justice, but she is its first Hispanic one. And in her three years, she has proved herself to be more personable and approachable than any other justice in recent history.

Yesterday, Sotomayor released her highly anticipated memoir, My Beloved World, and we at MC are more than a little excited to add it to our lengthy reading list. The book chronicles her highly impressive journey, starting with her childhood in a crime-infested Bronx housing project while being raised by a single mother and chronicling her many health battles.

As a young girl, Sotomayor dreamed of becoming a cop thanks to her love for Nancy Drew novels. But at age eight, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and was forced to lay her police aspirations behind for a brand new dream — the law. While working as a district attorney in New York, she smoked a three and a half packs of cigarettes a day, a habit she quit when she saw her niece using a pencil to blow fake smoke rings.

The memoir also covers her education at both Princeton and Yale. But, warning to those hoping to glean more about her time in the judge's seat: The book covers neither her 17 years spent as U.S. district and appeals court judge nor her last three years as a justice.

My Beloved World is published by Knopf Books. Purchase it here.