Reviews tagging 'Death'

Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships by Nina Totenberg

7 reviews

cghegan's review

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

I’m a huge fan of Nina Totenberg and the NPR Politics squad, hence picking this one up. It’s fascinating to look at the behind-the-scenes emotions and experiences of someone you admire deeply, but at many points, unsettling. I found the Politico book review by Michael Schaffer pointed to this feeling best, writing: “Totenberg’s book seems to be cast as a corrective against some national misapprehension that Washington is about nothing but bickering and partisanship. But that misunderstands why so many Americans are down on the capital. Instead, the rage stems from a conviction that the city is full of insiders who are all part of the same contented club, forever scratching one another’s backs. That’s a perception that Dinners With Ruth does absolutely nothing to dispel.”

One of the bigger “key points” in this book was the subtext that what Totenberg knew about the Justice’s health could have changed history. And it’s still upsetting to confront what many have felt: why was the fate of so many Americans’ health and safety dependent upon the mortality of a single (powerful, yes, remarkable, yes, but elderly and frail) person?

On the level of craft, it seemed loosely organized and meandering in a way that felt like someone trying to fill space and piece things together. Which is odd considering someone who has had a remarkable life and collaborated and dined with so many remarkable people. At times, Ruth Bader Ginsburg feels like a side note. While memoirs certainly cannot contain the entirety of one’s experiences, the overall organization and what was elected to be kept made the title feel less like a memoir about a particularly powerful friendship, and more a memoir about how Totenberg worked to be at the table with powerful people.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Cancer, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

leannanecdote's review against another edition

inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Death, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Medical content, Chronic illness, and Cancer

town_scar's review

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Highly recommend the audiobook for this one. Nina is a delightful orator and it ends on a, quite literally, beautiful note.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cancer, Chronic illness, Grief, Sexual harassment, Medical content, and Death

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

lportilla's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Cancer

qqjj's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Cancer, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, and Terminal illness

shieldbearer's review

informative reflective

4.0

engagingly written and very interesting to hear about this side of things on the law and reporting. Unsurprisingly out of touch in some places, like that note about "only" having 10k in savings in the 1970s. Wish there were more asides about the father. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

erinbrenner's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

This is a book full of interesting stories about friendship loosely tied together. Totenberg writes in a conversational way that draws the reader along. 

In the downside, the narrative sometimes takes some awkward or abrupt turns. And while the friendship theme is present and interesting, it could have been developed more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death, Chronic illness, and Cancer

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Medical content