Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of Friendship

Award-winning NPR correspondent Totenberg recollects her treasured friendship with the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in this debut memoir that navigates from the early years of the women’s-liberation movement into the present day. Totenberg and colleagues Cokie Roberts and Linda Wertheimer were breaking through the glass ceiling in a man-dominated field just as Ginsburg’s star was beginning to rise. Totenberg vividly recalls the small and large moments, both personal and professional, that filled the lives of these extraordinary women. Their friendship saw them through the deaths of Totenberg’s first husband and Ginsburg’s beloved Marty. A veteran correspondent, Totenberg narrates her saga with wit, vivacity, and outstanding pacing. Listeners will be entranced by the audio-only violin interludes, which are performed by Totenberg’s father, virtuoso violinist Roman Totenberg. Throughout the last year of Ginsburg’s life, Totenberg and her husband had a standing Saturday-evening dinner date with Ginsburg to support their friend as she fought her third battle with cancer.