The Counselors: Conversations With 18 Courageous Women Who Have Changed the World

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Summary: We Can Change the World.
Review: Author Elizabeth Vrato asked 18 recipients of the prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award what they would like to share with young women just beginning their law careers. In "The Counselors: Conversations with 18 Courageous Women Who changed the World," these 18 women share their stories; from family relationships to crusades that changed laws of the United States. Each woman recognized for her exceptional contribution, not only to the field of law, but to our quality of life. In his foreword, Bill Clinton said, "Just as the women in this book were empowered by the efforts and example of those who came before them, a new generation will be inspired and encouraged by the spirit and achievements of this remarkable group."

Included: Lynn Hecht Schafran, an expert who has devoted most of her career to educating judges. Lynn Hecht Schafran, director of the New York-based National Judicial Education Program. Patricia Schroeder, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property. Louise Raggio, still practicing law at age 81, is considered a "pioneer in marital and family rights. Jamie Gorelick. former U.S. Deputy Attorney General, current Fannie Mae Corporation Vice Chair, and former General Counsel of the Department of Defense.

Also: Sandra Day O'Connor, Maureen Kempston Darkes, Margaret Hilary Marshall, Elaine Jones, Herma Hill Kay, Nancy Davis, Drucilla Ramey, Janet Reno, Joan Dempsey Klein, Patricia Wald, Joyce Kennard, Antonia Hernandez, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Norma L. Shapiro.

This isn't heavy reading; the chapters are short, yet each sentence made an impact on me. And why not, these are the words of those destined to become the immortals. The American Bar Assoc. Commission on Women in the Profession established the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award in 1991 to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers. This award honors outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence within their area of specialty and have actively paved the way to success for other women lawyers. Cammy Diaz A@L

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Summary: The Counselors: Conversations With 18 Courageous Women...
Review: I found The Counselors to be an approachable and personal vehicle for learning about 18 (potentially intimidating) women within a single volume. I particularly like it because of its conversational style. I have read biographies of some of the women included in this book (and enjoyed them). I found that this book adds to the feminist discourse by presenting a new perspective that speaks to readers like myself and also to those who are just becoming interested in law, women's studies or government. I would recommend this to readers already privileged enough to be a part of an academic discussion of feminism and to less traditional audiences who are looking for a way to learn about women in law/government and perhaps be inspired to pursue a career in these or other fields that might appear intimidating.

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Summary: Books about award winners seem popular
Review: I have read recently this book, The Counselors, and Caroline Kennedy's new book "Profiles in Courage for Our Time." Kennedy's book is about people who are recipients of the Kennedy Library's Profiles in Courage Award. Now I have learned that Mike Wallace has a book out called "Medal of Honor" (it also has a subtitle). Wallace's book profiles recipients of the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor. The Counselors is based on interviews with the recipients of the American Bar Association's prestigious award to recognize trailblazing women. So I feel I've spotted a trend: books that profile award recipients in order to recognize American heroes and to provide us with role models and hope for success over our obstacles in these troubled times.

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Summary: Not only for women
Review: I think the stories told in this book, are not only inspiring for women but for men as well. No matter which are the circumstances, there is always a way, and this book help you understand it.

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Summary: I found some mentors...and they found me...
Review: In fact, I like the way I learned about it... I thought it was innovative... I learned about this book under "customer advice" when I was shopping for a Bonnie Raitt cd. I think a lot of authors and products are going to be able to use the customer advice line to good effect in the future as I saw with "The Counselors." Amazon is the greatest cybermall in the world! Amazon sells more when we all learn about more products and we're exposed to more than we would otherwise be. There's no harm. But why would anyone bother to post a review on the "How" of how they learn about a product and criticize for it? Maybe that is who is "sad" and "desperate."

If possible, I would prefer to be supportive of the efforts of a woman to help other women. And my support of this book is unqualified. Not only did this book help me today, but I wish I had it ten years ago, when I was going through a very rough patch and could have used some woman-to-woman mentoring (advice with that additional feminine perspective about the pressures unique to women in shaping a life).

I have followed Cammy Diaz's reviews with great interest, checked out her lists, etc. For HER to provide such a favorable review is really something. And, it's deserved. Every day since I read it, I have used this one anecdote in the Counselors in my own life: When Thurgood Marshall was preparing to argue against segregation in front of the Supreme Court, he could not argue based on his heart and say that they should decide for him because segregation is "just wrong." In an environment charged with emotion, anger, and hatred, he had to figure out a way to get the Justices on his side. Marshall methodically reviewed the race litigation pending around the country and worked to build precedent in those cases that he could cite to the Court. By the time he argued Brown v. Board of Education, he had 4 lower federal courts behind him that had decided that "separate" is not "equal." So he could tell the Supreme Court they should decide in his favor because 4 other courts had, not because "segregation is just wrong." And the Court decided 9-0 in Thurgood Marshall's favor, ending segregation in this country a full generation before any legislature would have considered doing it.

In the Counselors, Elaine Jones of NAACP uses this illustration as a life lesson. Thurgood Marshall was not reactive to others. He pursued his own goals, he kept his focus on his long-term goals, removing the emotion and pettiness. And he was effective at doing a lot of good as a result. This example applies to a lot of things. This is a quality book, and the more people who learn it is out there, the better.

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Summary: Inspiration
Review: Please don't start reading this book with expectations of knowing each of these wonderful women's life details. It is an vague exploration of the paths that each woman's life took.

I have to say I was inspired to start a monthly bruncheon with local women leaders and young women. It starts next month and am very excited about what I got out of the book to make things happen in my own area.

This book leads you to make a difference in your community!

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration
Review: Please don't start reading this book with expectations of knowing each of these wonderful women's life details. It is an vague exploration of the paths that each woman's life took.

I have to say I was inspired to start a monthly bruncheon with local women leaders and young women. It starts next month and am very excited about what I got out of the book to make things happen in my own area.

This book leads you to make a difference in your community!

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Summary: I laughed, I cried, I was inspired.
Review: The Counselors is truly a book to educate and inspire. As a woman who came after the Women's Liberation Movement, I have a tendency to forget about the struggles that the women before me endured. The Counselors brought the struggles of 18 amazing women into sharp relief.

It was a revelation to discover that Lynn Hecht Schafran concealed her pregnancy for nine months, took a two-week vacation, and came back to work, suddenly a parent, since employees at her business were not allowed to be pregnant. Can you believe that? I couldn't. The Counselors is inspirational and a great motivator.

My favorite part of the book is the first-person anecdotes that author Elizabeth Vrato includes to begin each woman's story. Her personal stories are easy to relate to and demonstrate her increasing awareness of the struggles that women have endured and continue to experience in the working world. Ultimately, The Counselors is about triumphing over obstacles; there are myriad bits of advice sprinkled throughout.

For someone who has lacked strong female role models, I feel so fortunate to be able to hear these women talk about family, career, the glass ceiling, important legislation for the rights of women, and the importance of strong bonds amongst women. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for some inspiration or history on the women's movement. I feel so grateful to these women and author Elizabeth Vrato for sharing their stories with the world.

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Summary: Mentoring for the masses
Review: This book does a great job at what it sets out to do. Its purpose is presented in its introduction: (1) to talk with a group of women who it may be difficult to gain access to for a conversation, and to ask them what they would like to say to others about their journeys during the social transformation in America over the last 30-40 years and (2)to get those stories out there to more people than those women could ever meet with during the course of their busy days changing the world. That's it.

It's not meant to criticize them one little bit. It doesn't. And it's not meant to be new and definitive in the fields of politics and women's issues. It's not.

Having said that, many people will learn a lot, because not that many people are really experts in the fields of politics and women's studies. And readers will take away practical advice they can apply in their own lives, passed along from those who have traveled the path before them--the way you get from having conversations with mentors. Some of the women have "name recognition," some don't. But they all have a warmth and a willingness to share that can help those who think they could benefit from conversations with wiser elders or with role models.

The Counselors doesn't fit the mold of a lot of other books, and it's a book we've been needing. It fills a niche, providing inspiration from numerous voices of women (including women of color), which is different from our tradition of seeing men in positions of power and responsibility and hearing only (or primarily) the voices of men to inspire us. But women have been inspired by the voices of men, and now men can be inspired by the voices of women. The Counselors broadens American folklore--