Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg is subtitled A Memoir on the Power of Friendships, which could be changed to A Memoir on Power Friendships.
Totenberg, legal affairs correspondent for NPR, first met Ruth Bader Ginsberg long before either had established their careers. As their stars rose, their relationship flourished. Yet, RBG’s isn’t the only name Totenberg drops recounting dinner parties and other social events.
Friendships with her NPR colleagues, in particular Susan Sontag and Cokie Roberts, have been previously celebrated in another memoir. Additionally, Totenberg counts several former Supreme Court justices, reporters, her sisters and many others among her friends.
Certainly, the most engaging narratives are those regarding RBG. Totenberg refers to her intelligence, kindness, quiet nature and love for her husband Martin who died in 2010. Earlier, Totenberg’s first husband died after a long illness. Both women provided support and comfort to the other. When the journalist remarried, the justice officiated.
Totenberg briefly shares her family background and her entrée into journalism: first in print media and later among the first of NPR’s staff. She remains a contributing journalist and has received numerous accolades for her work.
Each of the 17 chapter names includes the word friend or friendship. From love to fame, from hardships to lost, aspects of various significant connections significant in Totenberg’s life are recounted. Not only does the reader learn more about the author, but an added benefit is the opportunity to reflect on the importance, and variety, of friends in one’s own life.
Dinners With Ruth
Four Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2022
304 pages, includes notes, acknowledgements and index
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