Breaking In takes its title from Sonia Sotomayor’s reputation for interrupting counsel and colleagues from the bench. As we learn in the book, Sotomayor once said she was trying not to break in so much — though she found it hard to stop. Breaking in was what she did.
The book’s strong suit is a wealth of detail about the race between Republicans and Democrats for the prize of appointing the first Hispanic justice. It is a primer for anyone with large ambitions, as well as a cautionary tale, since the message conveyed is that skillful manipulation of identity politics may carry the day over more substantial achievement. This is, of course, an old story for both parties, which have at times filled regional, religious, racial, and gender slots with candidates who eclipsed other, arguably better qualified, aspirants.
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