Edie Windsor may be known to many adult readers as the plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned key parts of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and required the federal government to recognize legally enacted marriages of same-sex couples. But Edie wasn’t always bold, says this engaging and informative biography. As a young girl, she “played by the rules” and enjoyed her math classes, where things added up to correct answers. But she also enjoyed her civics class, where she learned about laws and “treating people fairly,” a concept that resonated because Edie’s Jewish family wasn’t always treated fairly in their neighborhood.
The book takes us through her discovery that she had romantic feelings for another woman, her career as a computer programmer in New York City (the only woman in her department), and meeting Thea Spyer. Thea, too, knew unfairness, both because her Jewish family had fled the Nazis in Europe, and because she had been kicked out of college for kissing another woman. She and Edie fell in love, and Thea asked Edie to marry her. Edie said yes—but they still had to hide their relationship, even as they enjoyed a happy life together.
Inspired by the Stonewall uprising, they soon became active in the growing LGBTQ rights movement. As the women aged, though, Thea’s health declined, and Edie quit her job to care for her. When they could legally marry in Canada, they did so. When Thea died, however, the U.S. government sent Edie a bill for inheritance tax on the money Thea had bequeathed her—tax she wouldn’t have had to pay if the government recognized their marriage.
Edie sued, with the help of lawyer Roberta Kaplan. After a wins in lower courts and continued challenges, Kaplan stood before the U.S. Supreme Court and shared the story of the women’s love. The court agreed that they deserved equality. At 84 years old, and “standing on the shoulders” of activists before her, Edie “helped her country fix a great unfairness.”
Author Michael Genhert does a good job of simplifying the court process and legal arguments for a young audience, although the wordiness puts this volume at the upper end of the picture book age range (and I don’t know why the full “U.S. v. Windsor, 570 U.S. 744 (2013)” citation is in the main text; no young reader will need to know the case number). I also like that he creates a throughline with Edie’s love of math and her desire that things add up so that “equal means equal.” Cheryl Thuesday’s illustrations are colorful and bold, and at times echo iconic photographs of Windsor.
In an Author’s Note, Genhart explains his own personal connection to marriage equality as a married gay man and dad. Backmatter also includes more on DOMA, the Supreme Court, Edie’s case, and its impact, plus a dense timeline of events surrounding the case, the broader fight for marriage equality, and beyond. The treatment here is a little uneven; for example, we’re told that lawyer Mary Bonauto “is referred to as a ‘gay marriage hero,'” but not by whom; we learn that Edie married Judith Kasen in 2016 (after Thea’s death in 2009), but nothing about who Judith is. There’s a lot of other detail in the backmatter, though; perhaps too much for the target age range of the main part of the book. It almost feels like the backmatter could have been incorporated into a separate volume aimed at middle grade readers, although some motivated younger readers (or their adults) may still find it of interest.
The main part of the book gives us a compelling portrait of one of the true heroes of the fight for LGBTQ equality, though, balancing a narration of Edie’s legal struggles with lovely descriptions of her and Thea’s relationship, and making this a recommended title.
