The Majority

A Novel

By: Elizabeth L. Silver

Narrated by: Sierra Prasada

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Inspired by history, a riveting novel of love and friendship, motherhood and ambition, and one woman’s fight to be a Supreme Court justice.

Half of the United States is waiting for Justice Sylvia Olin Bernstein to die. The other half is praying for her to hold on. At 83, “the contemptuous S.O.B.” doesn’t have much time left. What she has is a story, one she has wrested from the grip of history to tell herself—of how she rose to her historic position on the Supreme Court, and the barriers she broke along the way.

Told over fifty years, from losing her mother at a young age, to falling in love, to navigating an unplanned pregnancy and motherhood, to learning how to spar with a sexist mentor, Sylvia’s personal story reveals the intimate truth about who she was as she ascended to her modern throne: not just a brilliant mind, but a daughter, a best friend, a wife, mother, and advocate. While caught in a dramatic tug of war between career and family, truth and convenience, progress and patience, she will be given a chance to change the course of American history–and give voice, at last, to the majority.

Set against the vibrant sweep of the 20th century, THE MAJORITY brings us into the sacrifices, heartaches, and complex emotional life of a powerful woman ahead of her time, whose life and work turn out to have supreme stakes.

©2023 Elizabeth L. Silver (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Readers will, of necessity, think of real-life trailblazers Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but Silver wisely brings a universality to Sylvia’s story of sacrifice and determination, making it recognizable to women of every era, background, and profession who battle to forge their own paths against society’s limiting expectations.”—Booklist

"Incisive. . .Silver wisely gives Sylvia her own path to travel, emphasizing how her professional goals both shape and are shaped by her experiences as a woman. Ginsburg's many admirers will be captivated by her literary counterpart."—Publishers Weekly

"A story of secrets, impossible choices, and how we negotiate the uneasy space between our personal and public lives. Like Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife, The Majority transforms the life of a singular woman into a compelling narrative that illuminates the most important themes playing out in America today."—Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters

Immersive Listening Experience

Superb voice-narration drew me into the protagonist's winding path towards the U.S. Supreme Court. An emotionally-rich, evocative story of strong characters following their own destinies, reflecting the evolving struggle for women's rights.

Unusual story - what makes a supreme court justice

Just finished listening to this unusual book. Besides have excellent narration - I found the book a compelling read. In telling this fictional story of a women who winds up on the supreme court - which the reader knows from the beginning - we as readers witness a humanizing view of the process that makes a justice. The book is more than that story - it also deals with marriage - parenthood - friendship and education. Also with issues of entitlement and expectations we all have to deal with. Great book and great performance - what more can one ask of an audio book.

Never enough

Awesome book awesome narrator. It’s just keeps you thinking, as it keeps you mindful of actions that you take in life how they’ll come back to haunt you my own personal prayer is that my good outweighs my bad and everything that I do.