Reinventing the Wheel
Formats: E-Book, Hardback
Ages: 18+
After a life-changing car accident as a teenager, Pat Broderick had two choices: remain in the safe haven of her parents or reinvent herself and find a new path through life as a woman in a wheelchair. She chose the latter. Pat finished her college degree, earned her master's, and began working as a probation officer. Perturbed by what she observed in the courtroom, she decided to become a lawyer. She graduated from law school, passed the bar exam, and went to work. Her illustrious career, spanning roles from a volunteer social worker in Ecuador to a senior judge in the District of Columbia, embodies her unwavering commitment to public service and justice. Judge Broderick has influenced the legal landscape across various disciplines, all while fostering legal education at top law schools and advocating for diversity and women's advancement in the legal profession.Her story is a testimony to overcoming pain, fear, and prejudice but tempered by her resolve to carry on traveling and having fun in her own way. Just ask her ski instructor.
Reviews
Patricia Broderick's Reinventing the Wheel memoir is an odyssey, a moving and heroic story of how this plucky gal has persevered against seemingly insuperable challenges to create a meaningful life of outstanding accomplishment. Ever since a disastrous accident suspended her earlier life of active adventures, she has prevailed against every new demand on her mobility with indomitable persistence, dignity, and humor that is infectious. Her stories of how she has managed the impossible on her own and with help of willing strangers are thrilling to read. I know that Judge Broderick calls a person who is not mobility-impeded, a "TAB," for temporarily able-bodied, and though she writes that she doesn't like to be called "an inspiration," readers will surely think of her as a model for the times when life events disable them. She encourages the reader to see these occurrences as "inconveniences" to be addressed with patience and improvisation. Read this wonderful book and enjoy its power to lift your spirits and empower your own ability to improvise when life knocks you down.
