NPR's Nina Totenberg At Cinema Arts Centre In Huntington

NPR’s Nina Totenberg Promotes Memoir and Answers Tough Questions at Long Island Litfest

By Adam Navas

Last Friday NPR’s acclaimed legal affairs correspondent - and New York native - Nina Totenberg promoted her new book Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship before a sold-out audience. Held in Huntington at the Cinema Arts Centre, Totenberg joins a list of renowned authors and celebrities, such as Erik Larson and David Duchovney, in this year’s Long Island Litfest. Due to its recent release, most in the audience hadn’t read the book prior, and all received a copy included in the ticket price. Joye Brown, a columnist and associate editor for Newsday, took the stage with Totenberg to provide questions and conversation before the audience Q&A. The discussion between the two journalists shed light on Dinners with Ruth’s recapitulation of the decades-long friendship between Totenberg and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, providing insight into their more human, vulnerable, and hilarious interactions. However, once the audience was given the microphone it was clear they were more interested in the socio-political stakes and repercussions of the contemporary Supreme Court than the fun banter between two iconic women. 

The first question from the crowd addressed the controversy that perhaps if Ginsberg had retired from the Court during Obama’s presidency, the current conservative majority would’ve been avoided. Totenberg answered quickly, explaining that her friend’s health had been in a positive place at the time and that she had assumed Clinton to be the winner of the 2016 election. She speculated that if Ginsberg had known her health would decline and that Trump would win the presidency, she would’ve taken those precautionary steps. Totenberg likened it to a “gamble,” and that Ginsberg lost. To which a woman in the back of the audience retorted, “no, WE lost!”

Immediately after, the questions leaned more toward the future of the Supreme Court and American journalism. Totenberg was asked about court-packing, which she strongly cautioned against, stating that Ginsberg would have agreed if she were still alive. She was asked if there should be a regulatory committee in charge of separating truth from fact in the current media, a concept she couldn’t help but scoff at, asserting that Americans should have enough intelligence to discern between the two. And when asked about term limits for Justices, she reminded everyone of the uphill road that sort of decision would take - an amendment to the constitution is only possible with a House majority, a senate majority, and three-fourths of the States.

After a few more audience interactions of a similar nature, it became clear there wouldn’t be any questions about the memoir itself, and that Brown would soon have to wrap up the evening. Yet, even with the light interrogation, Totenberg responded to each query with knowledge, grace, and accuracy. By the end, she received a standing ovation and a unanimously warm reception. While not providing a clear plan of action for a future in today’s dangerous judicial climate, she still managed to ignite a spark of hope. Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendship is now available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. 

Adam Navas is an award-winning filmmaker/screenwriter, in both narrative and documentary, currently residing in Los Angeles. Navas has worked for major networks such as Disney, NBC, and Hulu, as well as producing his own internationally-screened content. His social media journalism throughout the pandemic garnered a following of over sixty-thousand people and millions of views. In 2020, he was awarded top honors by the Golden Script Competition, Milan Gold, Hollywood Just4Shorts, and Short Stop International. He currently has three films - one documentary, two narratives - slated for release in 2023.