What are you reading?

"The Counselors: Conversations With 18 Courageous Women Who Have Changed the World," by Valerie Sabzo. My father got me this book. It's fascinating. It's about women who are all lawyers who got these awards for being outstanding in different ways. It's got people from past generations like Pat Schroeder — one of the first women to consider running for president, served 24 years in Congress, the longest-sitting female member. ... Another favorite book of mine is "Art of Happiness," conversations with the Dalai Lama. That book has given me a lot of spiritual guidance and insight in to how to live your life. ...

What do you most like about their message?

I'm a big fan of self-help books, and I really love the kind of books that really talk about the human condition and what's going through people's minds, how people cope with the ups and downs of life, and what ways they've found to deal with the difficult times and come out — the phoenix-from-the- flame kind of thing. ...

Do these portraits of profound change energize your fight to help society's most vulnerable citizens?

Definitely. In fact, in my other life, I'm a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i, Wai'anae office. I get so much inspiration from my clients. ... They really have this amazing ability to bounce back, and their family really supports them. On the other hand, what this job shows me is that's really what the purpose of laws should be. ... These decisions you make Downtown, if you don't know the reality of how these people live, you could make a devastating decision. ... I really think the best way to judge the success of lawmakers is: How are the most needy faring? It all comes back to us.