Lovely One
A Memoir
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In her “vulnerable, tender, and infinitely inspirational” (Oprah Daily) memoir, the first Black woman to ever be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States chronicles her extraordinary life story.
“A billowingly triumphant American tale.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
With this unflinching account, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson invites readers into her life and world, tracing her family’s ascent from segregation to her confirmation on America’s highest court within the span of one generation.
Named “Ketanji Onyika,” meaning “Lovely One,” based on a suggestion from her aunt, a Peace Corps worker stationed in West Africa, Justice Jackson learned from her educator parents to take pride in her heritage since birth. She describes her resolve as a young girl to honor this legacy and realize her dreams: from hearing stories of her grandparents and parents breaking barriers in the segregated South, to honing her voice in high school as an oratory champion and student body president, to graduating magna c*m laude from Harvard, where she performed in musical theater and improv and participated in pivotal student organizations.
Here, Justice Jackson pulls back the curtain, marrying the public record of her life with what is less known. She reveals what it takes to advance in the legal profession when most people in power don’t look like you, and to reconcile a demanding career with the joys and sacrifices of marriage and motherhood.
Through trials and triumphs, Justice Jackson’s journey will resonate with dreamers everywhere, especially those who nourish outsized ambitions and refuse to be turned aside. This moving, openhearted tale will spread hope for a more just world, for generations to come.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful!!
I really liked Ketanji’s book! We got to know the depth of this new Supreme Court judge of USA. She is very personal about her life so far. What I liked the most is how her husband supported her from the beginning and her daughters. Even her family knew from the start she was going to make history with her life. It’s pretty vocational that she fulfilled her destiny with hard work, sacrifices and a strong commitment and belief in her dream. What I was impressed even more so was how rooted she was in her culture. Starting from her African name, to her sister locks(hairstyle of micro dreadlocks) , to travelling to Kenya in Africa to knowing Black role models in her profession that paved the way and knowledgeable of the challenges the African American community faces with the justice system, she’s very rooted in her cultural roots. I always believe the strongest a person is rooted in their culture, the less they are susceptible to be influenced from society’s standards for them. Ketanji is a prime example of this. I feel encouraged to see a Black woman rise to the highest level of the law and justice system while being herself. Wow!!! Great book!