Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, can add author to her prestigious titles. Random House has announced that it is set to publish Lovely One, a memoir penned by the 116th Associate Justice.
Within the book’s pages, Justice Jackson chronicles her life and world, which includes her Miami-based upbringing in a household run by educators and civil activists; her higher education participation in debates that led her to oratory championships; and her participation in improv and student movements at Harvard University. Jackson also touches upon the joys and demands of marriage and motherhood while advancing in the legal justice arena. Her book concludes with thoughts and reflections on her historic rank with the nation's highest court.
Billed as an “inclusive, incisive and inspiring account of how Justice Jackson’s family ascended from segregation to her confirmation as a jurist on America’s highest court in one generation,” Jackson’s story is an ode to dreaming unabashedly, overcoming adversity and seeking justice for all. Its organic how-to testimonials emphasize how people can work towards building an extraordinary future and open doors to change for generations to come.
“Mine has been an unlikely journey. But the path was paved by courageous women and men in whose footsteps I placed my own, road warriors like my own parents, and also luminaries in the law, whose brilliance and fortitude lit my way,” Justice Jackson shares. “This memoir marries the public record of my life with what is less known. It will be a transparent accounting of what it takes to rise through the ranks of the legal profession, especially as a woman of color with an unusual name and as a mother and a wife striving to reconcile the demands of a high-profile career with the private needs of my loved ones.
“My hope is that the fullness of my journey as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, litigator and friend will stand as a testament for young women, people of color, and dreamers everywhere,” adds Justice Jackson, “especially those who nourish outsized ambitions and believe in the possibility of achieving them.”
Sworn in as a justice by President Joseph R. Biden on June 30, 2022, Jackson is the sixth woman to serve on the nation's highest court. Random House is an imprint of the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC
