Brown Bag Book Discussion

Rhonda Schrank will lead a discussion of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's biography Lovely One. Participants are encouraged (but not required) to read the book in advance. Ask for a copy at the library’s information desk.

From Kirkus:

The first Black female Supreme Court justice shares her story. At first blush, the title of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Jackson’s memoir may seem like an exercise in extreme solipsism. But as every review and article and interview about this book will point out, the title is the English translation of the author’s first and middle names, Ketanji Onyika. That is merely the first captivating thing readers will learn about Jackson, who by any objective measure is one  of the most interesting people to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Relatable is perhaps not an adjective one  would associate with someone who not only is a member of the nation’s highest tribunal but also holds undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard, clerked for the man whom she would replace on the court, and performed as an improv comedian. But it fits, and Jackson is deftly equal to the task she set before herself in writing with candor about her ambition and inspirations, work-life balance (she is married to a surgeon who happens to be a descendant of a delegate to the Continental Congress), and perseverance in ignoring naysayers. Jackson offers a well-written, intriguing, and quintessentially American story about a fascinating woman who is truly the embodiment of what is possible in the United States because of its freedoms and in spite of its flaws—lovely  indeed. A terrific memoir.