Meet Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Her New Bestselling Memoir Is Filled with the Hope We All Need

In her new memoir Lovely One, Ketanji Brown Jackson, an associate justice of the Supreme Court, writes a sentence that is the rallying cry our nation needs. "No one arrives at the highest of heights on their own."

This humble rhetoric, which underscores every human's need for community, comes from Jackson as she tells of her gratitude and pride in being confirmed by the Senate on April 7, 2022, and becoming the first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court. Jackson replays the facts for herself, and also with an urge to tell readers about her story and the loved ones who buoyed her as she rose in her career. She admits early in her memoir how her "arrival at the pinnacle of the legal profession" was groundbreaking and the culmination of a life spent working tirelessly "in relative obscurity." Still, it soon became apparent that little was known about her and her career journey. "A wave of curiosity about the details of my life gathered steam in the wake of my appointment, cresting with enormous velocity during my first term on the Court and compelling my attention," she writes.

Thankfully, Justice Jackson put pen to paper to tell the world her story—which is compelling and brimming with hope. Her interests are eclectic. Her talent is far-reaching. She sings and acts and, at one point, considered becoming a stage actress. She has a knack for storytelling and has held a brief role as a reporter at TIME. Ultimately, she became a young lawyer seeking a career in court-related case resolutions and looking to make a difference.

What makes Jackson's journey so beautiful is her propensity to credit the people around her, both personally and professionally. Patrick, her surgeon husband of twenty-six years, is a frequent presence on the pages. Their connection, which sparked when they both were attending Harvard, is palpable, as is her love for their two children. She writes of her family growing up and her relatives, most of whom had enslaved ancestors and who "struggled to rise out of poverty," with a deep reverence.

There is nothing sappy in the prose Jackson crafts, particularly as she doles out compliments for her professional mentors. She touches on all that she's learned. She notes how Judge Patti Saris, for whom she became a law clerk early in her career, had a profound impact on her in exemplifying how women can hold power in their careers and be compassionate, present, caring mothers. "It was apparent to all of us who served in her chambers that Judge Saris was at her happiest when celebrating some milestone one of us had achieved, and she made each of us feel like her extended family," Jackson writes of her generous boss.

Personal gumption keeps Jackson's story moving forward. It also adds to the tension because even though you know you're holding the book of a Supreme Court Justice, when steeped in its pages, you're reading about a woman defying the odds and facing a harsh world riddled with racism, sexism, and stigmas. However, Justice Jackson's humility and excitement ultimately drive this book. "This is my life, now," she writes. "I walk daily along marble corridors where few African Americans have ever been, much less worked. I have a job that only 115 other Americans have ever done, none of them Black women."

Lovely One is a tribute to a woman's dream and those who helped her realize it. It's also a love letter to family and a loud call to stay true to oneself. But most of all, it's a beacon to us everywhere to stay focused on our values and mission to do good. It reminds us to make choices guided by truth and love, and to honor those around us.

Justice Jackson serves as the ultimate beacon for us today. She exemplifies how when we march toward the light, honor community, and hold our dear ones tightly, our capacity for goodness is infinite.