First published 2022
Ketanji Brown Jackson sits beside her father as a preschooler, watching him work through law school assignments in their home. Born in Washington, DC in 1970 and raised in Miami, Florida, she develops a fascination with law and politics from these early moments. The young girl excels on her school debate team, but faces discouragement from adults, including a guidance counselor who tells her not to aim so high. Jackson proves the doubters wrong. She graduates with honors from Harvard Law School and begins her climb through the federal court system. In 2013, she joins the U.S. District Court. Eight years later, she moves to the United States Court of Appeals. Then in 2022, Jackson achieves what no Black woman before her has accomplished: confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. This biography traces her path from a curious child in Miami to the highest court in America.
Genres: biography, american, african-american, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: inspirational, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Miami, Washington, DC
Period: 1970s, 2010s, 2020s
56 pages · Paperback · Penguin Workshop