Self-aware and sincere; a tribute to authenticity, integrity, and faith in a profound vision.
In this young adult adaptation of her 2024 memoir, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Jackson recounts how her lofty dreams became a reality.
Jackson, whose African first and middle names, Ketanji Onyika, mean “Lovely One,” was raised to trust in and value the transformative power of knowledge. She is the daughter of parents—an educator and a school board attorney—who emphasized the importance of determination and Black cultural pride. Growing up in Miami in the ’70s and ’80s, Jackson balanced academic excellence with personal development, from piano lessons and public speaking to chess club and creative writing. Her path to the nation’s highest tribunal began after she read a magazine article about Constance Baker Motley, a trailblazing civil rights activist who in 1966 became the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge. Motley’s achievements inspired 11-year-old Jackson and guided her goals through high school, Harvard College, Harvard Law School, two federal clerkships, marriage, and parenthood. When she faced challenges, including battling first-year anxieties in college and the mental and physical demands of Big Law culture, Jackson drew upon her resilience. Narrated with resolve, her story spotlights a journey propelled by duty and grit and the navigation of a system that’s inherently stacked against Black women. With clear-eyed authority, Jackson addresses how racism and inequities shaped America’s history; nevertheless, optimism fueled her climb to unprecedented heights.
Self-aware and sincere; a tribute to authenticity, integrity, and faith in a profound vision. (photo credits) (Memoir. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9798217117772
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bright Matter Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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