BEST AUTHOR BEST : KETANJI BROWN JACKSON

Justice of the Supreme Court : Ketanji Brown Jackson : '' I did much more fiction reading when I was younger, before I had kids,'' says the Supreme Court Justice. Her recent diet : legal history, parenting books and memoirs that inspired '' Lovely One,'' her own.

.-  What books are on your night stand?

'' Reading the Constitution : Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism,'' by Justice Stephen Breyer, and '' All That She Carried,'' by Tiya Miles.

I also have a stack of memoirs - by Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Michelle Obama, Sonia Sotomayor - that I have been poring over for the past two years, using them as inspiration for my own.

.-  Why did you want a memoir that '' moves seamlessly between law and Life''?

I thought that a memoir about my ascension to the Supreme Court should introduce and focus in on cases that have some intersection with my personal narrative.

And, as it turns out, there is a lot of intersection, because the law had such a direct impact on my family and on the lived experience of Black People in this country generally.

.-  You've clearly cared about writing well from the earliest age. Was it difficult to hand the pen to a co-writer?

I didn't hand this project over; I worked very closely with a brilliant collaborator who operated like my partner in pulling this memoir together. She did a lot of fact gathering at the outset and put together an initial draft.

But I'm a very heavily invested editor - just ask my law clerks. I wrote several sections from scratch myself, because I really wanted it to reflect my authentic tone and views. It felt like a joint venture.

.-  What books inspired you in balancing career and motherhood?

'' How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk,'  by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.  It's not about the balance itself, but was crucial for me to maintain a relatively good relationship with my daughters.

Doing that well is the essential challenge of working motherhood.

.-  What's the last great book you read?

Tomiko Brown-Nagin's biography '' Civil Rights Queen '' : Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality,'' is probably the last full book I've read outside of work.

I was just so grateful that this extraordinary woman's experiences and contributions finally got the attention they deserved.

.-  Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?

I am gearing up to read '' Parable of the Sower,'' by Octavia Butler, soon. I have it both in paper and as an audiobook, which helps.

.-  You're organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive do you invite?

Heather McGhee, Atul Gawande, Brad Meltzer.

The World Students Society thanks The New York Times.