What do you think?
Rate this book
Still True: The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist
Through this collection of essays, author and activist Reagan Jackson, chronicles her journey into the world of journalism. Art, cinema, social justice, feminism, Black reparations, health & reproductive rights, dance, education-while Jackson's subjects range far and wide, her writing brings an intimacy & immediacy to all.
"Reagan Jackson’s 'Still True: The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist' wants to sit you down in her living room to give you the facts. An intimate eye-witness to the personal effects of gentrification and the often passive violence on Black and brown bodies, Reagan Jackson unflinchingly tells the story of how a community is happily invisible until the neighborhood falls prey to white capitalist hunger." ~Amber Flame, interdisciplinary creative, activist and educator and Program Director of Hedgebrook
"There is a rawness, an openness to Reagan’s words that draw forth compassion, making one feel the humanity and connection she is so fervently trying to foster." ~Jini Palmer Digital Media Manager Seattle Town Hall
"Reagan Jackson’s 'Still True: The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist' wants to sit you down in her living room to give you the facts. An intimate eye-witness to the personal effects of gentrification and the often passive violence on Black and brown bodies, Reagan Jackson unflinchingly tells the story of how a community is happily invisible until the neighborhood falls prey to white capitalist hunger." ~Amber Flame, interdisciplinary creative, activist and educator and Program Director of Hedgebrook
"There is a rawness, an openness to Reagan’s words that draw forth compassion, making one feel the humanity and connection she is so fervently trying to foster." ~Jini Palmer Digital Media Manager Seattle Town Hall
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
246 pages, Paperback
Published March 26, 2024
3 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Reagan E.J. Jackson
7 books6 followersReagan Jackson is a multi genre writer, artist, facilitator, and fourth generation Black feminist. Her passions include international travel, cooking, reading, taking long walks, and creating communities of belonging for teenagers. She also hosts and produces a podcast called The Deep End Friends. Seattle is her home.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 21, 2024
Still True is a captivating journey through the depths of journalism, activism, and personal reflection. With unapologetic honesty and sharp wit, Jackson delves into topics ranging from gentrification in her own neighborhood (and beyond) to the experiences of Black students abroad through higher education. Even as someone who has a degree in student affairs, I had never really thought about the design of study abroad programs and who they benefit. The cost is already a huge barrier for many.
Each essay is a testament to Jackson's ability to seamlessly weave together diverse subjects while maintaining a sense of intimacy with her readers. Her exploration of issues such as feminism, Black reparations, and education is both insightful and thought-provoking, leaving you eagerly anticipating the next essay.
Each essay is a testament to Jackson's ability to seamlessly weave together diverse subjects while maintaining a sense of intimacy with her readers. Her exploration of issues such as feminism, Black reparations, and education is both insightful and thought-provoking, leaving you eagerly anticipating the next essay.
January 23, 2024
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. Touching on a huge range of topics (like BIPOC study abroad programs, fatphobia in the medical industry, gentrification in Seattle neighborhoods, death doulas, and who to call instead of the police, to give a tiny sample), Reagan Jackson provides an honest and uncompromising voice that anchors the reader in exploring complex, difficult, and uncomfortable subjects. As the title states, she is a journalist, and she brings journalistic skills to the table in terms of quickly getting to the heart of large-scale issues and capturing a lot in the small package of a single piece. Many pieces are short but offer opportunities for far longer reflection.
But, as the title also states, she is an unexpected journalist. There are different ways you or she might explain how that is the case. But I'd put it this way: I recall in one of the pieces here there was a quotation saying that in journalism a white bias is often mistaken for objectivity. In the version of mainstream, "fact-based" journalism we are most familiar with, the journalist attempts to erase themself from the picture in the name of eliminating subjective bias. The conflation of this act with objectivity creates the illusion that the subjective bias that does remain is not a subjective bias but a series of facts. However, Reagan Jackson, a Black woman, is unafraid of inserting herself in her stories: her emotions, her motivations, her fears, her body. Rather than coming off as self-absorbed or unrefined, this quality grounds and lends an honesty to the writing.
We come to know not only about the subjects Reagan Jackson writes about but about the woman herself, and these things do not detract from but support each other. It is as if we could be reading a story that is so simple, so cut and dry, but because the writer is willing to listen to and be honest about her feelings, we delve into a deeper level of complexity. And it is because we get to that place that the short pieces continue to resonate even after being read.
It is the balancing of this honesty and embrace of complexity together with the journalistic skill of pulling a story together into a tight package that makes this a special read. Because, like the author, I live in Seattle, and many stories take place in or are even about Seattle, I felt a special interest here, but with the strength of the writing, clarity of perspective, and scope of topics, it is clear that this is not just some special interest book, but something that anyone could benefit from reading.
But, as the title also states, she is an unexpected journalist. There are different ways you or she might explain how that is the case. But I'd put it this way: I recall in one of the pieces here there was a quotation saying that in journalism a white bias is often mistaken for objectivity. In the version of mainstream, "fact-based" journalism we are most familiar with, the journalist attempts to erase themself from the picture in the name of eliminating subjective bias. The conflation of this act with objectivity creates the illusion that the subjective bias that does remain is not a subjective bias but a series of facts. However, Reagan Jackson, a Black woman, is unafraid of inserting herself in her stories: her emotions, her motivations, her fears, her body. Rather than coming off as self-absorbed or unrefined, this quality grounds and lends an honesty to the writing.
We come to know not only about the subjects Reagan Jackson writes about but about the woman herself, and these things do not detract from but support each other. It is as if we could be reading a story that is so simple, so cut and dry, but because the writer is willing to listen to and be honest about her feelings, we delve into a deeper level of complexity. And it is because we get to that place that the short pieces continue to resonate even after being read.
It is the balancing of this honesty and embrace of complexity together with the journalistic skill of pulling a story together into a tight package that makes this a special read. Because, like the author, I live in Seattle, and many stories take place in or are even about Seattle, I felt a special interest here, but with the strength of the writing, clarity of perspective, and scope of topics, it is clear that this is not just some special interest book, but something that anyone could benefit from reading.
Read
August 3, 2025Honest, thought-provoking.
Many possibilities for the 2025 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo card. Maybe "Suggested by an Independent Bookseller" (from the 2024 Phinney Holiday Book Festival)? "BIPOC* Historical Fiction/Nonfiction" (for the Rainier Beach history)? "Read in Public" (for the author-read audiobook heard while out and about)?
Many possibilities for the 2025 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo card. Maybe "Suggested by an Independent Bookseller" (from the 2024 Phinney Holiday Book Festival)? "BIPOC* Historical Fiction/Nonfiction" (for the Rainier Beach history)? "Read in Public" (for the author-read audiobook heard while out and about)?
September 22, 2024
A beautiful mixtape of short pieces engaging he complications of living an activist intersectional life. Jackson has a cosmpolitan sensibility grounded in her experiences traveling in Africa, Asia and Latin America, but she's focused on her home base in the not-as-liberal-as-it-thinks-it-is Seattle. Sharp and uncompromising but always informed by a profound underlying humanity.
August 13, 2025
The writing is difficult to get into: it's stingy with commas and suffers from inconsistent use of both Oxford comma and capitalization. Printing choices and problems would make this a struggle to read; the type is very small and the margins are very narrow, so it's not comfortable. The gutter is weirdly inconsistent throughout-- after a few pages I thought I was imagining it, but pulled out a ruler to confirm. The bottom margin is more inconsistent, like it was type-set in Word and the function to keep paragraphs together was left on.
With all this visual clutter, I wasn't able to get in to the content without an unreasonable amount of work. With so many other things on my plate, I didn't fight my way in.
Program topics: none
Discussion prompts: none
With all this visual clutter, I wasn't able to get in to the content without an unreasonable amount of work. With so many other things on my plate, I didn't fight my way in.
Program topics: none
Discussion prompts: none
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews