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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I may have expected this book to be more personal than it truly was. That’s on me.
The sections of the book in which Harris describes her life growing up, relationship to her team, time spent working in California, and her relationship to her mother are excellent and compelling. These are well-written and you can sense her love for her life, home, and work on every page.
My main issue is that most of this book is made up of political observations from 2018 that are very dated. There were multiple statistics used that had 2025 as the goal year or end point, which made me feel ancient. This, of course, is the nature of politics and not Harris’ fault. Things move quickly and the political landscape of 2018 is wildly different from the landscape of today. I nearly gave myself whiplash after reading her single paragraph on the increasing possibility of pandemic illnesses due to climate change. If only you knew…
On the whole, it’s not a bad book, but the wide overview of 2018’s largest political issues simply isn’t topical. I’d love to hear more about her life in her own words. I’d be happy to read more from her. This one just wasn’t my fave.
The sections of the book in which Harris describes her life growing up, relationship to her team, time spent working in California, and her relationship to her mother are excellent and compelling. These are well-written and you can sense her love for her life, home, and work on every page.
My main issue is that most of this book is made up of political observations from 2018 that are very dated. There were multiple statistics used that had 2025 as the goal year or end point, which made me feel ancient. This, of course, is the nature of politics and not Harris’ fault. Things move quickly and the political landscape of 2018 is wildly different from the landscape of today. I nearly gave myself whiplash after reading her single paragraph on the increasing possibility of pandemic illnesses due to climate change. If only you knew…
On the whole, it’s not a bad book, but the wide overview of 2018’s largest political issues simply isn’t topical. I’d love to hear more about her life in her own words. I’d be happy to read more from her. This one just wasn’t my fave.
So sad to read this in 2025 - we could have had this amazing woman but we are stuck with an autocrat.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Harris writes competently and succinctly, giving a broad overview of her platforms during her time as California’s attorney general and chief law enforcer. She presents clear stances on the political issues she is passionate about, and provides welcome insight into the specific, intentional corruptions that plague so many of America’s institutional hegemonies.
Notably, Harris does not mention her run for president at all in this memoir. Consisting primarily of sectioned anecdotes and “we must” statements regarding the issues Harris is most concerned with, the book lacks a narrative flow. This of course isn’t necessary for political memoirs, but could have been helpful for creating a stronger thematic progression in Harris’s ability to show how she can make definitive improvements and combat the injustices that she spells out. There is a lot of appeal to moral outrage in her arguments, but in my opinion, these arguments can only carry her presidential platform so far. Systemic issues will continue to persist and there are so many people in the U.S. who are iron clad against moral outrage arguments. Money and self interest seem to always come first, regardless of one’s good intentions. How will a Harris presidency, in whatever time it is granted, be able to address systemic corruptions and specific paths towards correcting injustices in a country swimming in apathy? There are of course limits on what the president is able to achieve, so what are the areas that can be helped, regardless of what power the president and their ensuing cabinet is able to wield?
Maybe I’m being too picky but I just want to see a Democratic candidate who has clear, definable plans for how to tackle issues and a recognition of the limits and hurdles that can be plausibly conquered. Emotional appeals to what is right are powerful and necessary for highlighting injustice, but then what? Shoulds and should nots aren’t gonna pave the way to addressing the complexities of fixing these problems. As a middle class graduate student, I want to find out how I can be a part of changing America for the better without swinging entirely based on shoulds and should nots. Politics can barely scratch the surface of these issues, but I am interested in seeing the specific change that can be enacted to combat hegemonic forces fueled by apathy and selfishness.
I appreciate her recognition of the cyber security issues that are becoming exponentially prevalent, something I haven’t seen Warren or Buttigieg comment on as of now (I will be reading more about them next). I am impressed by Harris’s hands on approach to her work in criminal law and being brave enough to directly confront abusers of power. I look forward to seeing how she can make herself stand out for 2020, especially with regards to personalizing her voice to create a stronger, more followable narrative. I follow her on social networks but didn’t understand a lot of her platform until I read this book. She needs some extra oomph to really solidify making her campaign as accessible and powerful as she wants it to be. A strong candidate to watch for sure.
Notably, Harris does not mention her run for president at all in this memoir. Consisting primarily of sectioned anecdotes and “we must” statements regarding the issues Harris is most concerned with, the book lacks a narrative flow. This of course isn’t necessary for political memoirs, but could have been helpful for creating a stronger thematic progression in Harris’s ability to show how she can make definitive improvements and combat the injustices that she spells out. There is a lot of appeal to moral outrage in her arguments, but in my opinion, these arguments can only carry her presidential platform so far. Systemic issues will continue to persist and there are so many people in the U.S. who are iron clad against moral outrage arguments. Money and self interest seem to always come first, regardless of one’s good intentions. How will a Harris presidency, in whatever time it is granted, be able to address systemic corruptions and specific paths towards correcting injustices in a country swimming in apathy? There are of course limits on what the president is able to achieve, so what are the areas that can be helped, regardless of what power the president and their ensuing cabinet is able to wield?
Maybe I’m being too picky but I just want to see a Democratic candidate who has clear, definable plans for how to tackle issues and a recognition of the limits and hurdles that can be plausibly conquered. Emotional appeals to what is right are powerful and necessary for highlighting injustice, but then what? Shoulds and should nots aren’t gonna pave the way to addressing the complexities of fixing these problems. As a middle class graduate student, I want to find out how I can be a part of changing America for the better without swinging entirely based on shoulds and should nots. Politics can barely scratch the surface of these issues, but I am interested in seeing the specific change that can be enacted to combat hegemonic forces fueled by apathy and selfishness.
I appreciate her recognition of the cyber security issues that are becoming exponentially prevalent, something I haven’t seen Warren or Buttigieg comment on as of now (I will be reading more about them next). I am impressed by Harris’s hands on approach to her work in criminal law and being brave enough to directly confront abusers of power. I look forward to seeing how she can make herself stand out for 2020, especially with regards to personalizing her voice to create a stronger, more followable narrative. I follow her on social networks but didn’t understand a lot of her platform until I read this book. She needs some extra oomph to really solidify making her campaign as accessible and powerful as she wants it to be. A strong candidate to watch for sure.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5, but I round up. I do NOT read political memoirs, as a general rule. But GOSH, it was nice to read a book about a real adult politician.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Interesting and engaging memoir. She is an intelligent and compassionate woman, and prudent and just politician. I didn't know much about her before she announced her campaign for President of the United States. I like that she is curious and she gathers information/knowledge before forming her own opinion and making a decision. She's among my favorite contenders for POTUS for sure!