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lucyob's review against another edition
general thoughts in a messy review:
this is a very good + well written biography. it does a really good job of setting up context of the political era around every event and is easy to follow. it goes in depth without dragging. if you have been fascinated by/interested in pelosi since the 2018 midterms but don’t know much about her as a person or her career, I would really recommend this. that being said, I wouldn’t really recommend this to people who aren’t pretty familiar with how US government works. knowing things like how the house works, the speakers responsibilities, and understanding the other leadership positions would be pretty vital to understanding this book. also knowing general things about american politics from the past ~40 years would probably help (luckily I can check off both these boxes so I really enjoyed this)
this is a very good + well written biography. it does a really good job of setting up context of the political era around every event and is easy to follow. it goes in depth without dragging. if you have been fascinated by/interested in pelosi since the 2018 midterms but don’t know much about her as a person or her career, I would really recommend this. that being said, I wouldn’t really recommend this to people who aren’t pretty familiar with how US government works. knowing things like how the house works, the speakers responsibilities, and understanding the other leadership positions would be pretty vital to understanding this book. also knowing general things about american politics from the past ~40 years would probably help (luckily I can check off both these boxes so I really enjoyed this)
geraldpdx's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent look into the background of our first woman Speaker of the House. Fascinating!
bradleyisspiffy's review against another edition
5.0
When I told friends that I was reading this, some worried it would simply lionize Nancy Pelosi. I began to worry this would be too much “Yasss Queen!” — I was absolutely wrong.
Molly Ball has written a compelling biography of the highest ranking woman in American politics. It focused almost exclusively on her professional life, which I didn’t mind. Pelosi’s legislative wheeling and dealing was very interesting to read about. Ball does a good job of establishing Pelosi’s reputation and spending a good chunk of the book during the Bush and Obama years, making it all the more surprising that she has become a viral sensation in the age of Trump.
Anyone interested in politics should consider reading this one. You don’t have to agree with Pelosi (or even like her) to appreciate her success and skillset. It makes for a great read!
Molly Ball has written a compelling biography of the highest ranking woman in American politics. It focused almost exclusively on her professional life, which I didn’t mind. Pelosi’s legislative wheeling and dealing was very interesting to read about. Ball does a good job of establishing Pelosi’s reputation and spending a good chunk of the book during the Bush and Obama years, making it all the more surprising that she has become a viral sensation in the age of Trump.
Anyone interested in politics should consider reading this one. You don’t have to agree with Pelosi (or even like her) to appreciate her success and skillset. It makes for a great read!
baoluong's review against another edition
4.0
So I guess I know more about our government than before which means I knew nothing and now I know it’s important to vote.
The most sure fire time to learn about your government is when it really isn't working for you. Or when it's actively working to punish and kill you. If you know, you know. Sometimes it can feel like no one's in your corner and you're helpless to do anything about changing it. Reading this biography speaks to an underlying message. You can't do shit without money and power so get yourself some if you want to make a difference. If people will owe you favors in the future than it's worth it to make concessions/compromises. Public perception is key so much so that some politicians have built their career in spreading lies to talk themselves up and put others down. Our government is not only run on democracy but who can play the better game. It's both a spectacle and disheartening to watch.
Pelosi rose to her rank as speaker of the House by running a campaign on democratic liberal values. Fighting climate change, universal healthcare, lgbtq+ rights, and feminist issues. While the first half of the book remarks on her life as a mother and organizer, her political career didn't begin until her middle age. However, her domestic skills lend her the ability to fundraise serious amounts (um can you say super pac?) to courting favor when it comes down to who will give you votes. It's a machine to read about.
There's some well trodden themes like sexism in the workplace and rising above the occasion. If you think this is tired and cliche well guess what. Women are tired of it too and it happens way to often. There's facts in this biography but written with flavor. It builds a portfolio of Pelosi's background with a family involved in politics. Then her education and relative training from transferable skills. To climbing to a position of extreme power able to determine the direction of the country.
With personal accounts from her peers we form a picture of the type of political maneuvering she's operating on. Her insistence that patience will serve you well when your opponent makes a fool of themselves. Winning is the only thing that matters and to never go on the defensive. That party solidarity is the uniting front that will put us on the path which is better than nothing at all. It's a moderate stance and I admire her work ethics and intelligence.
I recommend this book for a digestible account of not only Pelosi but the mechanics of US politics.
The most sure fire time to learn about your government is when it really isn't working for you. Or when it's actively working to punish and kill you. If you know, you know. Sometimes it can feel like no one's in your corner and you're helpless to do anything about changing it. Reading this biography speaks to an underlying message. You can't do shit without money and power so get yourself some if you want to make a difference. If people will owe you favors in the future than it's worth it to make concessions/compromises. Public perception is key so much so that some politicians have built their career in spreading lies to talk themselves up and put others down. Our government is not only run on democracy but who can play the better game. It's both a spectacle and disheartening to watch.
Pelosi rose to her rank as speaker of the House by running a campaign on democratic liberal values. Fighting climate change, universal healthcare, lgbtq+ rights, and feminist issues. While the first half of the book remarks on her life as a mother and organizer, her political career didn't begin until her middle age. However, her domestic skills lend her the ability to fundraise serious amounts (um can you say super pac?) to courting favor when it comes down to who will give you votes. It's a machine to read about.
There's some well trodden themes like sexism in the workplace and rising above the occasion. If you think this is tired and cliche well guess what. Women are tired of it too and it happens way to often. There's facts in this biography but written with flavor. It builds a portfolio of Pelosi's background with a family involved in politics. Then her education and relative training from transferable skills. To climbing to a position of extreme power able to determine the direction of the country.
With personal accounts from her peers we form a picture of the type of political maneuvering she's operating on. Her insistence that patience will serve you well when your opponent makes a fool of themselves. Winning is the only thing that matters and to never go on the defensive. That party solidarity is the uniting front that will put us on the path which is better than nothing at all. It's a moderate stance and I admire her work ethics and intelligence.
I recommend this book for a digestible account of not only Pelosi but the mechanics of US politics.
booksandbeyonce's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fabulous. This book is entertaining, balanced in its coverage of Pelosi, and inspiring.
blondereader's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
I wish this book talked more about her personal life. Fascinating account of Pelosi's point of time in history, though. The author obviously admires her subject.
dunneniamh's review against another edition
2.0
There's nothing inherently bad about this book, but it just reads like an extended Wikipedia entry about Nancy Pelosi. Every so often you get a little insider tidbit about how her work, whether that be what a certain politician said or what was discussed behind closed doors, but otherwise it feels like there wasn't a huge amount of individual work done on this book. I was interested in reading about how Pelosi rose through the political system and all the work she's done as a member of the US government, but I think the writing let this one down a bit.
tildafin16's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Waded through this often very dense account of the minutiae of what felt like every vote/deal Nancy ever tried to get passed, and still don’t feel I have a great sense of her as a person. Great for historical purpose but not quite what I was looking for. Also I so wished the author didn’t keep describing Nancy’s outfits when she gave speeches or made important decisions. Such a gendered thing to do, really jarred.