I am very excited to share this review of Vice President Kamala Harris’ book The Truths We Hold. I think this is my favorite book of the year so far!
Synopsis
From one of America’s most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own life and across the life of our country.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s commitment to speaking truth is informed by her upbringing. The daughter of immigrants, she was raised in an Oakland, California community that cared deeply about social justice; her parents–an esteemed economist from Jamaica and an admired cancer researcher from India–met as activists in the civil rights movement when they were graduate students at Berkeley. Growing up, Harris herself never hid her passion for justice, and when she became a prosecutor out of law school, a deputy district attorney, she quickly established herself as one of the most innovative change agents in American law enforcement. She progressed rapidly to become the elected District Attorney for San Francisco, and then the chief law enforcement officer of the state of California as a whole. Known for bringing a voice to the voiceless, she took on the big banks during the foreclosure crisis, winning a historic settlement for California’s working families. Her hallmarks were applying a holistic, data-driven approach to many of California’s thorniest issues, always eschewing stale “tough on crime” rhetoric as presenting a series of false choices. Neither “tough” nor “soft” but smart on crime became her mantra. Being smart means learning the truths that can make us better as a community, and supporting those truths with all our might. That has been the pole star that guided Harris to a transformational career as the top law enforcement official in California, and it is guiding her now as a transformational United States Senator, grappling with an array of complex issues that affect her state, our country, and the world, from health care and the new economy to immigration, national security, the opioid crisis, and accelerating inequality.
By reckoning with the big challenges we face together, drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career and the work of those who have most inspired her, Kamala Harris offers in The Truths We Hold a master class in problem-solving, in crisis management, and leadership in challenging times. Through the arc of her own life, on into the great work of our day, she communicates a vision of shared struggle, shared purpose, and shared values. In a book rich in many home truths, not least is that a relatively small number of people work very hard to convince a great many of us that we have less in common than we actually do, but it falls to us to look past them and get on with the good work of living our common truth. When we do, our shared effort will continue to sustain us and this great nation, now and in the years to come.
Why I Decided to Read this Book
I had been wanting to read this book for a while. Earlier this year during inauguration week I decided it was the perfect time. I am so excited to have our first woman Vice President and wanted to learn more about her.
Rating
Read NOW! (Check out my non-fiction rating system)
My Thoughts
This is my favorite book of the year so far! I was a fan of Vice President Harris but to be honest I didn’t know much about her life or details of her career before reading this book. This is a great book to learn where she stands in many issues and why (which I think its important!). I loved learning more about her as a woman and as a politician.
I loved learning about her upbringing, her mom and sister. In this memoir she also provides lots of behind the scenes during the multiple political campaigns which I always find fascinating. It included a good balance of personal and political anecdotes. I personally loved the writing and thought it was a fast read.
I read the physical book but I’ve heard the audiobook is great and it is narrated by her. This is a great introduction to our Vice President. I definitely recommend it if you want to learn more about her.
Content Warnings
Discussion of the following topics: child abuse, domestic abuse, police brutality, murder, suicide, rape
Who I Recommend this Book to
I don’t know who to recommend this book to. I don’t even know if I recommend it because I genuinely think I didn’t get it.
Get the Book!
Did this review of The Truths We Hold convince you to read it? Check out the links below to get it from Bookshop.org and libro.fm. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
>>Shop on Libro.fm (use code GISSELLEREADS for a discount if you want to start a membership)
If you’ve read this book let me know your thoughts in the comments!
