by Ali Smith
First published 2022
Lis Smith climbs from college intern to senior political strategist in the Democratic Party's upper ranks. She guides readers through campaign war rooms and backroom negotiations, exposing the messy human side of American politics. Smith chronicles her controversial personal choices that splashed across tabloids alongside her professional victories with high-profile politicians like Pete Buttigieg during his 2020 presidential run. The book captures the adrenaline rush of political combat and the crushing weight of public scrutiny when media storms erupt. Smith reveals what happens after press conferences end and cameras stop rolling. She shows how people making crucial national decisions struggle with the same flaws and vulnerabilities as everyone else. Her journey includes career highs, personal lows, and encounters with outsized political personalities. Smith maintains her belief that politics can still create positive change despite its brutal realities. This memoir offers an unvarnished view of modern campaigning from someone who lived through its most intense moments.
Genres: american, political-science, biography-memoir, 21st-century, political-thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, United States
Period: 2020
304 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: anxiety, depression