by Nancy Pelosi
First published 2024
Nancy Pelosi sits at her kitchen table at age forty-six, asking her youngest daughter Alexandra whether she should run for Congress. "Mother, get a life!" comes the reply. So begins Pelosi's journey from housewife to House Speaker, the first woman to hold the most powerful legislative position in America. She navigates economic crises, healthcare reform, and battles with presidents from Bush to Biden. Her moral courage leads her to oppose the Iraq War early and challenge Chinese government misconduct. When Trump arrives, Pelosi becomes his chief antagonist, her red coat a symbol of resistance. The tension peaks on January 6, 2021, when she huddles under desks as rioters storm the Capitol, frantically calling for the National Guard. Violence follows her home two years later when an intruder attacks her husband Paul while demanding to see the Speaker. Through legislative victories and personal trauma, Pelosi reveals the perseverance required to change America and the joy of watching it transform for the better.
Genres: biography, american, political-science, politics, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: America, Capitol, China
Period: 2021, 2023
352 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: violence