by Gavin Newsom
First published 2026
Gavin Newsom enters his first month as San Francisco's mayor with ambitious plans. Political veterans tell him to move slowly, but Newsom operates at a different pace. He converts City Hall into a wedding venue for same-sex couples, an act of rebellion that puts him in national headlines and angers mentors in his own city. The decision reflects patterns established in childhood. His Irish immigrant family built their lives in San Francisco across six generations. His great-great-grandfather patrolled the streets as a police officer. His grandfather earned the nickname "the Boss" while developing Pacific-facing neighborhoods. His father William served as an appellate judge and advised oil heir Gordon Getty. When his parents divorced, five-year-old Gavin found himself caught between two different worlds. His mother Tessa worked three jobs to support them. His father moved through San Francisco's elite circles but remained emotionally distant. Dyslexia made school difficult, driving Gavin to pedal harder on his paper route. Now, as California's governor, he balances family responsibilities while navigating pandemic responses, natural disasters, and rising authoritarianism in American politics.
Genres: family-life, historical-fiction, american, political-science, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, political-ambition
Setting: San Francisco, California
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press