Persist

May 24, 2021
U.S. senator and former presidential candidate Warren (This Fight Is Our Fight) details her policy agenda in this clear-sighted account. She admits to feeling “a little numb” after dropping out of the 2020 Democratic primary, and recalls how chalk messages written by supporters on the sidewalk in front of her house inspired her to “suck it up and get back to work.” Drawing on personal anecdotes and stories shared by voters on the campaign trail, Warren effectively humanizes her policy prescriptions. For example, she buttresses her call for universal childcare with a discussion of how, after being fired from a teaching job in 1971 “for getting pregnant,” her pursuit of a law degree hinged on potty training her toddler daughter in five days so a day care center would take her. Warren calls for a wealth tax (“two cents for every dollar above $50 million, and three cents for every dollar above $1 billion”) to fund universal childcare and improvements in public education, and lays out plans for campaign finance reform, affordable housing, and banking regulations. Though Warren’s admirers won’t find much new, the book’s affable tone and levelheaded discussions of social issues are refreshing. This is an accessible introduction to the politician and the policies she stands for.

May 15, 2021
The Massachusetts senator and financial reformer recounts several of her good fights over the years. Famous for being chided for "persisting" on the Senate floor, Warren is nearly a byword for the application of an unbending, if usually polite, feminism to the corridors of power. Though she has a schoolmarm-ish air--and indeed taught school for much of her life--she gladly owns up to liking a beer or two and enjoying a good brawl, and she's a scrapper with a long memory. In 2008, when she shopped a proposal to found a federal agency that "could act as a watchdog to make sure that consumers weren't getting cheated by financial institutions," she encountered a congressman who "laughed in my face." She doesn't reveal his name, but you can bet he crosses the hall when she's coming the other way. Warren does name other names, especially Donald Trump, who, with Republicans on the Hill, accomplished only one thing, namely "a $2 trillion tax cut that mostly benefited rich people." Now that the Democrats are in power, the author reckons that the time is ripe to shake off the Trump debacle and build "a nation that works, not just for the rich and powerful but for everyone." She identifies numerous areas that need immediate attention, from financial reform to bringing more women into the workplace and mandating equal pay for equal work. Warren premises some of these changes on increased taxes on the rich, happily citing a billionaire well known for insider trading, who complained of her, "This is the fucking American dream she is shitting on." The author reverts to form: "Oh dear. Did I hit a nerve?" Warren's common-sensical proposals on housing, infrastructure development, and civil rights merit attention, and her book makes for a sometimes-funny, sometimes-sharp-tongued pleasure. A lively and thoughtful memoir that, one hopes, will inspire readers to pursue activism in every realm of society.

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Starred review from May 15, 2021
U.S. Senator Warren still has a lot of fight left, following her 2020 presidential bid. With Joe Biden in the White House instead, the well-researched policies and "plan for everything" mantra that defined Warren's campaign remain front-of-mind for her. Drawing on the roles Warren has cherished in her own life--student, woman, mother, educator--she continues the vital topical conversations she's long conducted, going into more detail here than stump speeches and debate responses allow. Warren tackles such signature issues as her two-cent wealth tax plan and alleviating student-loan debt, diving into the complexities to reveal the real-world consequences behind government inaction. Her passion for these positions leaps off the page, her conviction a fervent reminder of all that can yet be accomplished. Warren is a warrior for the common person and cites what she calls her "unflinching determination" to remind readers that her aspirational speeches weren't just campaign rhetoric; she intends to, yes, persist. That rare politician who can craft public policy from a personal viewpoint, whether informed by her own experiences or by empathetic responses to stories shared by constituents, Warren ardently delineates the practical applications behind her innovative solutions. This is Warren in depth, up close, and very personal, and a must-read for supporters and everyone interested in humane and just political action. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A clarion and influential thinker and leader, Warren is also a best-selling author and interest will be avid for her latest vision for political progress.

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