Donna Brazile
Former Chair Democratic National Committee (DNC). Adjunct Lecturer at Georgetown University. FOX News Contributor. King Lecture Chair at Howard University.
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“What a remarkable book and a great story of family, faith and service. Please order #GrowingUpBiden by @VBidenOwens. https://t.co/cy0IYG2Fyb” (from X)
Valerie Biden Owens(you?)
Valerie Biden Owens(you?)
**INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** A memoir from Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden’s younger sister, trusted confidante and lifelong campaign manager. Valerie, one of the first female campaign managers in United States history, writes of the role of family, faith, and fate in shaping her life, and the power of empathy and kindness in the face of turmoil and division. Growing Up Biden details Valerie’s decades-long professional career in politics, and the central role she played in her brother’s life as an insightful adviser, an ever-loyal advocate and best friend. This memoir, full of candor and warmth, brings readers into the Biden home and shares stories from growing up in Delaware as the only daughter of the close-knit Irish Catholic family. Valerie writes in a compelling, relatable way about the challenges she faced breaking through gender barriers, the elusive nature of confidence, and navigating professional responsibilities while raising children.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“This book is amazing. https://t.co/T6qn3OWqbF” (from X)
Keith Boykin(you?)
A Cold Civil War has engulfed the nation. After a deadly pandemic, shocking incidents of police brutality, a racial justice crisis, and the fall of a dangerous demagogue, America remains more divided than at any time in decades. At the heart of this national crisis is the fear of a darkening America—a country in which there is no longer a predominant white majority. As the Republican Party has lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections, its leaders have incited white Americans in a last-ditch race against time to stop the advance of a new, multiracial emerging majority. Keith Boykin, long time political commentator, has watched this white resentment consume the GOP over the course of a life in politics, activism, and journalism. He has also observed the divisions among Democrats, as white progressives have postponed demands for full racial equity, while Black voters have often been too forgiving of party leaders who have failed to deliver. America can no longer avoid its long overdue reckoning with the past, Boykin argues. With the familiarity of personal experience and the acuity of historical insight, Boykin urges us to fight racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia, and save the union, not just by making Black lives matter, but by making Black lives equal.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“Ms. Tyson gives us hope, wisdom, and grace. She inspires us to have the audacity to live in our purpose. We must make her book a bestseller! #CicelyTyson #JustAsIAm #WinWithBlackWomen - @IAmCicelyTyson” (from X)
Cicely Tyson(you?)
Cicely Tyson(you?)
“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only succeeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history.” –President Barack Obama, 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony “Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and a mother, a sister and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by his hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say.” –Cicely Tyson
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“A great book. Please read: Systemic Racism in the United States: Scaffolding as Social Construction (9783030101749): Tourse, Robbie W.C., Hamilton-Mason, Johnnie, Wewiorski, Nancy J.: Books https://t.co/8eJAXMrY4q” (from X)
Robbie W.C. Tourse, Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, Nancy J. Wewiorski(you?)
Robbie W.C. Tourse, Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, Nancy J. Wewiorski(you?)
"Tourse, Hamilton-Mason, and Wewiorski discuss major concepts that help explicate the systemic nature of institutionalized racism in the U.S. – with a focus on social construction, oppression, scaffolding, and institutional web – providing insight into racist thought and behavior that construct and mark people of color as 'a problem.' […] I highly recommend this book for those who are engaged in working to combat domination and racism at the local, national, and global levels." -Gary Bailey, DHL, MSW, ACSW, Professor of Practice, Director of Urban Leadership Program, Simmons College School of Social Work This important volume provides a powerful overview of racism in the United States: what it is, how it works, and the social, cultural, and institutional structures that have evolved to keep it in place. It dissects the rise of legalized discrimination against four major racial groups (First Nations, Africans, Mexicans, and Chinese) and its perpetuation as it affects these groups and new immigrants today. The book’s scaffolding framework―which takes in institutions from the government to our educational systems―explains why racism remains in place despite waves of social change. At the same time, authors describe social justice responses being used to erode racism in its most familiar forms, and at its roots. This timely resource: Examines the sociology of discrimination as a constant in daily life. Traces the history of the legalization of racism in the United States. Locates key manifestations of racism in the American psyche. Links racism to other forms of discrimination. Identifies the interlocking components of institutionalized racism. Offers contemporary examples of resistance to racism.A forceful synthesis of history and social theory, Systemic Racism in the United States is vital reading for practitioners and other professionals in fields related to human rights, social policy, and psychology. And as a classroom text, it challenges its readers to deepen their understanding of both historical process and current developments.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“.@JewdyGold amazing book. Couldn’t stop laughing. Stirring and simply delightful. See for yourself. https://t.co/xLEC0r2wbd” (from X)
"No one makes me laugh harder than Judy Gold. If I had to pick one comedian to write a book about free speech, it would be Judy." – Amy Schumer From award-winning comedian Judy Gold, an equal parts thoughtful and hilarious polemic on the current efforts to censor comedians, arguing that they undermine the art—and purpose—of comedy itself. “You can say anything that comes to mind as long as it is funny.” — Richard Pryor The fallout after Michelle Wolf’s roast at the 2018 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, Samantha Bee’s forced apology after calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless c*nt,” Kathy Griffin’s being “blacklisted” from Hollywood after posting a photo with what looked like the president’s severed head, all represent a dangerous and growing trend—to censor comedians. In Yes I Can Say That, comedy veteran Judy Gold argues that "no one has the right to tell comics what they can or cannot joke about…. Laughter is a unifier. It's the best medicine. It's also the most palatable way to bring up seditious, subversive topics.” For Gold, nothing is more insidious than enforcing silence and repressing jokes—the job of a comedian is to expose society's demons, and confront them head-on, no prisoners allowed. In ten impassioned polemics, sheframes comedy as a tool of empowerment, a way to reclaim hateful rhetoric and battle the democracy-crushing plight of censorship. Uninhibited and bold, Gold is as skilled at making readers laugh as she is at exposing uncomfortable truths about our culture and society. In this era of partisan politics and gaping inequalities, Yes I Can Say That is the refreshingly candid, wickedly funny and deliciously blunt manifesto we need.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“Auntie says read it, share it, buy it again and enjoy the book. https://t.co/4u0s8o7tuY” (from X)
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.(you?)
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.(you?)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A powerful study of how to bear witness in a moment when America is being called to do the same.”—Time James Baldwin grew disillusioned by the failure of the civil rights movement to force America to confront its lies about race. What can we learn from his struggle in our own moment? One of the Best Books of the Year: Time, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune • One of Esquire’s Best Biographies of All Time • Winner of the Stowe Prize • Shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice “Not everything is lost. Responsibility cannot be lost, it can only be abdicated. If one refuses abdication, one begins again.”—James Baldwin Begin Again is one of the great books on James Baldwin and a powerful reckoning with America’s ongoing failure to confront the lies it tells itself about race. Just as in Baldwin’s “after times,” argues Eddie S. Glaude Jr., when white Americans met the civil rights movement’s call for truth and justice with blind rage and the murders of movement leaders, so in our moment were the Obama presidency and the birth of Black Lives Matter answered with the ascendance of Trump and the violent resurgence of white nationalism. In these brilliant and stirring pages, Glaude finds hope and guidance in Baldwin as he mixes biography—drawn partially from newly uncovered Baldwin interviews—with history, memoir, and poignant analysis of our current moment to reveal the painful cycle of Black resistance and white retrenchment. As Glaude bears witness to the difficult truth of racism’s continued grip on the national soul, Begin Again is a searing exploration of the tangled web of race, trauma, and memory, and a powerful interrogation of what we must ask of ourselves in order to call forth a new America.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“Thank you @Bakari_Sellers for such a great book. Your story is powerful, especially when you step up to serve. You’re the future. Your generation is being called on now to complete the work of our elders. Y’all, please get the book. You won’t put it down until done. https://t.co/ks3xjr2Fct” (from X)
Bakari Sellers(you?)
Bakari Sellers(you?)
New York Times Bestseller What J. D. Vance did for Appalachia with Hillbilly Elegy, CNN analyst and one of the youngest state representatives in South Carolina history Bakari Sellers does for the rural South, in this important book that illuminates the lives of America’s forgotten black working-class men and women. Part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis, My Vanishing Country is an eye-opening journey through the South's past, present, and future. Anchored in in Bakari Seller’s hometown of Denmark, South Carolina, Country illuminates the pride and pain that continues to fertilize the soil of one of the poorest states in the nation. He traces his father’s rise to become, friend of Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King, a civil rights hero, and member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) , to explore the plight of the South's dwindling rural, black working class—many of whom can trace their ancestry back for seven generations. In his poetic personal history, we are awakened to the crisis affecting the other “Forgotten Men & Women,” who the media seldom acknowledges. For Sellers, these are his family members, neighbors, and friends. He humanizes the struggles that shape their lives: to gain access to healthcare as rural hospitals disappear; to make ends meet as the factories they have relied on shut down and move overseas; to hold on to precious traditions as their towns erode; to forge a path forward without succumbing to despair. My Vanishing Country is also a love letter to fatherhood—to Sellers' father, his lodestar, whose life lessons have shaped him, and to his newborn twins, who he hopes will embrace the Sellers family name and honor its legacy.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“Get the book. The Nancy Pelosi Way: Advice on Success, Leadership, and Politics from America's Most Powerful Woman (Women in Power): @sfpelosi: 9781510755840: https://t.co/xDWm3bAtj5: Books https://t.co/U8jY6WVgJX” (from X)
Christine Pelosi(you?)
“Her story is unique, but I hope the lessons are universal.”—Christine Pelosi Understand and apply the wisdom of Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi—through the eyes of someone who knows her best. In this personal and important book Christine Pelosi takes a close look at how her mother went from homemaker to Speaker of the House of Representatives and became the most powerful female politician in America. Her book addresses Speaker Pelosi’s role in current events, and offers advice on politics, family, and friendship gleaned from her mother’s life. From her childhood in Baltimore to her hands-on motherhood in San Francisco to her national leadership, this book demonstrates how a mother of five and grandmother of nine achieved her success. Chapters include: Know Your PowerProper Preparation Prevents Poor PerformanceKnow Your Authentic SelfClaim Your Seat at the TableBuild Strategic AlliancesDon’t Agonize, OrganizeAnd more. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking elected female government official in US history when she started her tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives. In January 2019, she began her third term as Speaker during a tumultuous time in American political history. Having represented San Francisco for thirty-two years, she has become well-known for her work to expand health care, lift up workers, protect the environment, promote human rights, and make progress for the American people regardless of the president in the White House or the party controlling Congress. This book serves as the perfect guide for anyone looking to enter public service or prosper as a leader in their own field.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“Rick Wilson is one of the best political strategists of our times. He knows the calculus of how to win better than a mathematician. This book is going to give some old-school Democrats a little heartburn. But if we want to win in 2020, Wilson’s Running Against the Devil is a must-read.” (from Amazon)
Rick Wilson(you?)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • One of the founders of The Lincoln Project, the bestselling author of Everything Trump Touches Dies is back with a guidebook for beating Trump’s tricks, traps, and tweets in 2020. “If you believe America’s future depends on Donald Trump’s political machine being crushed at the polls next year, then Rick Wilson’s Running Against the Devil is a must-read.”—Joe Scarborough, MSNBC Donald Trump is exactly the disaster we feared for America. Hated by a majority of Americans, Trump’s administration is rocked by daily scandals, and he’s embarrassed us at home and abroad. Trump can’t win in 2020, right? Wrong. As 2016 proved, Trump can’t win, but the Democrats can sure as hell lose. Only one thing can save Trump, and that’s a Democratic candidate who runs the race Trump wants them to run instead of the campaign they must run to win in 2020. Wilson combines decades of national political experience and insight in his take-no-prisoners analysis, hammering Trump’s destructive and dangerous first term in a case-by-case takedown of the worst president in history and describing the terrifying prospect of four more years of Trump. Like no one else can, Wilson blows the lid off Trump’s 2020 Republican war machine, showing the exact strategies and tactics they’ll use against the Democratic nominee . . . and how the Democrats can avoid the catastrophe waiting for them if they fall into Trump’s trap. Running Against the Devil is sharply funny, brutally honest, and infused with Wilson’s biting commentary. It’s a vital indictment of Trump, a no-nonsense, no-holds-barred road map to saving America, and the guide to making Donald Trump a one-term president. The stakes are too high to do anything less.
Recommended by Donna Brazile
“In this stunning historical review of the modern Republican Party, Dana Milbank chronicles the GOP’s race to the bottom in undermining faith in government by destroying long held and established democratic norms and principles.” (from Amazon)
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A scalding history of twenty-five years of Republican attempts to hold on to political power by any means necessary, by a hugely popular Washington Post political columnist "A thorough and scathing account of how the Republican Party fell prey to Trumpism."—The New York Times Book Review In 1994, more than 300 Republicans under the command of obstructionist and rabble-rouser Congressman Newt Gingrich stood outside the U.S. Capitol to sign the Contract with America and put bipartisanship on notice. Twenty-five years later, on January 6, 2021, a bloodthirsty mob incited by President Trump invaded the Capitol. Dana Milbank sees a clear line from the Contract with America to the coup attempt. In the quarter century in between, Americans have witnessed the crackup of the party of Lincoln and Reagan, to its current iteration as a haven for white supremacists, political violence, conspiracy theories and authoritarianism. Following the questionable careers of party heavyweights Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell, and Rudy Giuliani, and those of many lesser known lowlights, Milbank recounts the shocking lengths the Republican Party has gone to to maintain its grip on the American people.