Thank you to Grand Central for the gifted copy

In this unflinching memoir/manifesto, Campoverdi shares her experiences as a child on welfare, attending Harvard, becoming an aide to President Obama, and running for the US Congress.

Written with candor and heart, Campoverdi details what it means to be the "first and only"—the first in the family to attend college/grad school and the only BIPOC woman in the room at work. I particularly appreciated her pointing out that college programs for first-gen students focus on resume building and academics but forget to prepare them for the vast socioeconomic disparities they'll experience in higher education and professional spaces, likely contributing to a higher dropout rate on top of insufficient scholarships.

Campoverdi also examines how the oldest first-gen children are often tasked with parents' responsibilities that could harm the child's well-being. In her case, Campoverdi shares that she battled anxiety growing up and her journey to healing & finding peace with her past.

FIRST GEN is a powerful work celebrating our generational inheritance—especially from the fearless women in our lives—and a manifesto to reclaim our lost selves.