corrigan's Reviews (451)

More charming and relatable than her first book. Really delightful.

This is absolutely the book you write a decade or so before you run for President. It does all the things it politically should do in order to introduce him to people who have never heard of him and answer questions about his life for those who have been following his public image for a while. If you've read Barack Obama's books, you'll recognize a lot of the same techniques for painting a picture of a flawed, but overall good man. Booker casually confirms his oft-questioned heterosexuality with an anecdote about a woman he briefly and unreasonably fell for. He explains the ineffectiveness he showed on Newark's city council, as well as Mayor Sharpe James's vendetta against him (which is effing BANANAS, btdubs). He is appropriately critical of his own ego and shortcomings. He name checks God and the Bible. He accentuates his idealism, showing how it could be a weakness at times, but ultimately pointing to how much he cares about people. Having followed Booker's life and career for a decade or so and not really needing to be persuaded of his politics and character, mostly, this was an interesting glimpse at the events and ideas that led a fairly privileged kid from the 'burbs to intentionally move to the wrong side of the tracks and become a politician. #CoryBooker4PresidentWheneverHeFeelsLikeRunning

This book uses all the problematic language of the era in which it's placed without actually reading like it's in the voice of that time. I could get past phrases like, "Her Chinese stood in the corner," if I felt like the book was written from the perspective of someone in that time period, but Messinger doesn't put enough effort into selling it. With the exception of some antiquated words and phrases that required googling, the narrative wouldn't have read all that differently if the story took place in 2016. On top of all that, I found the story hard to follow -- which, I'll admit, may be just because I was so distracted by the writing style. I wanted to be interested in finding out, for example, why a whole family slaughtered each other, but meh. It was a tough slog.

If there's anything I've learned in the past six months or so, it's that you should always read books written by funny celebrities in audio format. I'm sure that, had I read this on paper, I would've read it in his voice, but some things would have certainly been lost.

This book is great not only because it's a history buff's dream, but also because Offerman manages to pay tribute to the "gumption" of many figures of American history while also pointing out the many ways in which they were often less than awesome people with less than awesome ideologies. He doesn't let these figures off the hook just because they did great things. He critiques them, often dryly and hilariously, and makes clear that the focus on great white men in American history is bulls**t. He can admire the trait without necessarily admiring the whole person. That distinction is key, and something I think is missing from most celebrity worship of American history.

This book is surprisingly well-researched, full of fun facts about famous folks, as well as Offerman's own musings on living in American in this day and age.