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Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward

by Valerie Jarrett

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785344,316 (3.73)2
"When Valerie Jarrett interviewed a promising young lawyer named Michelle Robinson in July 1991 for a job in Chicago city government, neither knew that it was the first step on a path that would end in the White House. Jarrett soon became Michelle and Barack Obama's trusted personal adviser and family confidante; in the White House, she was known as the one who "got" him and helped him engage his public life. Jarrett joined the White House team on January 20, 2009 and departed with the First Family on January 20, 2017, and she was in the room--in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, and everywhere else--when it all happened. No one has as intimate a view of the Obama Years, nor one that reaches back as many decades, as Jarrett shares in Finding My Voice. Born in Iran (where her father, a doctor, sought a better job than he could find in segregated America), Jarrett grew up in Chicago in the 60s as racial and gender barriers were being challenged. A single mother stagnating in corporate law, she found her voice in Harold Washington's historic administration, where she began a remarkable journey, ultimately becoming one of the most visible and influential African-American women of the twenty-first century. From her work ensuring equality for women and girls, advancing civil rights, reforming our criminal justice system, and improving the lives of working families, to the real stories behind some of the most stirring moments of the Obama presidency, Jarrett shares her forthright, optimistic perspective on the importance of leadership and the responsibilities of citizenship in the twenty-first century, inspiring readers to lift their own voices."--Provided by publisher.… (more)
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Showing 5 of 5
I found Valerie Jarrett’s journey fascinating. Read my full review here. ( )
  joyblue | Jul 10, 2022 |
Interesting. I enjoyed reading about her early life. Some of the stories about working in the government were interesting, but a bit too long and detailed. I skimmed about the last quarter of the book because I had to return it to the library. ( )
  debfung | Jul 12, 2021 |
Valerie Jarrett has led a very interesting life – and written this book to tell about it. I found that I was engaged in what she was writing about, as well as how she was writing it. The book is very “readable” and interesting. I liked learning about some of the things that go on behind the scenes in various political situations. I won an ARC of this book from GoodReads. ( )
  peggy.s | Jan 30, 2020 |
Jarrett wrote a lot about the "vision" of the Obama team and what they accomplished and what they failed to do. The intersection of her life with the Obamas was interesting to read from her point of view, although it was pretty much the same story as told in Becoming. I feel sure they collaborated on how that would be told...call me a cynic, but good friends talk to each other, right? ( )
  beebeereads | Jun 9, 2019 |
Felt like a water-down Michelle Obama's BECOMING, but I guess that's not her fault. Valerie Jarrett was Barack's senior advisor and (mainly, it seems) pal. She was another Chicago pol, from a loving two-parent family, who obviously worked hard and used her smarts to do good. ( )
  Tytania | Apr 10, 2019 |
Showing 5 of 5
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"When Valerie Jarrett interviewed a promising young lawyer named Michelle Robinson in July 1991 for a job in Chicago city government, neither knew that it was the first step on a path that would end in the White House. Jarrett soon became Michelle and Barack Obama's trusted personal adviser and family confidante; in the White House, she was known as the one who "got" him and helped him engage his public life. Jarrett joined the White House team on January 20, 2009 and departed with the First Family on January 20, 2017, and she was in the room--in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, and everywhere else--when it all happened. No one has as intimate a view of the Obama Years, nor one that reaches back as many decades, as Jarrett shares in Finding My Voice. Born in Iran (where her father, a doctor, sought a better job than he could find in segregated America), Jarrett grew up in Chicago in the 60s as racial and gender barriers were being challenged. A single mother stagnating in corporate law, she found her voice in Harold Washington's historic administration, where she began a remarkable journey, ultimately becoming one of the most visible and influential African-American women of the twenty-first century. From her work ensuring equality for women and girls, advancing civil rights, reforming our criminal justice system, and improving the lives of working families, to the real stories behind some of the most stirring moments of the Obama presidency, Jarrett shares her forthright, optimistic perspective on the importance of leadership and the responsibilities of citizenship in the twenty-first century, inspiring readers to lift their own voices."--Provided by publisher.

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