The joy of politics Surviving cancer, a campaign, a pandemic, an insurrection, and life's other unexpected curveballs

In our increasingly contentious political climate, Minnesota senator, former presidential candidate, and author Amy Klobuchar (Antitrust, 2021) invites readers into her life, both personal and professional, over the last few years. With honesty, she shares difficulties like the loss of her father, her battle with breast cancer, and her husband's COVID-19 illness, alongside amusing anecdotes, such as accidentally ordering four quarts of pumpkin yogurt and arguing over Wi-Fi with her family members (her TV appearance trumps their gaming needs), in her wry take on pandemic life. Klobuchar's focus on joy remains a constant throughout, as she shifts scenes from private to national, detailing the 2020 campaign, the George Floyd murder and aftermath, and the January 6 insurrection from her front-row perspective. She writes conversationally, giving us a peek inside her Capitol Hill work on the 2021 inauguration and key legislation efforts on a host of issues, offering encouragement to those who may follow her into public service. Drawing on inspiring "life lessons" opening each chapter, Klobuchar's memoir overflows with optimism and, yes, joy.

Three-term Minnesota senator Klobuchar (Antitrust) faces an onslaught of personal and political challenges with folksy candor in this entertaining memoir. Breaking down "the crazy ways of Washington" in breezy prose, Klobuchar peppers her narrative with personal stories, life lessons, and political pep talks for a despairing nation. She contemplates the consequences of Donald Trump's "dark rhetoric," the murder of George Floyd, and the January 6 insurrection with the same determined tone she uses to describe her experiences overcoming breast cancer, riding out her husband's near-fatal case of Covid, and suffering defeat in the 2020 presidential primaries. Throughout, Klobuchar's optimism never flags--she regularly invokes fellow Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone's admonition to his staff after a defeat ("What happened to the joy?") and addresses readers directly, spurring them to "make change" however they can. It's the stuff of standard political memoirs, but Klobuchar's faith in America and its processes lands as pragmatic and genuine. This offers a peek behind the curtain and a pat on the shoulder for the politically curious. (May)

The Democratic Minnesota senator who ran for president in 2020 seems to be throwing her hat in the ring again, massaging her likability points and listing accomplishments. In this folksy narrative, Klobuchar works back in time to the pandemic, when her husband became ill with Covid-19 and she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. After a lumpectomy and radiation, she announced her full recovery publicly. Before that, of course, was the bruising 2020 presidential race, during which she shared the stage with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marianne Williamson. Ultimately, Klobuchar conceded, and she was a running-mate candidate for Biden. The author rehashes events in the campaign, painful moments both personal and national during the pandemic, and her work with pandemic relief legislation. Her investigation of the Trump administration's many flawed Covid-19 policies is elucidating, as are her thoughts on pivotal events over the past few years, including George Floyd's murder by police, which occurred in her state, and the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Klobuchar hails from generations of a Minnesota family dedicated to public service; her father was a journalist, her mother an elementary school teacher. "From the very beginning of my time in Washington," she writes, "I decided to advocate for the causes of those who couldn't afford the big lobbyists or the big megaphones." During her career, she has worked diligently on such issues as gun safety regulation, immigration reform, clean energy, voting rights legislation, health care, and antitrust. Her book title comes from the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone, who, after losing an amendment battle on the Senate floor, asked his staffers, "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE JOY?" Perhaps we will see Klobuchar much more in the news as the 2024 presidential campaign heats up. A senator reminds readers she has been "doing my job without fear or favor." Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.