Finding My Voice

February 15, 2019
Jarrett's brisk, even-tempered memoir follows the former senior adviser to President Barack Obama from a childhood spent first in Iran and then in Chicago through her experiences during Obama's two terms in office.The author's parents moved to Iran in 1955 because her father knew that as a black physician, he would have better opportunities there than in the United States. She was born there the next year, and five years later, the family returned to Chicago, where her mother's large extended family lived. After law school and a stint in corporate law, she began working in Chicago city government. In 1991, while she was working as Mayor Richard Daley's deputy chief of staff, she hired a young Michelle Robinson, then Barack Obama's fiancee. She went on to become friends with Robinson and Obama and worked on Obama's campaign before serving in the White House. Jarrett also shares her personal struggles: escaping a difficult marriage, raising a daughter on her own, overcoming a fear of public speaking, enduring menopause, and experiencing the pressure "to work twice as hard and be twice as good as white people." Her close relationship with the Obamas allows for an intimate view of events on the campaign trail and life in the White House. Her account of her years in the administration shifts smoothly between her own work life, including the mentoring of young female staff members, and a broader consideration of the administration's goals. She gives special consideration to the challenges of passing the Affordable Care Act, and while she clearly chooses her words carefully, her frustration with what she sees as the recalcitrant Republicans in Congress sometimes breaks through. Throughout, she emphasizes the importance of communication among people of differing political views and the necessity of change based in local communities rather than imposed on a national level.A modest and insightful addition to a growing shelf of books by insiders from the Obama administration.

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April 1, 2019
In this insightful political insider memoir, Jarrett, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, tells of her career in the government. Raised in a prominent black family in 1960s Chicago, Jarrett graduated from Stanford and the University of Michigan Law School, and returned home to work in private practice. Realizing that public service was her calling, Jarrett took a job in the office of Mayor Harold Washington (“the chance to work with incredibly talented public servants gave me a purpose and satisfaction I’d never felt before”). As Mayor Richard Daley’s deputy chief of staff in 1989, Jarrett hired Michelle Robinson, fiancée of Barack Obama, and the three forged a close-knit friendship; Jarrett later agreed to chair Obama’s Senate race finance committee and to be an advisor for his presidential bid. After Obama’s election, she became his senior adviser and writes proudly about how satisfying it was to have been part of an administration that addressed such issues as health care and passed a bill to allow “openly gay men and women in the military.” Along the way, she includes such memorable moments as when a speechless Michael Jordan learned he would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jarrett movingly captures life as a public servant in this detailed, well-told memoir

March 1, 2019
History may not give Jarrett all the credit she deserves. When pressed, most might identify her simply as First Friend, based on her long-standing relationship with both Michelle and Barack Obama. And while true, that's a pejorative that fails to address the numerous professional accomplishments that preceded her association with the Obamas. Stanford-educated and holding a law degree from the University of Michigan, Jarrett gave up her career track at Chicago white-shoe law firms to enter public service, working with Mayors Harold Washington and Richard M. Daley to manage key city agencies. Jarrett's quiet determination, unparalleled work ethic, and deep commitment to a city rich with family roots won her respect at a time when, as a newly divorced single mother, she needed it most. Revisiting her illustrious career, from inner-city Chicago to the White House and beyond, Jarrett reveals the life-changing events that, though perilous at the time, enabled her to become a virtuoso corporate and philanthropic leader, and a valued presidential adviser.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2019

Jarrett (former senior adviser to President Barack Obama) reflects on her life and working in the Obama White House. A high achiever, Jarrett strived to "have it all" and planned her life accordingly. After her marriage ended, the author regrouped and focused on the work and relationships that fulfilled her. While employed for the City of Chicago, she hired Michelle Obama and became close friends with both Michelle and Barack, eventually advising Barack on his Senate and presidential campaigns. As a senior advisor in his administration, Jarrett provided recommendations on women's issues and served as a communication conduit for outsiders to the president. Here, she recounts key events including the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality, and the Charleston shooting. Readers of Michelle Obama's Becoming may recognize a few scenes, but those hoping for insider gossip will be disappointed. Jarrett further reflects on the ways in which race, motherhood, and privilege impacted her experiences and outlook. VERDICT An earnest, relatable account from a woman who truly wants to make a difference. [See Prepub Alert, 10/29/18.]--Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2019

That Jarrett was the longest-serving senior adviser in the Obama White House is enough to make this memoir a revealing read. But she starts with her childhood in radically shifting Sixties Chicago and finding her calling working in Mayor Harold Washington's groundbreaking administration. She looks forward, too, reminding us of our civic responsibilities.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.