Traditionally, candidates for the Office of the President of the United States write a book telling the public a little bit about themselves and their history (most are technically memoirs after all). Primarily, though, these books are meant to establish the policies which the candidate supports. Kamala Harris' The Truth We Hold (released in early January, 2019) is no exception.
The Truths We Hold tells Harris' story - the story of growing up in Oakland, California to immigrant parents. Growing up, Harris was inculcated with social justice values (her parents fought hard for civil rights). It tells the story of Harris' career from prosecutor, to deputy District Attorney, to District Attorney of San Francisco, to the Attorney General of the state of California, to Senator and Presidential hopeful. The book not only tells Harris' undeniably interesting story, but also tells readers about Harris' policy proposals and makes a case for a Kamala Harris presidency.
Many reviewers did not like the memoir. Writes Hannah Giorgis of The Atlantic, "Unlike [Kamala] Harris’s many viral #resistance moments and meticulous snapshots of relatability, the memoir itself is a meandering work that lacks verve." Danielle Kurtzleben of NPR wrote that "As with many campaign books, The Truths We Hold reads as a memoir-but-not-really." She also said that Harris glosses over her flaws in the book and that the book is a "not great" and "tedious" but "effective" book that lays out Harris' policies well enough. At the end of the day, most reviewers thought the book was fine enough, but tedious and too kind to Harris.
