THE TRUTHS WE HOLD

An American Journey
by Kamala Harris

When my book club chose The Truths We Hold as this month’s read, I figured it would be about just who the Democratic vice presidential candidate is and how she got to where she is today.  This memoir delivers so much more than that though.  From Senator Harris’ description of her childhood in Oakland, California, we understand how her parents’ activism in the civil rights movement shaped the person she would become.  Kamala’s parents divorced when she was five years old and she lived with her Indian immigrant mother, a PhD who worked full time to find a cure for breast cancer. Her mother was dedicated to raising her two daughters to be confident and proud Black women. (Harris’ father was a Jamaican immigrant.)

Harris portrays an upbringing filled with supportive women who allowed her to achieve her potential while emphasizing the importance of serving others.  We follow Harris’ rise through the district attorney hierarchy in northern California to her successful run for the U.S. Senate seat.   We see her meet and marry her husband in her forties and lose her mother shortly thereafter. Throughout the memoir, Harris shares her beliefs and motivations and influences in an honest, straightforward manner.  By the end of the book, which is before she becomes the vice presidential candidate, the reader has a clear understanding of how Senator Harris arrived at her strongly held convictions.  

Not only will you finish this book with a deeper understanding of Kamala Harris as a person and what she holds dear, you will find her approachable and genuine.  Her tenets all flow back to the fundamental belief in the dignity and equality of each person and how that should guarantee their rights under the laws of the United States.  This is a great read.  (Liz)