The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

By Kamala Harris

A New York Times bestseller

From Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, one of America's most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own life and across the life of our country

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris's commitment to speaking truth is informed by her upbringing. The daughter of immigrants, she was raised in an Oakland, California community that cared deeply about social justice; her parents--an esteemed economist from Jamaica and an admired cancer researcher from India--met as activists in the civil rights movement when they were graduate students at Berkeley. Growing up, Harris herself never hid her passion for justice, and when she became a prosecutor out of law school, a deputy district attorney, she quickly established herself as one of the most innovative change agents in American law enforcement. She progressed rapidly to become the elected District Attorney for San Francisco, and then the chief law enforcement officer of the state of California as a whole. Known for bringing a voice to the voiceless, she took on the big banks during the foreclosure crisis, winning a historic settlement for California's working families. Her hallmarks were applying a holistic, data-driven approach to many of California's thorniest issues, always eschewing stale "tough on crime" rhetoric as presenting a series of false choices. Neither "tough" nor "soft" but smart on crime became her mantra. Being smart means learning the truths that can make us better as a community, and supporting those truths with all our might. That has been the pole star that guided Harris to a transformational career as California’s attorney general, as a United States senator, and now as vice president-elect, grappling in every role with an array of complex issues, from health care and the new economy to immigration, national security, the opioid crisis, and accelerating inequality.

By reckoning with the big challenges we face together, drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career and the work of those who have most inspired her, Kamala Harris offers in THE TRUTHS WE HOLD a master class in problem solving, in crisis management, and leadership in challenging times. Through the arc of her own life, on into the great work of our day, she communicates a vision of shared struggle, shared purpose, and shared values. In a book rich in many home truths, not least is that a relatively small number of people work very hard to convince a great many of us that we have less in common than we actually do, but it falls to us to look past them and get on with the good work of living our common truth. When we do, our shared effort will continue to sustain us and this great nation, now and in the years to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Jan 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780525560722

Kamala Harris

Kamala D. Harris was a prosecutor in Oakland, California, before being elected as San Francisco's District Attorney in 2003 and reelected in 2007. In 2011, she became Attorney General of California—winning reelection in 2014—before going on to become a U.S. Senator from California in 2016.

Reviews for The Truths We Hold

[zoes_human · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would love to see Kamal Harris as our first female president. She, like all humans, has made mistakes along the way. Likewise, she has made decisions I don't necessarily like. However, ultimately, I think she and I are on the same side of the fight, and her record for working within the system to bring about change is impressive. It's going to be a tough choice at the Democratic primary this year. I, for one, am glad to see it. It's a refreshing change of pace for me to be struggling to decide between multiple candidates that I genuinely like* instead of easily selecting the person who I despise the least.*Insofar as I like any politician. Bias though it may be, I am my father's daughter and he raised to me believe that you don't trust authority figures, especially not religious and political ones.

[patsymurray · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first two-thirds of the book were compelling. She comes across as having a great deal of intelligence, an amazing work ethic, and a high degree of integrity. You get a good understanding of how her life has influenced her opinions. Toward the end, though, it started to sound like she was just ticking the boxes on certain issues -- a paragraph on automation was soon followed by a paragraph on housing affordability and so on, and the issues are not discussed at any length, nor does she provide any solutions. She says she believes in the scientific method of problem solving and lists two experiments that are trying out solutions, but the experiments sound too insignificant to really matter. In the end, I was disappointed. She has some excellent qualities as a person and as a politician, but I suspect this book was rushed and in the end it doesn't give me the big boost of faith I was hoping for in her as a candidate.

[over.the.edge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Truths We Hold:An American Journeyby Kamala Harris2019Penguin4.5 / 5.0Inspiring and motivating, this book shares Kamalas commitment to community, justice and being honest and upfront.Kamalas rise from internship in Oakland to being District Attorney of San Francisco is truly amazing. She shares her formation of Back On Track, a program for nonviolent offenders in prison, adopted by Obama. Her call to reform the bail system and racial bias in police departments, Elementary School Truancy, mortgage/ foreclosure fraud and immigration reform are important issues, for her and for.us, as a community of people.Health care and mental health care need reform, our wage/ salary limits need to be revised and our cybersecurity should be the biggest issues today. She is not afraid of the truth, or being transparent.Harris dedication and support of her family, esp when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, is touching. I love her vision of a more equal, inclusive and honest world for all of us. I feel I understand her and her platform, her beliefs and vision much more after reading. There are many reasons to support her- it will be refreshing to see someone of substance running for President. We've needed one for several years now!

[susan.macura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is obvious that Senator Kamala Harris has written this book as part of her campaign for higher office. She is someone who plans her moves in advance and does much to prepare for that move. However, that fact does not detract from the content of this book. Harris comes across as a candidate who is well prepared to advance in her career who holds positions and values that reflect her upbringing, which just happen to be positions many of us can embrace as so many of us share them as well. I will watch her candidacy for president move forward with much interest as she is definitely a candidate I could support. She tells an interesting tale of her life that inspires much confidence in her abilities.

[brianinbuffalo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I knew very little about Kamala Harris prior to picking up "The Truths We Hold" shortly after she launched her 2020 bid to become president. The book provides insights to Harris' career as a prosecutor and her stands on a wide array of issues ranging from criminal justice reforms and inequality to national security. At the end, I had a clear sense of her life journey and how it shaped her views. I do believe she may have spent just a bit too much time on her early years. Readers are one-eighth into the book and Harris is just completing law school. Still, her childhood and upbringing undoubtedly played a defining role in defining her life goals. As with most books penned by current or retired elected leaders, it gets a bit "preachy" and partisan in spots. But that's to be expected. "The Truths We Hold" was enlightening and interesting.

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Who knows what will happen two years from now but Kamala's book is a great introduction to her. Does everyone have to write a book but then again, who will be the readers? She writes very clearly and although I'm sure she puts a completely positive emphasis on her work---that's fair. I am impressed with what she has managed to accomplish. I was pleased to see that even the governor of California endorsed her just yesterday -- early! Like the other reviewer, I, too, really like Warren and have read her book(s). Time, will tell.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harris’s case for her presidency is her vision of a progressive prosecutor, one who attacks crime as the result of larger social problems and who wants to fight the bias of the existing system while retaining a system of rewards and penalties for good/bad behavior. Her foreign policy pitch is basically that she wants to protect us from bad actors like Russia, like a good law enforcer. I am not yet completely swayed (love you always, Sen. Warren) but if you want someone who has the requisite self-confidence without being Dunning-Kruger about it, she clearly qualifies and I'd be enthusiastic about her as the nominee.

[micareads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to get to know a little more about the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee. What I learned is that Kamala (pronounced Commala) Harris is a woman who learned from her single mother how important it was to be your best and think of those who need your help.

As Kamala explains her life story, she integrates how the lessons learned affected her time in public service. She takes us on her journey through Howard Univerity to law school to her time as Attorney General to the United States Senate. Harris explains how she has helped her California constituents by ensuring certain laws were signed that would benefit them.

Kamala Harris told an amazing story that allowed you to learn how her past shaped who she has become as a woman and a politician. This was the story of a woman who learned the best lessons and then took them a step further.

[clara53_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the book. K.Harris's passion for righting the wrongs and fighting for the rights of all kinds comes through very clearly. She is a fighter and won't stop. Obstacles don't seem to slow her down. And throughout her career she has done everything thoroughly: "...you have to sweat the small stuff - because sometimes it turns out that the small stuff is actually the big stuff". That appeals to me a lot. And she definitely feels for the immigrants: "For as long as ours has been a nation of immigrants, we have been a nation that fears immigrants. Fear of the other is woven into the fabric of our American culture, and unscrupulous people in power have exploited that fear in pursuit of political advantage".Kamala describes her childhood a bit, she desperately misses her mother who was her hero, and she talks about her marriage. And having such an interesting background - being a biracial child of two accomplished individuals - that, in itself, gives her a huge advantage - how she sees the world and her own country. I would have wanted to know more about her life as a private person, not just a lawyer and a politician. But she is shy in that respect, and, in fact, those glimpses that she did provide sound wonderful and sincere. The bigger picture for her is not about her - this book emphatically says so.

[natalieriley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I REALLY enjoyed learning about Kamala Harris in this book. She openly shared about her family background and upbringing. Her career in the District Attorney’s office was admirable as she worked hard to improve the criminal justice system. Interesting stories about the opportunities she had to get involved in politics. Harris is an amazing, professional woman I look up to. It’s evident she really cares about people and has this country’s best interest at heart.

[carolee888 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked the young reader's edition because the print size of the adult version was in such tiny print and so long that I knew it would be difficult to read with my glaucoma challenged eyes.I was a little disappointed in the amount of personal shared. Maybe I should have tried for an audio version instead.I did like what shared about her mother. The odd thing when it came to Kamala Harris views on abortion rights, gay rights, early childhood education, young offenders, help for lowering drug prices and helping the disadvantaged. I agree with her 100%. In fact, I could have written the same thing that she wrote, except that my examples would have been different. I hope that she gets projects in the Biden administration that will make more people aware of her drive and compassion for other people.Her outstanding virtue is abundant empathy. We need to hear from her more.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

audiobook nonfiction (9 hours, read by the author), memoir and critical social/political reform (written pre-Jan.6 insurrection and pre-COVID).fascinating look at the major challenges the US must deal with, including national security threats posed by cybercrime, criminal justice reform, healthcare reform, the opioid crisis and a ton of other things. A level-headed analysis of issues we all should be very concerned about.

[amcheri-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Everything I'd seen of Kamala Harris left me impressed and happy that she's an elected official but I didn't know much about her background or what her stances on issues were. After listening to her memoir (which could double as a huge campaign speech) - I'm sold.

It felt great to listen to her talk about her family, her career, and her beliefs which mirror many of my own. How nice to hear from a patriotic public servant who believes in helping make our country better for everyone.

My only complaint about the audio book is that she's not always the best narrator... But I don't think it would have been as effective for me if anyone else read it.

[mjspear_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So, in fairness, I meant to pick up the 'heavy duty' version of Kamala Harris' book and got this one instead. I don't know if it's the diluted nature of the YA edition, but it did not engage me at all. I am a huge fan/support of Harris and wanted to like her. I don't feel like I know her any better than I did before I started the book. Disappointed.

[missbrangwen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yesterday I finished [The Truths We Hold], a political memoir written by [[Kamala Harris]]. I first came to admire Kamala Harris when I saw her questioning Brett Kavanaugh and since then I've rooted for her. I know we're not supposed to write about politics here, so I'll leave it at that. This book is not structured like a traditional memoir or autobiography, but each chapter revolves around a specific topic or issue, such as civil rights, criminality, health, housing etc. Harris explains how this topic or issue touches her work or how she dealt with it in the past, as an attorney. This is usually illustrated by anecdotes and stories about people she met, but also by studies and research. Each chapter also concentrates on an aspect from the writer's life and she connects these aspects. For example, the chapter that deals with civil rights, and specifically LGTBQ rights and gay marriage, also tells us about how she got to know her husband Doug and their courtship and marriage, to make a point that love is love. The chapter on health care also includes her mother's battle against cancer. I enjoyed the variation this structure provided, although in the end it became a bit forceful and it seemed like she started ticking off boxes of topics that needed to be included. This is the only point of criticism I have, though.I think Kamala Harris succeeds in explaining the core of her work and what she stands for. If one has followed the media, this is nothing really new: The story of her immigrant parents, her growing up amidst the Civil Rights Movement, her childhood as a Black child, and the many, many firsts she did - the glass ceilings she shattered.I still found it very interesting to read about this and to learn more about her viewpoints. While many paragraphs resonate with her speeches, the book provides more insight into how she came to believe in her principles and how her experiences in her previous jobs and offices as well as the people she met along the way have shaped her. However, I need to get a bit more personal here because otherwise I feel like I'm not doing the book justice. I'm a teacher working in one of Germany's poorest cities, and I mainly teach girls and young women, many from "underprivileged" backgrounds, many immigrants and refugees - and empowerment is what keeps me going and why I do what I do. I found strength and inspiration in Kamala Harris's words and I read so many quotes that had me nodding in agreement.Here are two from her mother:"Fight systems in a way that causes them to be fairer, and don't be limited by what has always been" (p. 18)."Don't let anybody tell you who you are. You tell them who you are" (p. 25).It feels fitting to end this review with these quotes because throughout the book, Shyamala Gopalan Harris is shown as the biggest influence on Kamala's life and beliefs, the person who taught her to fight and to stand up and not be intimidated - and I think that was what impressed me so much when I first saw her on TV in September 2018.

[sheila1957 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wish I had read this before the 2020 primaries. This gives a good idea of what her platform was. She describes the problems facing us today and gives solutions to those problems. Utilizing stories from her own life and others who have crossed her path, she gives faces to those problems and solutions. Ms. Harris comes across as someone who listens and tries to help where she can and she'll go where she needs to to lend that helping hand. She has a lot of empathy and compassion. I am glad I read this. I think she will help lead this country back into the light.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book discusses policy and vision through the lens of personal experience, which made it engaging and approachable. Senator Harris is smart, insightful, and pragmatic about addressing systemic issues that disproportionately affect people of color in the United States. I highly recommend this book. Senator Harris makes an excellent case for why she should earn our 2020 presidential vote.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This part memoir, part policy platform* book covers the author's early life and schooling, and then follows her career from the criminal justice system to the U.S. Senate.I really enjoyed this book; it sort of starts out as a loose autobiography but then moves into broader policy discussions, complete with lots of facts and figures. So, for instance, Harris talks about her mother's diagnosis of cancer and how that affected their family before transitioning into information about the status of health care in the United States before segueing into the opioid crisis. She makes her opinions known on various topics with subjective and strong words like 'disgrace,' but she also has lots of data to back up her points, which I really appreciate.The audiobook version is narrated by Harris herself, which I think gives the book a particularly authentic feel.I highly recommend this book for those who already know a little about Harris and want to learn more. However, given that she has recently been catapulted to the national stage at a larger level, I would recommend it to anyone paying attention to this country's politics -- which truly should be everyone.*Harris specifically states this book is not meant to be taken as her policy platform but I haven't thought of a better pithy descriptor.

[toobusyreading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What I knew of Kamala Harris I liked, but I admit that my knowledge is limited. This woman will, I sincerely hope, become the next Vice President of the country, and I wanted to know more about her. This book gave me good insight into her – her beliefs, her morality. It's also an entertaining story for anyone who likes to read memoirs. I'm confident we'll be in good hands when she and Joe Biden are elected.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harris shares her personal experience being raised by an Indian mother and Jamaican father who fought for social justice even when she was a baby. Her personal story as she rose at the DA's office in San Francisco, eventually becoming the state's attorney general, is fascinating and inspiring. She also digs deep into the changes she believes our country desperately needs, from healthcare reform, legalization of marijuana, changes to the prison system, tax reform, and more. She is incredibly open about where she stands on every issue, which I respect. I loved learning more about her background and what she has done in her career. “When it comes to the things that matter most we have so much more in common than what separates us.”