Breakthrough: The Making of America's First Woman President

by Nancy L. Cohen Narrated by Randye Kaye

Overview

Why Americans have never elected a woman president, how we changed to make it possible, and why it matters.




From Hollywood to the halls of Congress, a lively conversation about women's leadership, equal pay, and family-work balance is underway. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough-the potential election of America's first woman president-Nancy L. Cohen takes us inside the world of America's women political leaders. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with women governors and senators from both parties, experts, political operatives, and a diverse array of voters, Breakthrough paints an intimate portrait of the savvy women who've built an alternative to the old boys club and are rewriting the playbook for how women succeed in politics. In this accessible and often surprising story, Cohen introduces us to the inspiring women behind the women who have brought us to this threshold, and to a dynamic group of young leaders who are redefining how we think about leadership, feminism, and men's essential role in achieving gender equality. Breakthrough takes on our cultural assumptions to show that the barriers that once blocked a woman's ascent to the presidency have fallen, even more than we realize.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/14/2015
In this well-researched work, historian Cohen (Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America) sets out to find out why the U.S. has never elected a woman to its highest office. She interviews scores of female leaders (but not Hillary Clinton), including Susan Collins, Republican Senator from Maine; Jennifer Granholm, Democratic former governor of Michigan; Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood; and Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s List, a pro-choice political action committee. Cohen also delves into statistics and historical scholarship, ruefully noting that “one of American women’s first major contribution to public policy was Prohibition.” Along the way, she uncovers some surprises; some recent studies find no credible evidence of gender bias in media electoral coverage—“women and men were equally likely to have their looks and family life mentioned”—and indicate that “partisanship and ideology trump gender” when Americans vote. Cohen covers the Republican Party’s trouble attracting female voters, and finds that women in office are more willing to cross party lines than their male counterparts. Clinton’s 2016 run for the presidency is clearly central to Cohen’s narrative, but the book is mostly not about her, focusing instead on the many others (mainly women) who have worked to get America to the point where electing a female president seems entirely possible. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

A great account of the commitment, camaraderie, and capability of the women who’ve worked to better our nation.” — U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski

“A must read. Nancy L. Cohen’s insightful observations in Breakthrough highlight the importance of women’s political leadership and the challenges all of us have faced to win.”
—Wendy Greuel, former Los Angeles City Controller and Los Angeles Councilmember

“Intellectually, Nancy L. Cohen convincingly makes the case for why it is essential that our democracy include women at the table, not just for representation’s sake, but for the better outcomes that come from involving all perspectives. Emotionally, Breakthrough reignites the passion and optimism of those who have been fighting for this for so long, too long, and simultaneously inspires those who are new to this fight.” —Sandra Fluke, Social Justice Attorney

“If ever there were a time in America’s history when a woman could reach the Oval Office, this might just well be it. Why now? Why not sooner? A nationally recognized historian and expert on women in politics, Cohen’s interviews with trailblazing women elected officials, NGO executives, pollsters, and grassroots organizers sheds important light on the dividing and cohesive elements certain to influence the next presidential election. Whether one thinks Hillary Clinton is a shoo-in or long shot, Cohen’s well-reasoned and researched treatise illuminates this defining moment in American history.” —Booklist

“In her brisk analysis, Cohen feels optimistic that the next election will cross ‘a historic threshold.’” —Kirkus

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"In her brisk analysis, Cohen feels optimistic that the next election will cross 'a historic threshold.'" —Kirkus

Library Journal

04/01/2016
Fifty nations can't be wrong; it's time for the United States to elect its first woman president, says Cohen. Hillary Clinton figures prominently here, but Cohen also reveals the contributions of women who have spent many years carving out distinguished careers in government and argues that the Republican Party could be the party from which the first woman president finally arrives. (LJ 1/16)

Kirkus Reviews

2015-10-28
Is America ready to elect Hillary Clinton? Although women have led 50 other nations, the United States has yet to elevate a woman to the presidency. Journalist and historian Cohen (Delirium: The Politics of Sex in America, 2012, etc.), a member of the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, asks why—with surprising results. Based on interviews—quoted at length—with such women as Sen. Barbara Mikulski, EMILY's List president Stephanie Schriock, and Planned Parenthood head Cecile Richards (daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards) and analysis of considerable scholarship, Cohen debunks some popular assumptions. She finds, for example, no evidence of "direct gender stereotyping" by the media. "Men and women," she writes, "both attract comments about their clothes, their looks, their experience, and their behavior….Most importantly, no study has ever directly linked sexist media treatment to voter attitudes." Are voters, "on some very deep level," sexist? Again, studies show otherwise: "partisan stereotypes rather than gender stereotypes shaped voters' views of candidates." Although the author argues that Americans don't consider "trustworthiness a distinctly feminine trait or intelligence a distinctly masculine one," she believes that women are more compassionate and collaborative than men and that their leadership is vastly important. While not fully persuasive that myths about a double standard "are just that—myths," Cohen does identify other problems: women assume they will be judged more harshly than men and so are reluctant to run for office. In addition, they face "structural impediments" such as a bar to new candidates and a high rate of re-election of incumbents. Rather than gender, Cohen claims, voters apply standards that are "partisan, contradictory, arbitrary, superficial, and…tangential to the job requirements." But that dispiriting conclusion may work well for women: "American voters subject the men and women who want to be president to the same absurd measures." In her brisk analysis, Cohen feels optimistic that the next election will cross "a historic threshold."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171152413
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/09/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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