The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland

by Amy Klobuchar Narrated by Amy Klobuchar

Overview

One of the U.S. Senate's most candid--and funniest--women tells the story of her life and her unshakeable faith in our democracy

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has tackled every obstacle she's encountered--her parents' divorce, her father's alcoholism and recovery, her political campaigns and Washington's gridlock--with honesty, humor and pluck. Now, in The Senator Next Door, she chronicles her remarkable heartland journey, from her immigrant grandparents to her middle-class suburban upbringing to her rise in American politics.

After being kicked out of the hospital while her infant daughter was still in intensive care, Klobuchar became the lead advocate for one of the first laws in the country guaranteeing new moms and their babies a 48-hour hospital stay. Later she ran Minnesota's biggest prosecutor's office and in 2006 was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from her state. Along the way she fashioned her own political philosophy grounded in her belief that partisan flame-throwing takes no courage at all; what really matters is forging alliances with unlikely partners to solve the nation's problems.

Optimistic, plainspoken and often very funny, The Senator Next Door is a story about how the girl next door decided to enter the fray and make a difference. At a moment when America's government often seems incapable of getting anything done, Amy Klobuchar proves that politics is still the art of the possible.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/03/2015
This political memoir is not a particularly exciting read, but it does serve as an apt reminder that some decency remains in American politics. Klobuchar has been a U.S. senator for almost a decade. In that time, the senior senator from Minnesota has proven herself a consensus builder, ethical almost to a fault, and quietly effective for her constituents, while remaining impervious to scandal or partisanship. Klobuchar's memoir paints the picture of a steady, indefatigable, honest servant of the people. She tells candid (good and bad) stories of growing up the daughter of a legendary local newspaper reporter, her early witnessing of the dangers of alcohol abuse, the end of her parents' marriage, her daughter's early health problems, her first campaign, and her experiences in Washington. Klobuchar's stories are carefully positioned (unsurprisingly for a sitting politician) to be both accessible and carry the ring of authenticity while appealing to a broad spectrum of political affiliations. Her even-handedness could be cynically perceived as playing to the middle, but it sounds refreshingly genuine. Readers will come away feeling a bit more positive about the political system and the people working within it. 16-page color insert. Agent: Paul Fedorko, N.S. Bienstock Agency. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

"Amy Klobuchar’s The Senator Next Door is a must read for public servants across the country. With her trademark Midwestern honesty and humor, she recounts the events that have shaped her life and reminds us that it is still possible, with grit and good will, to work across the aisle to get things done in Washington."—Senator John McCain

"From the halls of her high school all the way to the United States Senate, Amy Klobuchar's journey is one of incredible perseverance and success. Her story radiates with warmth, humor, and candor."—Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In

"The Senator Next Door is both a desperately needed wake-up call to our politicians and a delightful memoir that will inspire everyone. Buy one for yourself and give one to an elected official."—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin 

"I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. It's smart, funny, moving, and filled with wisdom and insight. The Senator Next Door left me deeply inspired with renewed hope for the American Dream."—Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

"The Senator Next Door is about avoiding the sort of blistering rhetoric and political posturing that makes it hard to forge alliances across party lines to get things done."—USA Today

"The Lean In of political memoirs."—The New Republic

"The book is timely because there’s talk of the senator moving to higher office in the future." —Pioneer Press

"If, in these polarized times, you need to boost our faith in democratic politics, this is the book for you." —The Annals of Iowa

author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and The Amy Chua

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. It's smart, funny, moving, and filled with wisdom and insight. I especially related to the extraordinary stories about Amy's immigrant grandparents. The Senator Next Door left me deeply inspired, with renewed hope for the American Dream.

Library Journal

08/01/2015
When constituents meet Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Dem., MN) at local events, they feel they know her personally and can't place how they're acquainted. If they ask: "Are you sure you don't live down the street?" she replies, "I don't exactly live on your block, but you can think of me as the senator next door." In a revealing and often entertaining telling of her life story, Klobuchar shows readers that being accessible makes it easy for her to focus on what's important. She ran a shoe-string financed, hands-on contest to win her first election as Hennepin County Attorney by an average of fewer than nine votes per precinct. The experience taught her the importance of door-to-door canvassing and maintaining personal connections. She won election to the U.S. Senate using the same strategy. As a wife and mother, Klobuchar explains how she struggled to balance public and private commitments. Important prosecution successes and legislative efforts are described, and it's understood that for Klobuchar, bipartisan cooperation is her preferred method of governing. Through her narrative, readers come to know Klobuchar and may even wish from time to time that she were their neighbor. VERDICT A full and open reflection on Klobucher's life and outlook for governing. Readers interested in knowing more about the senior senator from Minnesota and how women attain and hold powerful elective office will be rewarded with the details provided in her story.—Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs.

Kirkus Reviews

2015-07-01
A comprehensive autobiography by the first female U.S. senator from Minnesota.For anyone interested in the intricate details of how a young girl from Minneapolis made it to a seat in the Senate, Klobuchar (Uncovering the Dome, 1986) has written that book. Humorous at times, honest, and meticulously detailed, occasionally to a fault, the author unveils her entire life's history with a slow, steady pace. She chronicles her grandparents' immigrant status, her father's rise through journalism and his troubles with alcohol, her mother's years as a teacher and stay-at-home mom, her parents' divorce, and how these events affected her early childhood. She discusses her school years, beginning with kindergarten, and takes readers up through high school, college, and law school. Once this preliminary history is out of the way, Klobuchar tackles her years in the law business, and she discusses a variety of cases she worked on with her colleagues. She also recounts her marriage to husband John and the birth and early health issues of her daughter, Abigail. She then moves into her political run for county attorney, which eventually led to her years as senator. Throughout the book, Klobuchar provides a wealth of daily minutiae—e.g., the day she was babysitting and hid a half-eaten bologna sandwich under the couch, that her wedding dress was a "sample," and the sparring she encountered over moving some furniture in the county attorney's office reception area. These facts add quaintness to the narrative but also bog it down. Still, Klobuchar provides an informative chronicle balanced between her personal and political lives, one that reflects the stance she took early in life to overcome any obstacles thrown her way and how she has used that same drive to surmount the numerous obstructions she has faced while serving as senator. A flawed but deeply personal recounting of one woman's rise through the political ranks.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172211935
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	08/25/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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