REVIEW: I Swear by Katie Porter

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crown in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release on April 11, 2023. This is another week with an adult review on Friday instead of something for kids or teens. Sorry! There’s just a lot of books for adults grabbing my attention these days.]

Summary and Review

This is a memoir of Congresswoman Katie Porter’s time in the US House of Representatives (so far) and how she got there in the first place. This covers everything from her childhood on an Iowa farm to her college years to her work as an attorney and professor as well as how she ended up running for Congress.

I was intrigued (and frustrated) by her experiences as the only single mother in the House of Representatives as well as a somewhat idealistic newbie in Washington. Congress is the playground of politicians, most of whom are past the years of parenting or who have spouses or paid staff to manage their families or personal interests. They can play political games and focus on the next election and the one after that because someone else can pick up the slack for them. Katie doesn’t have that. She also didn’t want to phone in her work. She ran to make a difference, and she was there to dig in and make things happen.

I adored the sections of the book where she highlighted her now-famous use of a white board in congressional hearings. Her direct, logical questions have made for some of the most entertaining television of the last 6 years. I also found the chapters on recent events – the insurrection, the global pandemic, etc. – captivating. Even a few years later, I couldn’t get enough of her front row seat to these events.

This is at times humorous, inspiring, and infuriating. The storytelling is more topical than chronological, which I found to be a great feature. I picked this up because I wanted to know more about Congresswoman Porter. If the book had been chronological, I might not have stuck with the early life recollections. But by keeping this more topical, those early experiences were shown for how they informed and influenced the person Katie would become. And that was fascinating. There are a few shots taken at prominent members of the GOP. I’m not sure those were necessary to the story, and they might alienate some potential readers. I believe that content is there to show Katie as a politician who pulls no punches and speaks her mind and challenges those who need challenging. But I think the rest of the book made that point already without taking shots at a few of those folks. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.