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Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
Amy Klobuchar , the daughter of a newspaperman and a schoolteacher, is Minnesota's senior United States Senator. A Democrat, she was first elected to the Senate in 2006; she was later reelected in a landslide and named to Senate leadership. A national leader, she has a well-earned reputation for working across the aisle to pass legislation that supports families, workers and businesses. She and her husband John have a daughter, Abigail, who is in college.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
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 minutiaee.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. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
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. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Prologue | p. 1 |
| 1 Beginnings | p. 5 |
| 2 Growing Up | p. 29 |
| 3 From New Haven to Hyde Park | p. 55 |
| 4 The Real World | p. 77 |
| 5 A Mom and a Candidate | p. 106 |
| 6 The Chief Prosecutor | p. 136 |
| 7 Without Fear or Favor | p. 157 |
| 8 Running for the Senate | p. 182 |
| 9 Under the Capitol Dome | p. 219 |
| 10 Governing | p. 249 |
| Epilogue | p. 287 |
| Notes | p. 293 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 337 |
| Index | p. 345 |
