An excellent book.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this - excellent prose, great pacing, and convincing (not to mention passionate).
A must for anyone who expected Hillary Clinton to win the 2016 election, and was left devastated and confused by the outcome.

When it comes to pleasing the masses in a patriarchal society, women seeking power can’t win playing by the old man-centric rules. This is why we should stop expecting to find ourselves reflected in our country’s history and models of power, and write our own story.
How to describe this little book? It is, as the title states, an open letter to the first female president of the United States of America, whomever she should be. It is also a kind of processing of the 2016 election for those of us on the Clinton side who were dumbfounded and confused by the win (I'll leave alone whether the other side was as well). And it is a look at women and power in today's world; at the innumerable differences that exist between how a man is treated in certain situations, and how a woman is treated in those exact same situations. It's a reminder that the reckoning isn't over, and the dynamics and issues that we saw come alive in the 2016 election are still very much with us today, and just as unsettled.

The book is organized into chapters based on different "advice" or "messages" Palmieri wants to give to the first female president of the U.S., and interspersed throughout are her own personal memories, accounts of how this tied into the race and the election, how it tied to Hillary Clinton specifically, and how it relates to all women. It is well pulled together and reads very smoothly; one might think it could seem schizophrenic, jumping all over the place, but you're following a woven thread throughout and it all makes sense as you go.

There were several quotable passages, as my numerous status updates will attest to. I will paste some of my favorite below. Bottom line: a lovely read that I would recommend. This election is still so raw and everyday I am still confounded by how that man was elected president, how he continues to garner support, and how spineless people can be ... but before I go on a rant, all this to say that there were several moments when reading this that I started to tear up. This was an emotional election and I remember feeling so betrayed by my country when the election was over; I felt like I lived in a place that I no longer recognized and that had brought out the worst of itself, instead of the best.

Palmieri has a very interesting passage towards the end where she says that that feeling must be similar to the feeling of those who, in places of sorrow and discontent, voted for Trump (she's not belittling them; if it comes off that way, that's my error in phrasing, not Palmieri's). I felt that at the end of Election Day, and still feel it often as every new day passes and the spectacle (such an inadequate word) continues. This helped remind me that there will be another election though—and another one after that, and another one after that, etc. This is not the end of the story of women running for the highest office in the land (/world), it is only the beginning, and I have no doubt that during my lifetime, I will see the first female president of the United States of America elected.
The future is female. The past was, too. It’s just that no one thought it was important enough to bother writing it all down.
———
But whatever a woman’s story might be, it’s hard for her to tell it when her voice isn’t heard. It is also hard for her story to be told when people are too busy disliking the sound of her voice to listen to what she is saying.
———
Predictably, there were a lot of people who lamented that “if only we could have seen this Hillary during the campaign , things would have turned out different.” That’s all bullshit. She was always the same person. We are the ones who perceive her differently in different situations.
*This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.

Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri isn't the kind of book many think it is. Like it says in its title, it is an open letter to the women who will run the world. It calls out the rules women have to play by and things women have accepted (but no more) because we live and work in a man's world. It talks about how society doesn't blink at certain things a man does, but how women are frowned upon shall they dare do something society thinks it's not fit or proper for a woman.

It doesn't take a short read like this or for others to say it aloud to know that usually, depending on your gender the same rule isn't used in the same way. But I won't get into it as that is not the purpose of this post. And in case there's any doubt, to make it clear this isn't a political post either.

So, back to this open letter. It talks about Hillary Clinton, yet it's not about her. It talks about Obama and Bush, and yet it is not about them either. This short does a good job of calling out specific examples on how these leaders handled difficulties, how one of these leaders was always genuinely interested in each staff member's POV on every challenge/situation they had to deal with. I have to say, even if none of these people are on your favorites list when you put aside the jobs they've held, you can appreciate the qualities that make a leader.

The way the author described various challenging scenarios and how these leaders handled them were relatable to me, so much so that I want to use their techniques at work, such as calling out people who remain quiet during conference calls, really listening to what people have to say, being bold, and assertive.

This book is empowering and encouraging. It is thoughtful and interesting. It speaks to the ways we as a country, but especially as women, can learn from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and uses those experiences to encourage and guide our future female president.

one of my favorite lines says, "a woman can be bothering strong and emotional." To which I say AMEN!

I highly recommend everyone read this short book. it will encourage and uplift you.