I was really interested in learning more about Nancy Pelosi, which is why I picked up this book. Ball's writing style, though, is very prose in this particular biography and not in a way that flows well as an overall connected story. It's almost like she wrote a series of essays about Pelosi, and researched them really well, but didn't make sure that the continuity was there...

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I found the tone of the book a bit off and overall was looking for a more critical approach towards Pelosi, instead of a generally flattering one - or at least some reporting that dug beneath the surface. However, these issues could be just about my preferences and I imagine this book might work well for others.

The most interesting parts were the second half of the book following Pelosi often outmaneuvering challengers, doubters and those who declared her their enemy. The many roles of the Speaker and party leader were really laid out well and while it’s clear the authors holds personal esteem for Pelosi despite claiming a neutral stance, it’s not a complete love letter. Thats a good thing, you don’t want a love letter of a public figure wielding power. There were areas where more criticism and critique were warranted but skipped, but overall it’s a good primer on all things Pelosi - including a reminder of just how many barriers she has broke as ‘The First Woman To.’ There is so so so very much that goes on outside the public eye in getting things done in DC and this was a tiny peek behind the curtain of the machinations that dog each and every little thing, a course in when to give in and when to hold your ground. Decent read for any political junkies.


(The author seems to have a firm dislike of any and all things Obama though. It sticks out a lot.)

I can't do it. I'm tapping out. I don't love the idea of rating this, since I couldn't bring myself to finish it, but I'll give it a 2 because it wasn't terrible, and at least explain why I DNFd it.

This books is only peripherally about Pelosi. It's more about every single thing that has been done by the House of Representatives in the entire time Pelosi has been there. I think it stopped really being about her about 30 pages in. And I feel like at least half of that was devoted to her fancy fashion sense. I just can't with this anymore.

I went into this hoping it would focus heavily on Nancy Pelosi, Person/Politician/Public Figure - instead I got to 58% completion and still knew very little about her other than what I could have looked up on Wikipedia. I guess I just wanted more. And the writing was just not engaging enough to keep me slogging through the disgusted boredom of the back-patting, coercion, and favor-trading involved in the US political system.

I grew up never having heard a positive thing said about Nancy Pelosi. In my household, she was seen as some type of evil, unnameable yet intensely felt, the face of all that was wrong in Washington and politics and with the Democratic Party. My whiplash-inducing swing to the left has positioned me on the other ‘side’ with people like AOC who seem to respect Pelosi but don’t necessarily feel the need for her to stick around any longer. For an increasing portion of the younger liberal generation, she seems to represent the old, entrenched part of the party that just won’t give up power and stop holding us back.⁣
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So I went into this open-minded for sure, but with a lot of baggage, and it truly knocked me off my feet. It felt like I was learning for the first time that the aunt I had been convinced by my parents was crazy was actually progressive and incredibly cool; it was cathartic and I came out of it refreshed. Nancy Pelosi is a force to be reckoned with, someone who deserves so much respect and veneration as one of the most accomplished political leaders this country has ever seen.⁣
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Molly Ball traces Pelosi’s upbringing in Baltimore with a father in politics to her life in college and then as a young mother (of FIVE kids in as many years) and fundraiser for the Democratic Party of California. It was utterly fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making a congressional campaign, running for positions within the party and legislature, and most importantly, whipping votes. While I have often disagreed with Pelosi in the last few years (I often think she doesn’t go far enough), I have a lot of respect after reading this book about how much the ability to GET VOTES matters on big issues, and how this will always involve sacrifice and compromise. ⁣
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All that ranting is to say, PLEASE pick this one up, especially if you don't know a lot about Pelosi or Congress or have had conflicting thoughts on her (from either side of the aisle).

I just finished "Pelosi" by Molly Ball and enjoyed learning so much about the first female speaker of the House. There are delightful details about her childhood (which provided the training ground for her political career), her family life and her career.

Pelosi is smart, organized and a role model for girls and women everywhere. This is a good read for high school to adult readers who are looking for insight into politics.

4.5 stars. A very entertaining while also illuminating account on a politician who is also a female. I think no matter whether you agree with her politics or not, you'd find a way to respect her accomplishments and tenacity as a master legislator and wielder of votes.

Also useful if you want to know how legislation in the US House of Representatives are made (and unmade). And how hard it is to bridge very diverse voices in one's party. And how no matter how many Twitter followers to you have, hard power - getting the votes - is what matters the most. I learned a lot from this book.

Thank you for the publisher, Henry Holt and Company, for this copy! What a treat.

Good biography of a great Kick Ass woman. When you see that she has 5 kids in 6 years you know she can run a country!! A must read!!

I thought this was a really interesting book. I am not positive it will find much readership in my very conservative library, but I have purchased a copy anyway. Thank you for the advanced copy!

This was an enlightening, educational, and entertaining read. I was pleased to get copies and a Q&A with Molly Ball for a reading group on Goodreads. The amount of political minutiae the author had to slough through to write this (in a very enjoyable way, I might add) earns major props to her for her journalistic prowess. The personal and political image of Nancy Pelosi is brought to the page - we get to read about her goals, her relationships with other politicians over her long career, and her impressive methods and personality - was wanting in the public sphere before this book. I hope many people read it.

Lots of info, no refs

I am reading "Pelosi" concurrently with Richard Hofstadter's "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life" and "American Conservatism" by Andrew J. Bacevich and I am struck, dumbfounded really, by the different approach to inline documentation that taken by the three authors. Molly Ball and Andrew J. Bacevich don't bother.

I'm a scientist by training and I want to know the antecedents of every statement. Hofstadter is an academic writing in an earlier era and I am thrilled to be able to see within a few lines of an opinion or reference, where it is from. Editor Sean Wilentz is to be commended.

Thus, while Molly Ball's bio of Nancy Pelosi is informative and highly readable, we are presented with opinions and asides and have no idea if they represent Ms Pelosi, Ms Ball or anyone else. Once you realize this, as I did during the discussion of Ms Pelosi's failures at focusing on human rights issues in US policy toward with China, the remainder of the book is diminished by the constant question: Who said that?

I learned a lot from the book and my respect for Ms Pelosi grew, but I can't get past this weak presentation.

The publisher distributed copies of Pelosi by Molly Ball to members of a feminist group on Goodreads who are discussing it this month. I'm late to the discussion though I read the book early because my computer died in late July and I only got a new one on August 3rd. At that point I had to work on a blog tour review first, and put writing about Pelosi aside. Better late with this review than never. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

When someone writes a political biography, particularly in these partisan times, we need to be wary of bias. I feel that Molly Ball is inclined to portray Nancy Pelosi in a positive light, though she doesn't omit controversies and discusses the reasons why Pelosi has opponents among progressives.

As a Bay Area resident, I knew that the very progressive San Francisco Bay Guardian has always endorsed a primary opponent of Nancy Pelosi every time she has run, but I didn't know why. I learned from Ball's biography that Pelosi had made certain that a former military base in San Francisco become a park rather than allowing it to be converted into public housing. San Francisco community activists and San Francisco politicians were all opposed to Pelosi's decision at the time. In retrospect, I feel that this was a serious error on Pelosi's part. It didn't do any lasting damage to Pelosi's career, but I think it did do lasting damage to San Francisco's racial and economic diversity.

I was interested in Ball's claim that the approval of Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court justice despite the accusation of sexual harassment leveled by Anita Hill, led to the election of a record number of women in 1992. This wasn't something that I noticed at the time. I suspected that the improvement in women's representation was much more modest than what occurred in 2018. So I examined the Congressional election results for 1992 on Wikipedia. I found four new woman Senators including both California Senators. California became the first state to be represented in the Senate by two women. This was the year that Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer first became Senators. I also counted 22 new woman members of the House of Representatives. These are indeed noteworthy results even though that record was smashed in 2018, the election soon after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice under similar circumstances.

The phrase about women having a "seat at the table" in the title of this review comes from a passage in Pelosi's memoir, Know Your Power which Ball quotes in her end notes. Pelosi tells us in that memoir that she envisioned suffragettes and others in American history who had worked for the cause of women saying about her becoming the Speaker of the House that "At last we have a seat at the table."

There is no doubt in my mind that Pelosi has had a feminist impact. I didn't really need to read Ball's biography to be persuaded on that point. What surprised me in this book was Pelosi's long period of hesitation about running for office. It seems to me that Nancy Pelosi had to grow into the feminist role that she eventually played. Looking back on how much Pelosi has accomplished for women through the pages of Molly Ball's biography felt very worthwhile to me. It will be a strong candidate for the best biography I read in 2020.

It is interesting to me as I look at my Goodreads dates that it took me a full month to read Pelosi. I am normally a rapid reader. Most books I devour in hours or days. Pelosi was different. I read this book in spurts. Sometimes a few sentences, paragraphs, pages, never more than a chapter or two. It was never boring. Quite the opposite. I wanted to savor the history, the experiences, the wit and grit of a woman I admire even more after reading this book.

Molly Ball did a fantastic job of celebrating NDP’s strengths and embracing her humanness. She also made it clear how important strong, principled, values-driven, and intelligent leadership is...in families, communities, and organizations of all types, including the highest reaches of government. May many young, and not so young, women and men learn from the lessons of this great American leader, Nancy Pelosi!

I was really excited to learn this book, Pelosi by Molly Ball, was to be published! And I was thrilled to be approved for an e-arc of it (thank you, Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley!). Unfortunately, it's just not for me.

I think Nancy Pelosi is well-deserving of a fantastic biography, and I do hope to read more about her someday. I couldn't help but feel that this book is hagiographic though -- which, i guess might be OK, except she's not even retired! The overall tone is a bit too adulatory for me. Perhaps that's how we should all feel about Pelosi...but I like my nonfiction to be far more neutral in its presentation. (Let me, the reader, determine how much to admire the subject.)

DNF ~11% in.

This is a exemplary body of work that I most highly recommend. ‘Pelosi” (2020) written by Time Magazine Correspondent Molly Ball is a outstanding representation of our amazing Madam Speaker.

Thank you with gratitude to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.
I was thrilled to receive this for review of one of my favorite women I admire in America.

Nancy (D’Alesandro) Pelosi, the Italian wife and mother from Baltimore, joined politics to represent true Democracy and the rights of the American people. She has been in the House of Representatives since her first appointment in 1987 rising now as our Speaker of the House as the highest ranking female politician in the history of the United States. When Pelosi first entered the political arena, women couldn’t wear pants, nor were female restrooms provided in the House or Senate. Women were not allowed to eat in the lunchrooms much less taken seriously. Madam Speaker was the only women in the room dominated by the antiquated old white boys system that did not take her opinions seriously. She stood strong for true Democracy and often fighting by herself in a room full of men she took them on for the good of the American People. She requested appointment to the toughest of assignments to educate herself and create a voice for women across the issues.
She is now the second in line for the U.S. Presidency. I have always admired our Madam Speaker for her powerful presence in a otherwise antiquated white male dominated arena. She continues to fight for the every day Americans and we are lucky to have her as Madam Speaker. under this corruption currently in office. The author skillfully navigates her long career in politics as well as her devotion to the Constitution and service to our great country. The author brings forth her great humanity and reading this as a American I am thankful she is our Madam Speaker. Well Done to the author. I highly recommend this book . I will be buying it for gifts and adding it to my American history library.

Largely reverential book from Molly Ball detailing Pelosi's rise to House Speaker (twice). She tries to position her as a feminist icon and with good reason. I feel that she could have been more critical of Pelosi but the story is well told and researched.

I used to see Nancy Pelosi as this cold, unfriendly politician. I did a 180 upon reading this book. I now love Pelosi and really admire her as a woman, as a mother, and as a professional. She had the chance to be exposed to politics from the time she was born in Baltimore. She also had one hell of a teacher in her mother who showed how to never apologize for being a woman.

This book is an extraordinary window to the backstage of contemporary politics. It was fascinating to read how far we've come as a country and how many things Nancy changed in Washington and in our country. How passionate of a woman she is and what an exceptional strategist she is. Now I understand why Nancy Pelosi is a household name and why she is the most powerful female in American politics. Bowing down to the Speaker.

I want to thank Net Galley and Henry Holt & Company for a free copy of Pelosi in exchange for my honest review.

“If you think a woman can’t beat Trump, Nancy Pelosi does it every single day.”-Amy Klobuchar.

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After reading Pelosi by Molly Ball, I would like to nominate Nancy Pelosi for Sainthood. Nancy Pelosi, patron Saint of Democrats, Democracy, Man Baby politician wrangling, presidential temper tantrum silencer, the f*ck you clap, political side eye, and the “that’s what winning looks like” strut of shade shade shade!

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I learned so much from this book, not only about Nancy Pelosi, but about American Politics in general. I loved hearing about her childhood and growing up in Baltimore. I really found it interesting to learn more about things that happened when I was a kid, so therefore hadn’t know much about what was really happening at the time. But most of all, I really loved seeing American politics through the eyes of the most powerful woman in our government.

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Nancy Pelosi is a woman who has more energy now than I do in my 30’s, and does so in high heels and without caffeine. Her dedication to her job. And perseverance is truly something to marvel. I also love how she was convinced to join politics by taking a position to raise money and defend the interests of her local libraries.

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Thank you to @henryholtbooks for my copy of this book! If you love reading about politics or enjoy biographies, then this book is a must read.

I just finished Pelosi and it made me love Nancy Pelosi more with every chapter I read. I admired her before starting this but knew almost nothing about her personal life - I’ve really loved learning more and my mom has patiently listened to a lot of stories that start with “did you know Nancy Pelosi...”⁣
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As Ball wrote in the prologue “The story of Nancy Pelosi is the story of an extraordinary person who shattered the ‘marble ceiling’ and blazed a new trail for women. It’s the story of a career that stamped American history and helped enact policies that affected millions of lives. It’s a story about politics and perception and women in public life. It’s a story that will shape American life in the Trump era and beyond. ⁣
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Because, as Pelosi would proceed to demonstrate, it wasn’t Trump’s Washington. It was hers.” ⁣
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And of particular interest to us as avid readers perhaps - Pelosi’s first political role was on the San Francisco Public Library Commission. Ball wrote “Pelosi had spent a lot of time at the library with her kids; she’d also seen the institution through a political lens, as a vital resource for families that, unlike hers, couldn’t afford books of their own. The library, to her, was nothing less than a pillar of democracy.”⁣
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There were some parts that read a little slow for me and took me a while to get through. However I still highly recommend reading this book!

Thank you to Henry Holt and Netgalley for the free review copy.
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Pelosi is a book I was excited to receive, not because I have such an affinity for Nancy Pelosi but because I feel like I don’t know that much about her given what an important and visible leader she is in the land currently known as the U.S. Molly Ball does an exceptional job conveying the research she’s put into finding out as much as she can about Pelosi, not only from secondary and tertiary sources but also from primary sources like Nancy Pelosi herself. She’s conducted interviews and had conversations with Pelosi and those closest to her to get a relatively complete picture of her life, and she is an adept writer who makes it easy to read and digest the information.

I was really worried that Ball wouldn’t address some of Pelosi’s less positive moments, but she does bring some of those up. I will say that the voice still seems highly favorable, and I’m not sure this is exactly an unbiased biography of a leader who has made incredible strides for womxn and democratic governments but who has also had some troubling stances. That’s okay and it doesn’t discredit Ball in any way, but her gaze is fairly obvious here. Pelosi is a great place to start, but I’d also suggest that readers follow it up with an examination of what work Nancy Pelosi still needs to do to be a truly intersectional feminist.

That being said, it pains me how much work has been done to attempt to discredit Pelosi, and the information contained in PELOSI helps me understand how to combat misinformation about her. It was also fascinating to learn about her history and break down the barrier we sometimes put up around career politicians. She has done a lot of work and a lot of advocating in her life, much of which I had no idea about.

All in all, this is a well-written, captivating biography about an important person in American politics. Next, I hope Ball will consider focusing her and her audience’s attention on a Black, Indigenous, or Latinx womxn of color. My one complaint isn’t really about the work at all so much as it is that it doesn’t feel like we need more books about heteronormative white women. This is the perfect time for publishers to highlight stories about colonially underserved/historically resilient communities BY people from those communities, and that’s the story I’d love to hear next.

Barring that, this is a solid work from Molly Ball that gave me insight, perspective, and a whole lot of respect for Speaker Pelosi and the work she’s done throughout her life. She’s an ally who, while still learning, has been a vocal advocate for diverse communities.