WE'RE BETTER THAN THIS written by Elijah Cummings with James Dale describes the "Fight for the Future of Our Democracy." Cummings, a Congressman and legislative force for over twenty years, was the first African American lawmaker to be honored with lying in state at the nation's Capitol. This memoir was published posthumously and begins by describing Cummings' early interactions with the President in 2017 and gradual dawning as to the scale of lies to the country and the world. The book is filled with details of conversations at high levels and with personal musings like "I am seeking to do the right thing at a time when doing the wrong thing is verging on becoming the norm." At times, the book has the cadence and sense of a sermon, sharing words of wisdom like "you must act better than the other person" from Cummings' 85-year-old mother. Another example for times of misfortune is "Don't ask why this happened to me. Ask why this happened for me." Dale describes the structure of the book as "a quilted interweaving of the formative moments of the Congressman's past;" he further says Cummings "wanted to leave a story for young people, especially disadvantaged young people, to show them what is possible." Cummings certainly invites them to "turn the pain into passion and the passion into purpose" and to reflect on the same questions with which he struggled, "Who am I? What drives me? Where do I get my resolve?" WE'RE BETTER THAN THIS received a starred review from Library Journal.

We’re Better Than This could not be more well timed. Representative Cummings’ words feel prescient, which of course leads to the realization that we’ve been here before. But why? Where do we go from here? Cummings finds a way to weave his life experiences with a firm believe in the power of the American Promise.

A beautiful, inspiring book written by one of the greatest men to serve in Washington. Cummings offers a candid glimpse into his dealings with President Trump and how he never lost sight of what is important in these trying political times, no matter what pressures and challenges he faced. He is missed already in the Capitol and his words of wisdom leave us things that we all desperately need as a country: direction, hope, and wisdom.