First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Will Haskell, Avid Reader Press, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Always a sucker for a unique political memoir, this book by Will Haskell caught my attention from the title alone. After the election of Donald Trump, Will Haskell, a university senior, knew he wanted to help change the system. He turned to what he knew best, his home state of Connecticut, and began a journey to unseat a long-time state senator. His hope was to show that young people (all of 22 at the time) do care and could make a difference. This memoir is his way of showing how change can come from an idea and short time in office. A great piece and easy to digest, showings that grassroots change is possible with enough passion!

While Will Haskell had always been around politics, he did not give it much thought. He knew that the winds of change were coming, but could not foresee the hurricane of Trump or the destruction that it would bring to America. While still in university at Georgetown, Haskell thought back to some of the comments made by President Obama before he left office and how change would only come by doing something. Cue the interest in being a part of that change.

Discovering that there was a state senate election on the horizon back home in Connecticut, Haskell began bandying around the idea of running for the Democrats to unseat a long-time Republican. Of note, this was a politician who began her service before Haskell was born. It would be monumental, but it was something that Haskell knew would evoke the change he sought. Armed with a small purse and a great deal of gumption, Haskell began making waves and shaking hands, receiving some harsh and sobering advice along the way. However, he did not let it deter him, as his campaign got off the ground and his ideas became key coffee chat topics around his district.

While winning on Election Day was grand, it was only the beginning of a steep learning curve. Haskell recounts some of the major stumbling blocks facing him when he arrived in Hartford, the state capital, as well as how business in the statehouse made for messy work representing constituents. Haskell informs the reader throughout of the struggles to have a voice, get ideas on paper, and push them through to the governor’s desk, even with a majority of Democrats at the helm. He explores the great difference between wanting change and making it happen, while juggling budgets, constant requests, and the shadow of the Federal Government. Through it all, he pushes that idealism is the fuel for change and that anyone, no matter their age, can make a difference if they want it badly enough.

While I have long held a passion for politics, I appreciate my sidelines position. Will Haskell explores some of the great grassroots aspects to politics and how one voice can and will make a difference, given the chance. His writing is real and yet not sloppy, giving the reader a great narrative as they follow along through this unique journey for all to see. I loved the honesty that each chapter brought, as well as the brevity, helping me push through the memoir with ease. There are great themes that emerge throughout, even as politics has taken a dark turn for many over the last number of years. Haskell provides hope for young people who feel they want to make a difference without getting too preachy. I will have to keep my eye out to see how things go for Haskell, as he makes politics intriguing and shows that passion can fuel action, given the right push!

Kudos, Mr. Haskell, for a great political memoir. You show that grassroots need not be a bad thing and that passion is no longer a pipe dream to success!

Very good read! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

In Will Haskell's memoir 100,000 FIRST BOSSES, President Obama suggested that if anyone wants to make a change, one way is to run for office, and Will Haskell takes it to heart during his senior year of college. He cobbles together a team, discovers point of view, and begins his campaign before he graduates college. Haskell shares his struggles and his successes along the way, while also revealing how state level politics are unique in it's power and at times frustrating in its application.
Haskell has such a unique voice that is refreshingly easy and exciting to read. There is an underlying earnestness to his writing style where he is candidly reflecting on his political life so far, while also making it clear that he has so much more to learn. He shares so clearly what it means to him every step of the way and his perspective can't help but make any reader wonder what it would be like if they ran for office. Another component of being a state politician that Haskell describes is the struggle of balancing the desire to serve with the reality of what that means financially and personally. At the end of the book, the reader is left to consider the fortitude and care it takes to hold public office on a small scale and makes one wonder what kind of special person it takes to want to do such a challenging and often thankless job.
Haskell is instantly likeable and a reader can't help but cheer for him every step of the way in 100,000 FIRST BOSSES. The book is pleasantly fast-paced, much like Haskell's political career seems to be and anyone who reads the book will be entertained and enlightened to the world of small scale politics.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read 100,000 First Bosses and provide an honest review.

For full disclosure, mine is one of the doors on which Will Haskell knocked as he ran to unseat a Connecticut State Senator who had been in office longer than he had been alive. My husband, two young sons and I were immediately captivated by his charisma, confidence and guts. It has been a pleasure to be one of State Senator Haskell's 100,000 first bosses and to reside in his hometown of Westport, CT. He has visited my son's 5th grade class to discuss civics and the environment and I often find myself on the town public tennis courts playing next to his father. That being said and putting politics aside, I offer a review of State Senator Haskell's book, 100,000 FIRST BOSSES.

I have read my share of political memoirs and they usually range from insightful to saccharine, but most all feel like an introduction or launchpad to a broader audience written in preparation to seek a higher elected office. Haskell's look back at his experience surrounding his decision to run, the mechanics of campaigning for and winning a state election, as well as the behind-the-scenes of working of the Connecticut State Legislature is just plain...informative. I enjoyed that this book focused on process and decision points as opposed to politics. I agree with Haskell's premise that most people know more about federal than state and local when it comes to government and elected officials. I found Haskell's candor in describing the pace and process of the state legislative process to be particularly illuminating and his answer to the question of "does the process work?" to be thoughtful and inspirational. With two boys who already identify Haskell as a role model, I will definitely share this book with them. The memoir's themes and lessons are not of politics and activism but rather hard work, determination, personal responsibility and perseverance, which transcend age and political party.

This is a great book and an important read for anyone who has ever said, "Nobody would ever vote for me"

Wis Nisker once said "If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own". This is Will Haskell, Connecticut's 22 yr old State Senator's story of his decision to run, his campaign, and his first year of experience in government. Written articulately and with references to his own personal conflicts with family and friends, he recounts his last year in college and discussions with friends, his piecemeal staff originally composed of friends and colleagues, and his eventual election to office.

He ran against a longtime (Republican) incumbant, and also details her and her Republican opposition to his campaign. Engrossing read, and an inspiration to those younger voters wishing to unseat the Establishment, and make some news of their own.