I wish I could command a room or intimidate others the way Katie Porter can. Here she offers a realistic glimpse into politics today, both the good and the bad, while explaining how her life lead her to that point. For far too long we've only heard from limited women in Washington and politics in general so I appreciate her perspective, especially considering that outside of the chambers of government she leads a much normal life like many women across America. This book is conversational and easily readable and offers much insight that I will share with government students for years to come.

I just adore Katie Porter. She is doing what every politician should be doing, working tirelessly for the people. The combination of wit and information makes this such a delight to read. I hope she keeps doing what she's doing.

I picked this one up because as an educator I have been a huge fan of Porter's tendency to whip out a whiteboard to give a visual as she questions people in her position as a congresswoman. I found this memoir to be funny, endearing, and a great "behind the scenes" peek on what life as a congressperson is like. I appreciated the amount I learned about how things occur and operate outside of the votes and interviews that we see from those in congress. "What are they doing the rest of the time?" - This answers that question! Porter is a tad snarky, but I like a little snark as long as it doesn't edge into mean.

I had mad respect for Katie Porter before I read this book but now I think she should be in charge of the universe. This is one of my favorite political memoirs of all time, and that includes both Obamas.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of “I Swear” in exchange for an honest review. I’m a big fan of memoirs written by female politicians. I really enjoyed this one. Porter lives up to her whiteboard teaching ways by explaining things clearly and concisely. I saw that one review used the word “puffery” to describe the credit that Porter takes for her accomplishments. Not to be that person but, honestly…are we seriously judging a woman for taking credit for her accomplishments—especially when they were often referring to the pride she took as a mentor of her students? I thought Porter was engaging and intriguing before reading this and now I am impressed by her resilience and her intelligence. The only thing I didn’t love about this is the structure/chronology. I know that typically these memoirs jump back and forth chronologically in order to develop a theme but I found myself really just wanting to dig into her experiences as a child, mother, and congresswoman one at a time.

I absolutely love this memoir. Porter has such a captivating voice both in the written and spoken word. (Even though I got an ebook version of the ARC, I ended up listening to the audiobook, narrated by the author herself.) I love Porter's sassy quips about a variety of things although especially about certain other people who serve in similar positions in our government as well as her intelligent takes on so many different issues that go into participating in representative government. She brings such a genuine passion to her job. I highly recommend this book.

Katie Porter is the woman with the white board. She is one of the smartest people in the room, and she isn't letting the bankers and CEOs who come before her off the hook. This memoir gives insight into her daily life, her struggles to balance work and family, and what working in Congress is truly like.

It was a pleasure to read about such a down-to-earth and empathetic woman in power. Katie Porter's accessible language, fun humor, and relatable struggles made this memoir truly stand out to me. Porter doesn't glamorize the political process and is unafraid to tell it like it is. Her straightforward writing style is wholly her own and I love that for it! This belongs on a shelf alongside all other famous/beloved politicans' memoirs.

This book is equal parts earnest, vulnerable and petty. There's truly something in it for everyone...except maybe republicans she calls out by name.

It was very readable and refreshingly personal and honest for a political memoir.

Most people who are vaguely aware of politics know Katie Porter as "that congresswoman with the white board" or "the congresswoman who read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck during the multiple failed attempts to elect a Speaker of the House in January 2023. But while those are both great qualifiers, she is so much more.

Porter's sarcasm and humor shines through as she recounts stories from various moments throughout her life -- growing up in Iowa, working as a law professor, running her first Congressional campaign, and working in Washington DC. She opens up and is vulnerable as she talks about being a survivor of domestic abuse that lead to a divorce, her struggles as a freshman congresswoman, and her memories from the January 6th Insurrection.

I love to read memoirs, because I find learning about inspiring men and women fascinating. I went back and forth on the rating for this memoir. I hate rating memoirs anything other than a 4 or 5, because I fully respect anyone who is able to tell life stories. So why the 3 with this one? The content is great, but I didn't like the organization of the stories. The timeline jumped around, which made it feel choppy. I would have preferred more of a linear timeline.

I Swear by Katie Porter is an excellent way to learn more about the sophomore California congresswoman. And honestly, I think that readers across the political spectrum (as long as they are open minded) will enjoy this book.

I first became a Katie Porter fan during the House Speaker fight of January 2023. A photo of the California lawmaker casually reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson on the House floor went viral, and she became my new hero. When I discovered that Porter had written her own book, I jumped at the chance to learn more about her.

I do not read many memoirs, so my disappointment in the lack of linear storytelling may have more to do with memoirs in general rather than a specific critique of Porter’s style. I wanted to learn the story of Porter’s life, not jump all over, back and forth through time, with disjointed vignettes. They were mostly entertaining, and I did get a sense of who Porter is as a person, as a mom, and as a politician, but I wasn’t compelled to choose this book over others in my TBR pile. In fact, I probably would have abandoned it if I hadn’t felt guilty about needing to write a NetGalley review. I hope that Porter’s down-to-earth, no nonsense, cut through the BS approach to politics is around for many years, but I probably won’t be reading more memoirs anytime soon.

Recommended for fans of political memoirs. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Completely respect Porter and her attitude. I loved her take on politics - definitely helped me understand some of the basic principles and day to day activities of Politics. I give her a lot of credit for what she's done and hope to do in the future.

A bit dry though, but it was a good informative read.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

I really enjoyed this! It is at times funny, inspiring, and infuriating. The timeline jumps around quite a bit, but I felt like that helped keep me engaged. I was definitely reading more for the congressional story than the "origin" story, although I enjoyed a lot of that as the book went on. But the time jumps kept things engaging. I feel like a learned a lot as I read - about Katie, about how Congress works, and about the things in Katie's life that lead to the Congressional white board moments I have enjoyed the past few years. I found the stories of Katie's experience of the pandemic, from the Congress angle, and the insurrection to be fascinating.

While there are several shots at prominent GOP figures, I think there are things moderate/independent voters as well as Democrats could find interesting and educational. Possibly Republicans, too, but the shots that are there might turn off some readers who might otherwise check this out. (Language)

Having Katie Porter in Congress gives me renewed hope in our government. She is really about doing the people's work with her time in Congress!! For Porter, this started long before she ran for Congress. I learned a great deal about her while reading this book. Long before she was elected from California's 45th district, she has championed people's rights with consumer rights & bankruptcy issues.

I received this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to get a glimpse inside the life of a Congresswoman who is also a single mother.

I Swear (Politics is Messier than My Minivan) is the memoir of Katie Porter, a single mom who grew up in Iowa and is the current congresswoman from Orange County, CA. This book was fascinating; Katie breaks down the stigma of most politicians, that they are male, white and rich.

Katie grew up in the Midwest as the daughter to farmers. She dreamed of getting out of town and worked her way in school to the Ivy League and then law school. She was a law professor and a new mom when she decided to run for politics. She also discusses fashion and being plus sized in a very public arena.

Her book is fun and interesting, but also has a lot of serious parts. She was the victim of domestic abuse and chose to leave her marriage for the sake of her 3 children. She is one of the only single parents working in Congress today. She has lots of funny stories about her kids pulling pranks and one truly heartbreaking story of Katie talking to her kids on Jan 6, when Katie was locked in her office with AOC and she was trying to calm her young son.

Thank you to @crownpublishing and @prhaudio for my gifted copy. I Swear is on sale now!

I'm so happy to have lived in Katie's district during her first run for Congress, so I absolutely loved this behind-the-curtain peek at some of the drama and machinations of that race. I also just love Katie Porter in general--I love a lady who knows she's the smartest person in the room and has very little patience for everyone else slowing her down. She names NAMES in this book, and she's incredibly frank about the realities of politics and the degree to which career politicians are not 'meant' to be anything other than moneyed, married men. Hoping this book gives her senate race a big push!

Memoir that details how the US government cannot fully represent its constituents because of barriers for those voices for those groups can't get there. A poor or single parent can't run or advocate if the barriers to get to Washington DC are too great.

Katie Porter writes an engaging memoir, discussing the challenges she's faced in politics as a single mother. She is inspiring with her resilience and humor.

I liked this one, liked the insight of Ms. Porter's journey to congress and what it was really like for her. I found it interesting and her writing was engaging. I struggles a bit with the format, going back and forth in time periods is hard for me sometimes, but ultimately I think it worked well. I will buy this book for my library.