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Kamala's Way: An
American Life
by Dan Morain
c.2021, Simon & Schuster
$28.00 / $37.00 Canada
259 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
One step at a time.
That's how you get anywhere: methodical, with purpose, one
foot in front of the other until you get where you're going.
You never waver. You never take shortcuts, side roads, or
easy-outs, and as in Kamala's Way by Dan Morain,
you keep your eyes on the goal every minute of the journey.
At this point in time, Kamala Harris almost needs no
introduction.
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Much of what you need to know is summed up in this: says
Morain, she "misses little and forgets even less." Still, a
lot of things about her life were left out of her biography,
The Truths We Hold, or ignored by most articles
written about her.
Much has been said about Harris' mother but little has been
said about her father, for example. Harris herself has said
that they were "not close," and Morain offers reasons why,
as well as some background on Harris' paternal side.
Outside of California, Harris' rise to political fame might
be perceived as meteoric, but the truth is that it took more
than 30 years of focus. While studying at Howard University,
Harris worked as an intern in Senator Alan Cranston's
office; after passing the California bar exam, she became
Deputy District Attorney at the Alameda County District
Attorney's office and she got a peek at politics; she worked
in "the hothouse of San Francisco criminal justice
politics," was later elected to the office once held by
Cranston in the Senate and is now in the second-highest
position in America. Along the way, as one can expect from a
no-nonsense woman, there were controversies.
Morain shares little-discussed details of Harris'
relationship with bigger-than-life Willie Brown, former
mayor of San Francisco. He writes deeply of Harris' vow not
to call for the death penalty on any California inmate. He
explains the strange tie between Harris and Kimberly
Guilfoyle. And he writes of Harris, who gets things done
and doesn't "care that she had ruffled [someone's]
feelings."
The first time you see Kamala's Way, hold it in your
hands, and think a minute. Did you read her biography The
Truths We Hold? If so, then you've already read about
30 percent of this book; indeed, author Dan Morain
liberally uses quotes from the bio. Is the other 70 percent
– the parts you haven't read – worth reading?
Probably, yes, if you're excited beyond measure to have
Kamala Harris as Vice President, because Morain gives
details on Harris' life that will be new to a good number of
readers, especially political outsiders and
non-Californians. These are the things Harris herself has
avoided discussing, but Morain hasn't.
They're not all hot-button, though; in fact, Morain shares
stories of Harris when the cameras are gone, and he does it
in a way that's not sensational or tabloid-ish. Instead,
it's thorough, honest, and a quick-to-read education about
our new Second in Command, so if you think you don't know
much about her, add it to your Must-Read pile.
Having Kamala's Way is a great next step.
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