Overview

An unlikely political star tells us how Washington really works — and really doesn’t. As a child in small-town Oklahoma, Elizabeth Warren yearned to go to college and become a teacher. Early motherhood seemed to put that dream out of reach, but fifteen years later she was a distinguished law professor with a deep understanding of why people go bankrupt. Then came the phone call that changed her life: could she come to Washington to help Congress rewrite the bankruptcy laws? So began an unsentimental education in the bare-knuckled ways of Washington. She fought for better bankruptcy laws for ten years, and lost. She tried to hold the federal government accountable during the financial crisis, but became a target of the big banks. She tried to protect consumers from predatory bankers, but was thwarted. Finally, at 62, she decided to run for the Senate, and won. In this passionate, funny, rabble-rousing book, Warren shows why she fights tooth and nail for the middle class — and why she has become a hero to all those who believe that America’s government can and must do better.

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9781925228083

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Reviews

"'A potent mix of memoir and policy… The title of this book reminds us that this is about Warren’s fight. She is still the fiery advocate who called for a bureau to protect consumers or, as a second choice, ‘no agency at all and plenty of blood and teeth left on the floor.' * The New York Times Book Review * '[Warren’s] storytelling is well-paced and engaging … She mixes policy points with rich behind-the-scenes anecdotes. * The Boston Globe * 'Intelligent and informative … [Warren is] good, plainspoken company who makes you feel smarter for having spent such easy time with her ... Her new book, which is a loving look at her family as well as her country, will only broaden her base.' * Entertainment Weekly * 'A revealing account of Warren’s rise to prominence … [Warren’s] arguments demand to be taken seriously … As a politician and activist, Warren’s great strength is that she retains the outsider’s perspective, and the outsider’s sense of moral outrage, which runs throughout A Fighting Chance … She’s an indomitable battler for the underdog, and she doesn’t take no for an answer.' * The New York Review of Books * 'The Wall Street watchdog and U.S. senator has produced a readable and sometimes infuriating explanation of the biggest financial crisis of our time.' * People * '[Warren] has a compelling story to tell … She is also entertaining about professional politics.' * The Economist * 'Passionate … Her vision [for the country], laid out elegantly and effectively in A Fighting Chance, involves investments by ""we the people"" through our government, in schools, roads and research labs, and in a social safety net for ""the least among us"", investments that are, at once, in our own self-interest and in the national interest.' * Pittsburgh Post-Gazette * 'Revealing … Warren’s book describes the troubling patterns and practices of high-level Washington.' -- Gretchen Morgenson * The New York Times * 'Warren has written a good book … Frank and quite strong.' * The Nation * 'Warren’s moment has arrived … To understand why Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the fastest-rising new star in the Democratic Party … read her new book … A Fighting Chance tells true and important tales about the great scandal of our age, the corruptions that engulf Washington today, and the battles of good people to reform them … [Warren] stands for the integrity and spirit that Americans hunger for in public life, which could someday bring her from one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other.' * The Hill * '[A] call to arms … Reading the rousing finale of A Fighting Chance … you can hear the sound of the crowd roaring with approval.' * Mother Jones * '[Warren] displays a down-home charm and an effortless rapport with everyday people … The book is more memoir than manifesto; Warren emerges as a committed advocate with real world sensibility, who tasted tough economic times at an early age and did not forget its bitterness.' STARRED REVIEW * Publishers Weekly * 'A passionate memoir of one woman’s personal story and the larger story of corruption in financial circles and the need for reform that balances the interests of the American middle class against those of the corporate sector … [Warren] offers a behind-the-scenes look at the political dealmaking and head-butting machinations in efforts to restore the nation’s financial system.' * Booklist * ‘Ultimately, the book’s message is that one person can make a difference, but change is painfully slow, uneven and the work of a lifetime. After reading this book, it is comforting to know that Elizabeth Warren, with her passion, anger and bluntness, will not be silenced.’ * The Washington Post * ‘A memoir that provides an accessible and intriguing look into some of the most important domestic political issues of the past decade and the related manoeuvring, negotiation, and political machinations of Washington ... The author comes across as humble and unapologetically down-home but also fierce and savvy.’ -- Heather Malcolm * Library Journal * ‘A campaign biography with a twist ... [A Fighting Chance] weaves her life story and political manifesto.’ -- David Lauter * Los Angeles Times * ‘Her new book, A Fighting Chance, is rich with personal life story and behind-the-scenes anecdotes about her public life, but more than that, it's the story of one persistent woman determined to make a difference in as many lives as possible.’ -- Susan Gardner * Daily Kos * ‘Ms. Warren’s descriptions of herself may be the most interesting part of A Fighting Chance. To judge by her own account, she seems prone to bullying: She demands that Kennedy fight a bankruptcy bill she dislikes, orders Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to wear a seat belt and even picks an hour-long fight with President Obama in the Oval Office. ‘You're jamming me, Elizabeth,’ he says, exasperated. Yet she also portrays herself as a small-town gal with an aw-shucks demeanour. She vomits backstage before appearing on ‘The Daily Show’, and on the campaign trail walks ‘straight into a pole.’ Perhaps Elizabeth Warren is both of these personalities: the down-to-earth Okie and the Washington power broker with far-left views. That's what makes her interesting, troubling and, for Hillary Clinton, a potential political threat.’ -- Mary Kissel * The Wall Street Journal *"

'A potent mix of memoir and policy... The title of this book reminds us that this is about Warren's fight. She is still the fiery advocate who called for a bureau to protect consumers or, as a second choice, 'no agency at all and plenty of blood and teeth left on the floor.' The New York Times Book Review '[Warren's] storytelling is well-paced and engaging ... She mixes policy points with rich behind-the-scenes anecdotes. The Boston Globe 'Intelligent and informative ... [Warren is] good, plainspoken company who makes you feel smarter for having spent such easy time with her ... Her new book, which is a loving look at her family as well as her country, will only broaden her base.' Entertainment Weekly 'A revealing account of Warren's rise to prominence ... [Warren's] arguments demand to be taken seriously ... As a politician and activist, Warren's great strength is that she retains the outsider's perspective, and the outsider's sense of moral outrage, which runs throughout A Fighting Chance ... She's an indomitable battler for the underdog, and she doesn't take no for an answer.' The New York Review of Books 'The Wall Street watchdog and U.S. senator has produced a readable and sometimes infuriating explanation of the biggest financial crisis of our time.' People '[Warren] has a compelling story to tell ... She is also entertaining about professional politics.' The Economist 'Passionate ... Her vision [for the country], laid out elegantly and effectively in A Fighting Chance, involves investments by we the people through our government, in schools, roads and research labs, and in a social safety net for the least among us , investments that are, at once, in our own self-interest and in the national interest.' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 'Revealing ... Warren's book describes the troubling patterns and practices of high-level Washington.' -- Gretchen Morgenson The New York Times 'Warren has written a good book ... Frank and quite strong.' The Nation 'Warren's moment has arrived ... To understand why Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the fastest-rising new star in the Democratic Party ... read her new book ... A Fighting Chance tells true and important tales about the great scandal of our age, the corruptions that engulf Washington today, and the battles of good people to reform them ... [Warren] stands for the integrity and spirit that Americans hunger for in public life, which could someday bring her from one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other.' The Hill '[A] call to arms ... Reading the rousing finale of A Fighting Chance ... you can hear the sound of the crowd roaring with approval.' Mother Jones '[Warren] displays a down-home charm and an effortless rapport with everyday people ... The book is more memoir than manifesto; Warren emerges as a committed advocate with real world sensibility, who tasted tough economic times at an early age and did not forget its bitterness.' Publishers Weekly 'A passionate memoir of one woman's personal story and the larger story of corruption in financial circles and the need for reform that balances the interests of the American middle class against those of the corporate sector ... [Warren] offers a behind-the-scenes look at the political dealmaking and head-butting machinations in efforts to restore the nation's financial system.' Booklist

Author Information

Elizabeth Warren is the senior senator from Massachusetts. A former Harvard Law School professor and an expert on economic issues, she is the author of nine books, including All Your Worth: the ultimate lifetime money plan and The Two-Income Trap: why middle-class parents are going broke, both written with her daughter, Amelia Tyagi. She is widely credited with developing the idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and she helped set up the new agency as an assistant to President Obama. She also served as chair of the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel and as the senior advisor to the National Bankruptcy Review Commission. The mother of two and grandmother of three, she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband, Bruce Mann.

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