The Good Fight by Shirley Chisholm

 Before Kamala Harris, before Hillary Rodham Clinton there was Shirley Chisholm. In 1972, the Congresswoman from New York-the first Black woman elected to Congress-made history again when she announced her candidacy for President of the United States.

Though she understood victory was a longshot, Chisholm chose to run "because someone had to do it first. . . . I ran because most people think the country is not ready for a black candidate, not ready for a woman candidate." In this invaluable political memoir, Chisholm reflects on her unique campaign and a nation at the crossroads of change. . . 

From the whirlwind of the primaries to the final dramatic maneuvering at the tumultuous 1972 Democratic National Convention, The Good Fight is an invaluable portrait of twentieth-century politics and a Democratic Party in flux. Most importantly, The Good Fight is the portrait of a reformer who dedicated her life to making politics work for all Americans. Chisholm saw her campaign as an extension of her political commitment; she ran as an idealist grounded in reality who used her opportunity and position to give voice to all the forgotten.

This book bears the stamp of her remarkable personality and her commitment to speaking truth no matter the consequences.