The Truths We Hold, Young Readers Edition: An American Journey

by Kamala Harris

Overview

Now adapted for young readers, Vice President Kamala Harris's empowering memoir about the values and inspirations that guided her life.

With her election to the vice presidency, her election to the U.S. Senate, and her position as attorney general of California, Kamala Harris has blazed trails throughout her entire political career. But how did she achieve her goals? What values and influences guided and inspired her along the way?
 
In this young readers edition of Kamala Harris’s memoir, we learn about the impact that her family and community had on her life, and see what led her to discover her own sense of self and purpose. The Truths We Hold traces her journey as she explored the values she holds most dear—those of community, equality, and justice. An inspiring and empowering memoir, this book challenges us to become leaders in our own lives and shows us that with determination and perseverance all dreams are possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984837066
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	802,507
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	1020L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 13 Years

About the Author

Kamala Harris (kamalaharris.org) is the vice president of the United States of America. Before assuming the vice presidency, she served as a senator from California, worked in the Alameda County district attorney’s office, and was later elected district attorney of San Francisco and then Attorney General of California. The second Black woman and the first person of Indian descent ever elected to the U.S. Senate, and the first woman, Black person, and person of Indian descent ever to hold the office of vice president, she works hard to make sure all people have equal rights, especially kids. She’s married to Douglas Emhoff, and loves being a stepmom to Ella and Cole. You can follow Kamala Harris on Facebook at Facebook.com/KamalaHarris or on Twitter @KamalaHarris.

Read an Excerpt

From the Introduction

On July 4, 1992, one of my hero's and inspirations, former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, gave a speech that deeply resonates today. “We cannot play ostrich,” he said. “Democracy just cannot flourish amid fear. Liberty cannot bloom amid hate. Justice cannot take root amid rage. America must get to work. . . . We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred, and the mistrust.”
 
This book grows out of that call to action, and out of my belief that our fight must begin and end with speaking truth.
 
We cannot solve our most stubborn problems unless we are honest about what they are, unless we are willing to have difficult conversations and accept what facts make plain.
 
We need to speak truth: that there are forces of hate in this country—racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and anti-Semitism—and we need to confront them. We need to speak truth: that, with the exception of Native Americans, we all descend from people who weren’t born on our shores—whether our ancestors came to America willingly, with hopes of a prosperous future, or forcibly, on a slave ship, or desperately, to escape a painful past.
 
We need to speak truth about what it will take for all American workers to earn a living with dignity and decency. We must speak truth about who we send to jail in this country and why. We must speak truth about companies that make a profit taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us. And I intend to do just that.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 For The People 1

2 A Voice For Justice 38

3 Underwater 75

4 Wedding Bells 103

5 I Say We Fight 129

6 We Are Better Than This 146

7 Every Body 169

8 The Cost Of Living 195

9 Smart On Security 212

10 What I've Learned 230

Acknowledgments 261

Notes 267

Index 282