She Proclaims

April 13, 2020
Palmieri (Dear Madam President), communications director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, offers a spirited and accessible manifesto for women seeking to combat the patriarchy through both personal and collective action. Inspired by the Declaration of Sentiments drafted by organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, Palmieri rallies feminists with slogans for advancing the women’s movement (“We proclaim that we value women of all ages”), and urges women to “refuse to allow scare tactics to control or silence us.” She encourages women to educate themselves on historical examples of female empowerment, and to demand that large corporations do more to close the wage gap than the token gesture of promoting just one or two women to positions of leadership. In the book’s strongest sections, she condemns America’s culture of patriarchy with anecdotes from her career, including being called to testify in the special counsel investigation into Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, and witnessing Donald Trump appear to “stalk” Hillary Clinton around a 2016 debate stage. Prioritizing optimism and support over anger and frustration, Palmieri reaches out to women of diverse backgrounds, though she occasionally descends into platitudes. Feminists will be heartened by this inspirational guide to fighting for gender equality. Agent: Matt Latimer, Javelin.

May 1, 2020
The director of communications for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign offers a manifesto for American women seeking empowerment outside patriarchy. When Clinton lost the election, her setback mirrored the situation for all American women seeking to shatter professional glass ceilings. As Palmieri observes, "the professional world belongs to men, and women are only visitors." In this follow-up to Dear Madam President (2018), the author creates a modern declaration of independence in 13 sections that draw on feminist history, current events, and her own experiences as a working woman. Each chapter begins with a "proclamation" that rejects "truths" about women created by patriarchy: for example, that only "a limited number of women...can succeed in the world and that the professional advancement of women is a zero-sum game," or that females must silence themselves in order to be accepted. Palmieri suggests that events and trends like the 2017 Women's March on Washington, the #MeToo movement, and the unprecedented numbers of women attaining political office in the last two years reveal an increased, vocal desire to "even out the power dynamic between men and women." Furthermore, the rise to prominence of older, more experienced women disparaged by patriarchy (and also represented by Clinton) can only benefit society. Indeed, Palmieri asserts that midlife has been nothing but productive and "exhilarating" for her. But because American society is governed by the rules of men, women's continued efforts to better their status have still not achieved the social parity for which such feminist foremothers as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul fought. Inclusivity is at the heart of Palmieri's "declaration," which she asserts is an attack against patriarchal systems rather than individual men. Inspiring and invigorating, this brief, sharp call to action cries out for continued feminist action in order to create an American society based on "equality for all." A provocatively progressive declaration.

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May 1, 2020
In Dear Madam President (2018), Palmieri addressed the hypothetical first female president of the U.S., guided by her experience as former White House communications director for President Obama and director of communications for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Now she expands her audience, encouraging every woman to realize her power. The source of that power is the patriarchy, or, more specifically, overcoming the obstacles that this man's world in which we live places in front of women, who must be admired because they persist nonetheless. Using the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention's Declaration of Sentiments as a model, Palmieri lays out complaints and countermeasures, like resisting tokenism, practicing solidarity at work, and valuing age and experience. As feminist manifestos go, it is pretty tame (she only touches on race and uses the term "man's world" more than "patriarchy"), but it will draw in women who know they have to work harder than their male counterparts, but have a hard time articulating exactly why that is. It will especially appeal to readers who responded to Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In (2013).HIGH DEMAND BACKSTORY: The hundredth anniversary of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the upcoming (all-male) presidential election, and Palmieri's best-seller status will converge to create interest in this title.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)