She Will Rise

June 22, 2020
Former Democratic congresswoman Hill interweaves the story of her own political rise and fall with a call for young women to “dismantle misogynistic institutions” and seek “positions of power” in her forthright and inspirational debut. In 2018, 31-year-old Hill flipped her California district from red to blue and became the first openly bisexual person from California, and one of the youngest women ever, to serve in Congress. In October 2019, a right-wing blog began publishing private photos and text messages in a series of articles alleging that Hill was having inappropriate sexual relationships with staff members. (Hill believes her ex-husband leaked the material; he claims he was hacked.) Hill details the abusive dynamics of her marriage, the thought process behind her resignation, the emotional distress she experienced as the scandal unfolded, and her current campaign against cyber-exploitation. She situates her experience in the context of “systemic roadblocks” faced by women, including income inequality, workplace harassment, and sexual violence, and calls on voters to battle misogyny by putting women “in charge.” A self-admitted “millennial lady nerd,” Hill lightens the mood with humor but doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of her story, or to admitting fault. This unvarnished account turns a devastating setback into a powerful argument for change.

July 1, 2020

Hill (D-CA) was elected to Congress in 2019, winning a seat that was previously under decades of Republican control. She resigned later that year, after becoming a victim of cyber exploitation. After her resignation, Hill focused on empowering women to run for public office and raising awareness of misogynistic institutions. In this debut, she presents an overview of the ways in which sexism and ingrained gender roles have negatively impacted society in the United States. Next, she explores specific areas upon which women's empowerment efforts should focus, including money, workplace, bodies, safety, and home. For each area, Hill describes legislative history, current events, and calls to action going forward. Additionally, she incorporates moving stories from her own experiences, including her service in the House of Representatives, her relationship with her abusive ex-husband, and her decision to resign. Unfortunately, Hill gives only a cursory examination of how these issues affect marginalized communities. She ends with a call to elect more women to public office and encourages readers to take action. VERDICT An empowering introduction to key issues facing women; however, readers familiar with current events will be unlikely to discover new material. For readers interested in feminism and political activism.--Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2020
Hill was once known as a rising star of the Democratic Party, an apt epithet for a novice politician whose meteoric rise to leadership came as a result of her unexpectedly flipping a reliably Republican seat in California's 25th Congressional District during the 2018 midterm elections. Less than a year into the job, however, Hill would go out in a blaze of controversy and scandal when she resigned following allegations of an affair with a female campaign staffer, and the publication of nude photographs on a right-wing conspiracy blog. Married to a psychologically, emotionally, and physically abusive husband, as Hill recounts, she stayed far too long in that situation, held hostage to threats of ruination if she disobeyed. Now out of her house and the House, Hill speaks out about the misogyny and harassment women face at home and in the workplace. Both thoughtful and thought-provoking, Hill unflinchingly takes responsibility for choices and actions that led to her political demise, while also offering sage advice for those fighting for women's rights in this straightforward and candid memoir-cum-manifesto.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)