Kamala Harris

In a white suit referencing the suffragettes, Kamala Harris takes the stage in Wilmington, Delaware, on November 7, 2020 as the first female Vice President of the United States. Her words travel around the world, and she herself becomes an icon. US correspondent Marie-Astrid Langer gives an insight into the decisive moments in the journey of that took this daughter of immigrants to her position as the most powerful Black woman in Washington.

Her mother is from India, her father from Jamaica, both came to the land of opportunity to study, both were active in the civil rights movement, and so Kamala Harris was born to fight for equality from day one. As someone who lives amidst the harsh reality of the Black communities in California and leftist intellecutals, she develops her political thinking, her commitment and her ambition early on. And with a vision of freedom, tolerance and justice that is deeply shaped by African-American history, she sets out on an unparalleled ascent that threatens to fail more than once due to a country’s contradictions and inequalities.

»Langer uses … her … wealth of knowledge and observations to create a worthwhile account that is as cleverly analysed as it is entertainingly written.« Viola Schenz, Süddeutsche Zeitung

»With this new portrait about [Kamala Harris], Marie-Astrid Langer has written an extremely multifaceted and brilliant book.« Dieter Kaltwasser, General - Anzeiger

»Langer ›explains and defends‹ Kamala Harris’s decisions and developments and highlights the parallels between Harris’s personal and political development.« Josefine Hüttisch, an.schläge - Das feministische Magazin

»Langer retraces everything, without forgetting to also shed light on the darker sides in the life of this politician.« Martin Hanser, Austria Presse Agentur