A bit dry and slow at times, but I enjoyed learning more about Klobuchar's roots and early life. ( )

When a politician runs for president, they usually write a memoir. I have many of the ones written by men, and now I am starting on the ones written by women. No reason why except I read them as I can either win or afford to buy them. I do this in order to a better informed voter and to get a feel for the intellectual ability and background.

I like to know where people are from and the author, Senator Amy Klobuchar did cover her childhood, relationship with her parents and her heritage from Slovene and Switzerland. I very much liked that she got kicked out of school for wearing pants and that she is proud of both parents. Although she talks about meeting, their courtship and their wedding on a very hot day, what really stood out to me was the birth of her daughter, Abigail. The couple went through a lot of worry about her daughter's survival, but they like her daughter took it in their stride and Abigail is a healthy woman today.

Then a good portion of the audiobook centered on politics, and I was very happy to learn that she works to pull opposing sides together and works with both political sides to get things that she is invested in getting down, issues like Medicare, protection of children, actions against sex trafficking and making sure that children through adults and educational opportunities. Although always ready with a smile, she knows how to stick to the goal and be persistent about working towards it.

I bought this book to satisfy my curiosity to learn more in depth than from occasional television interviews. Her life experiences have honed her grit, determination,thoroughness and empathy. ( )

As a general rule, I don't like political memoirs. The tone of an autobiography is so clearly self-serving when it's written by someone who serves in government office and has to work to retain a positive public image. Even when they're well-done, they rarely contain valuable insight and generally serve as an extended campaign pamphlet. It's also often a telltale sign that somebody is pursuing higher office, which can easily cause eyes to roll.

This book isn't necessarily an exception, but it follows the formula exceptionally well. Amy Klobuchar's "brand" is that she's a typical Midwestern girl, and the book allows her to explore this with more detail. Hearing about her fathers work as a Minnesotan columnist, hearing about her education and political rise, there's real charm and chewy topics to think about. Klobuchar definitely wrote this, or at least had a very hands-on role in it, because it's injected with more personality than most of these books are.

Klobuchar is now obviously running for president, and I read this book due to my own personal support for the senator. However, despite the fact that this is in fact a political memoir and it follows many textbook tropes, it's not just pandering when I say that it's well made. She really has chosen a fitting lane for herself, and as her constituent I can say that her work in the Senate is emblematic of a dedicated public servant. She is truly a Senator Next Door, and learning more about her was intriguing. Even if the book was a bit hollow and stale. ( )