Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines

by Karine Jean-Pierre

A groundbreaking, revelatory assessment of America’s broken two-party system. Rachel Maddow calls it "a brave firecracker of a book."

In a country obsessed with blind loyalty to a two-party democratic system, Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary to the Biden-Harris administration, shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents.

Jean-Pierre didn’t come to her decision to be an Independent lightly. She has served two American presidents, Obama and Biden. In 2020, she joined Biden’s campaign as a senior adviser, becoming Harris’s chief of staff and then two years later, White House press secretary. She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandonment of his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision.

In an urgent, timely analysis, Independent asks all Americans to vote their values and maintain their individuality within party lines. She presents clear arguments and provocative evidence from her time as an insider about the importance of dismantling the torrent of disinformation and misinformation that has been rampant during recent elections and provides passionate insight for ways to move forward.

In a hard-hitting-yet-hopeful critique, Jean-Pierre defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent, explains why it can be worthwhile to carve oneself a political ideology true to personal beliefs rather than a party affiliation, and provides the questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically. As a history maker, veteran public servant, political analyst, and independent thinker, she urges Americans to think outside of the blue-and-red box as we consider what’s next to save our democracy.

Genres: Politics, Memoir, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Audiobook, American History

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2025

Reviews

[Layla AlQaisi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s astonishing that after spending her tenure spewing lies about President Biden’s health and actively minimizing or distorting the truth about the genocide in Gaza, she now expects the public to embrace her redemption arc less than six months later. Her role wasn’t passive….she was an active participant in misleading the American people on issues of enormous moral and political consequence. To now write a book, positioning herself as some kind of voice of clarity or conscience within the Democratic Party, is not only disingenuous…it’s insulting. Accountability doesn’t come from a rebrand. It comes from reckoning with the harm done. She doesn’t deserve to be forgiven, and she certainly doesn’t deserve a platform to rewrite her record.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bye, Bye, Miss American Lie

[DesSaint · Rating 1 out of 5]

An insult to writers everywhere.
Hard to top dumb and dumber.
KJP was the dumbest White House Press Secretary that ever lived.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apologies to anyone who potentially received alerts to my "book updates" as I kept notes during my speed read and while revising this review wayyy down in length. I use Goodreads as a way to kept track of my thoughts on books I've read. I gave this 2 stars, because while I didn't personally enjoy the book, I agree with some of the points she made and the writing was fine.

To be up front, I'm to the left of the Dems with negative opinions of Independents and Centrists (especially enlightened centrists) after growing up in a rural religious Republican household. A lot of those are based on experiences my time working in blue collar fields and dealing with anti-union rhetoric.

I heard about this book when it was announced, people assumed this was another lib swinging to the right to grift. Based on early interviews, it sounded like she was more resentful of the party for Biden being "wronged". Intrigued, I decided to speed read this before the author event.

I had a lot of issues with this book (over 10,000 words worth), but the worst is how she ends up shamelessly arguing the Democrats should have a cult of personality like the Republicans. We should be loyal to the person at the top of the ticket (the incumbent) and when they can't run we should be loyal to the next in line (the vice president). Any issues with those candidates should be ignored, and we should be completely loyal to them.

She doesn't seem to recognize that this is in fact still being loyal to the party with some extra steps, especially when the party leader is almost always the incumbent. Sure, the incumbent was voted on during the previous primary, but sometimes they're actively fucking terrible (like Fetterman). Also, sure, the VP was on the winning ticket, but they were actively chosen by the President and this has nothing to do with being popular enough for the presidency. In 2019, Harris was near the bottom of the primary (hitting 3%) which is arguably more relevant and Biden did little to elevate her position during his term (a position I have held prior to her candidacy). It's entirely reasonable to have concerns regarding this, but she felt discussion about having an open convention was disrespectful. Lastly, the candidate pushed in the previous election aren't always the most popular, but simply what the establishment decided.

The book goes as far as citing the Republican support of Nixon 2 years into Watergate and how Democrats backing Clinton with eventual acquittal. Like, what the fuck?! Are you seriously suggesting we back our candidates that fucking hard? You think the Republicans being okay with Watergate or Democrats being fine with the President sleeping with their 22 year old employee is what we should aspire to be as a party? If not, what was the fucking point of mentioning either as an example?

Overall, she argues Dems care more about the moderates/independents and by becoming an Independent, you too can be heard. For many reasons, she's not actually advocating for you to be Independent. Frankly, I agree with her that Republicans are insane and shouldn't be voted for. But realistically, that means you're still a Democrat, lol.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

She told so many lies at the podium. In this book she proclaims she didnt know Biden was sick. BULL SHIT!Now she says that she and Oprah have left the Democrat party.

What I don’t understand is during the book she keeps mentioning she is gay. (Maybe 100 times or so)What does who you sleep with have to do with your job in the work place? If you are a hooker it might matter. It is so ridiculous how she thinks she should have a higher status then other people because she is a lesbian. If she wants people to take her serious in the workplace, then leave out who you sleep with and focus on business. It’s illegal to talk about sex in the workplace but for some reason they let her get away with it. She needs to stop acting like a victim! She worked in a high position as press secretary of the most powerful office in the USA, The White House. She made more money that most Americans. And she still claims victim hood. It is so outrageous and so out of touch with reality.

[Prince Wynton Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked her mix of conversational and academic tone, and her journey as a Black queer woman in politics was powerful to read. It got a bit repetitive and her loyalty to Biden felt almost too unwavering, but the book’s push for Democrats to actually fight for the Black vote still landed.

[Holli Eller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. And I agreed with the premise of the book but it felt inherently biased even though her concepts were intriguing. Rather than feeling like a book on how maybe this is a time where independent is a better idea and in fact it seems like a partisan argument. It just wasn’t what I expected.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karine Jean-Pierre so eloquently states the obvious, fact check political statements, research nominees & candidates who align with your values & most important (and frankly, most obvious) think for yourself and vote according to what you believe NOT according to any one party's agenda.
I love how she emphasizes that in our current system, voting for a third party presidential candidate is not the best way to create immediate, big changes. But keeping an independent mind & affiliation can get fresh voices to the tables in local governments and also makes Republican & Democrat candidates work a bit harder to prove how they'll work to address your concerns.
I appreciate the candor & truth Jean-Pierre writes with & hope she continues to share her wisdom & influence to help dig us out if the current mess the US finds itself in.

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an interesting book. While most reviews so far are from people judging the fact that she was the press secretary for a democratic president, I will agree with the person who said she's not really independent. She is totally still a democrat, but she wants the democrats to grow a spine.
For those asking why she mentions that she is a lesbian multiple times (and no, it wasn't even close to 100 as one reviewer lied about), it was because it was ground-breaking for that community and was also part of why she was upset when democrats didn't do their part in standing up for that community. Anyway, it is similar to some of the things that Kamala Harris talked about in her book, so if you have already read that, it may seem very similar!

[Loren · Rating 1 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book is very misleading. But actually it’s hard to follow what it’s even about. I guess she’s leaving the Democratic Party now but also acknowledges you can’t really do that in our current political environment. Then she writes a few sentences about some major historical moments of recent times but doesn’t find a thesis so it feels like a way to fill between her own points. Some of the points she’s trying to make are so confusing it’s hard to even navigate. I would skip this one!

[In the Library]

DNF - at 25% there was nothing new here. Doesn’t even feel related to the title.

[Melissa Youngman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The majority of the written reviews appear to come from vindictive (racist) MAGAs. Because they can’t offer valid criticism of the book, they rely on ugly personal attacks and the same old (boring) Trump propaganda lines about Biden’s “health.” To them, I just want to point out that their vitriolic reviews evidence the book’s power. (Such reviews do nothing more than reveal the fear the reviewers have of the author’s voice.) The lack of valid criticism shows that the book is effective. The book provides hope and a call to action to all the people who still have good souls in the US to stand up again, dust off the nastiness of Trump et al, and get back to the work of taking back our democracy with authenticity, intention, accountability, and renewed vigor.

[David T · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author provides the story of the Biden presidency from her time as press Secretary and vignettes from her earlier activities in the political sphere. She covers the ailments in the US political system today and what she thinks needs change. There are also some moderately interesting insights into how the political machinery works, but as expected more on about how PR works than policy.

The writing is OK.. Not great, but not painful to read. The flow feels disorganized wandering from one topic to another and back again.

There are insights on how people embedded in the political machine see the political world; this is important since they are the ones steering the ship! There are lots of complaints about how unfair it is that perception rather than substance plays a big role in electability.

The book is useful food for thought for people with a straight ticket voter mindset. For me maybe it represents some awakening to discontent on the side of the aisle I tend to land on more often. Otherwise it was a not a good use of my time


Now the content critique......

I began the book hopeful: I wondered whether Jean-Pierre’s decision to become an independent signaled a broader shift, because I believe the two‑party system is failing (I became unaffiliated 17 years ago). With noncompetitive districts and primary structure that selects the more extreme candidates for November, we almost guarantee the election of people unwilling to work across the aisle. This fuels the toxic polarization defining my nation atm. (It’s not the only cause, but it’s a major one.)

She was a political animal steeped in visions of The Party is the Way since getting out of school, so I need to remember that and show her some grace.

She provides a primer on being an independent. I was shocked and dismayed when she reveals it was a revelation(??) to her that she no longer had to vote straight ticket. That was a real wtf moment for me. I believed people vote for the candidate they felt most aligned to after learning about them regardless of party. Apparently embedded party animals t shut up and salute.

The belief in political parties came up in other ways:
* While there was mention of how many people are registered democrats v. republican when analyzing the election (and talking about the main problem for Harris was dems staying home in 2024) there was a complete failure to note that the plurality of voters are now unaffiliated indicating serious disaffection with both parties. This is important


* At one point Jean-Pierre states the only alternative to a two party system is autocracy. WTF? Multiple parties in coalition works quite well in parliamentary systems. With the US electoral jungle primaries (all candidates head to head in the primary and the top two vote getters regardless of party face off in November). It would certainly make for more moderates in congress and make getting the party nod less important. Imagine representative voting their conscience instead of towing the party line! (A no party system might be naïve, but I can dream....)

* She spends a lot of energy defending Biden‘s competency and the inaccuracy of press and public perception, and if only the democratic party had trumpeted successes better, Biden or Harris would have won. Image does matter. Humans largely vote based on impressions. Complaining this is unfair doesn’t change that reality.

* Jean-Pierre completely misses the political reality that turn out is driven by voting against someone or fear rather than voting for someone. Telling votes about accomplishments doesn’t mean anything when someone feels disgruntled with how things are.

It’s about turning people out and sadly that has more to do with voter id than candidate policy. This ugly truth means a strategy about claiming accomplishments isn’t going to get very far. It might help turn out the party faithful better, but it will not sway independents. and that is where elections are increasingly won or lost.

[Christopher Selmek · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you know just one thing about former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, it is that she is a black woman. She says it so often on her press tours that it starts to become noise, but I think this is the key to understanding why she continues to champion Joe Biden after everyone else has given up on him.

According to KJP, black women as a group are more progressive and more active leaders in their communities. She does not use the word 'better', but she does make clear that this community includes herself, Kamala Harris, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Because Biden nominated all three of them, that means he is a friend to black woman and has repaid them for decades of political influence. But because the Democrat establishment rejected Biden, and then the American public declined to inaugurate Kamala, this shows that America is not yet worthy of them. By declaring herself an Independent in this book, while still aligned with most of the principles of the Democratic party, KJP is basically saying she wants the Dems to work harder to earn her vote. It's almost as though KJP thinks she can go Independent and take all black women with her.

The most important chapter in this book is her opening Declaration of Independence, wherein she explains what she thinks an Independent is. Basically, an Independent is someone who is interested in primary elections and takes a few extra steps to verify the news they're getting (not a bad thing), while supporting abortion and LGBT rights (the only issues she seems to care about). Joe Scarborough and Oprah Winfrey are Independents, whereas Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not because he has aligned with Trump. Throughout this book, KJP repeatedly describes millions of grieving individuals who were scared that Trump won re-election, but never references the greater number of millions who were persuaded to vote for him. She does say things like "we watched in horror as Trump ran through all the swing states", as though President Trump were some kind of parasitic alien blob taking over people's minds and rendering them incapable of being Independent. It was insightful for me to read her thoughts because it seems to be the way of many leftists in todays political climate - when they look at a MAGA supporter they do not see an individual, they see a cartoonish nightmare version of Trump being allowed to exist because of this voter. In KJPs cosmology all humans are united in opposing Trump, the Democrat Party is one powerful Army aimed at defeating him, but maybe not the best choice anymore.

The second chapter is about Biden's response to the bad debate, which is not written chronologically but swings back and forth confusingly from the campaign to the first time she met him. It illustrates that KJP wears rose-colored glasses that will always see Biden the way he was as vice-president. She mentions meeting with him every day, but not what was said, and barely mentions Kamala at all. The rest is not worth reading and doesn't really say anything interesting.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book expecting a truly unbiased look from someone stepping outside the two-party system. Instead, it quickly became apparent that while this is her story of “becoming independent,” she openly admits that her core values still fully align with the Democratic party and that she’ll continue voting that way. That’s not independence, that’s rebranding.

Throughout the book, she heavily criticized Republicans, calling out lies and misinformation, yet she failed to apply the same scrutiny to Democrats. If you’re going to call yourself a true independent, you need to acknowledge the faults on both sides, and this book simply didn’t. It leaned left throughout, almost functioning as a conservative hit piece disguised as a neutral, introspective commentary.

She even made bold claims such as “The Democratic Party has been taking advantage of Black women for years.” but then failed to offer any real examples, data, or historical context to support that statement. No receipts, no deeper exploration, just surface-level commentary that made those claims feel more like shock lines to sell books than genuine critique.

One section I genuinely appreciated was her commentary on the importance of reaching across party lines. She acknowledged that you don’t have to agree 100% politically to work with someone on shared values or common goals. Coming from someone who’s been so deeply embedded in the political machine, it was refreshing to see even a brief moment of honesty about unity over division, I only wish she had expanded on that more throughout the book instead of leaning so heavily into partisan talking points.

A quote that stood out to me was:

“Some things are beyond politics. We might battle at the ballot box, and disagree on important policies, but one-on-one we can be civil and kind; we can see each other as full human beings, not foes. We can recognize that we all want what’s best for the people we love, and we are all equally entitled to that peace of mind. The partisanship in this country is so ugly.”

This sentiment resonated deeply with me as a true independent, it’s exactly the kind of perspective our country needs more of, which made it even more disappointing that the rest of the book did not reflect that same balanced viewpoint.

By the end, it started to feel like a strategic money grab rather than an authentic political awakening. I appreciated glimpses of honesty and the behind-the-scenes insight, but the lack of true neutrality and failure to substantiate major claims left this feeling disingenuous and one-sided.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw Karine Jean-Pierre's appearance on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Her claim that Democrats had stabbed Joe Biden in the back and dismissal of his abysmal debate performance seemed shocking (Colbert was incredulous), so I wanted to read her book and see what she meant. Unfortunately, it still feels incredulous. It was honestly hard reading about the summer of 2024, and I get how someone who closely worked with Biden could feel betrayed. But her claims felt like a stretch and missed the mood of early 2024. She never mentions the large 'uncommitted' vote that grew during the spring in response to the war in Gaza. Biden had impressive accomplishments, but voters weren't feeling it. That's hard to accept (it was baffling at the time), but it was the reality. Jean-Pierre instead blames it on party infighting noting a few vague examples, when that didn't seem like the cohesive reality of Democrats rallying around Kamala Harris. Ultimately, Jean-Pierre's conclusion was to become an independent, a fine personal choice, but her rationale is practically insulting, accusing Democrats of mindlessly following the party line. She talks of being in a political party like it's an actual club we join and participate in, when I don't think that's the reality for most voters (certainly not me). There are going to be a lot of hot takes on the 2024 election and the aftermath. This is one of the first, and it shows. I was hoping for more, which is why I rate it so poorly and yet have so much to say.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Unlike many of the post-administration reads this is not your typical tell all. In fact, there is very little tell all. It's a frank look at where we as a country have made some wrong turns -- in Jean-Pierre's opinion but on many of them I can relate. Yes, she does talk about her time in the Biden White House, but also her personal experiences with members of both parties outside of the lime light. She discusses her concerns for the future and offers up suggestions as to how things might become better. While she is highly educated and has had a diverse background, not just politically, she writes to the average person. She doesn't talk down or come across expecting you to know what she is talking about without some substantive background. At only 175 pages it was a quick read....I read it in one day because today it was a cold, blustery and damp day and when I sat down intending to read for a half hour or so one of my cats decided my lap looked pretty inviting. When you have a cat who generally doesn't consider hanging out with you to be fun decides he's going to sit with you, you don't move. So I sat and read. It's an interesting book, one I think should be added to high school political or historical reading lists.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was irritated when Jean-Perre first dramatically announced that she switched from a Democrat to Independent. I thought that now is not the time to split hairs. Her personal revelation felt more like something that could be discussed with a therapist vs. writing an entire book about, but then I kept listening.

Jean-Pierre talks about how the Democratic Party is letting us down and shouldn't take our support/votes for granted. She does not suggest voting for non-viable Independents candidates. Most importantly, she speaks firsthand about the experiences of minority voters in America. Black women have reliably and overwhelming been voting D, but are still not trusted and are dismissed by elected officials.

I really appreciate the general spirt of her message - think (and vote) independently and always follow your individual conscience.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been criticized and given a lot of negative reviews because the author is a queer Black woman who is an immigrant and a Democrat who worked for Joe Biden. (How dare she criticize Donald Trump and the Republican Party!)

But I agreed with everything she said about the backstabbing Democratic pressure for Biden to step down and the lack of support from Democrats for Kamala Harris because they thought they deserved the spot (and because she was a Black woman). The author was there, in the trenches, dealing with Biden and Harris every day, and I believe her take on what happened. She was an articulate speaker and is an articulate writer. If you are looking for an insider's point of view, you might want to read Independent.

(All that said, this book could have been an essay. It rambled a bit. Definitely still worth a read.) 

[Susan Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book purports to present an argument to become an independent voter. While I applaud the notion of voting your values and the causes that effect you personally, I didn't really get a compelling reason to forgo a Democratic or Republican voting affiliation. The book was redundant in many respects, but perhaps I follow politics a bit too closely to expect to find "new" information. There was an interesting section on how the While House press office functions and some interesting behind the scenes of the period of time in the late summer of 2024 when Democrats decided to abandon Biden in favor of someone else, but not certain who that should be. I would not recommend this book.

Borrowed from the Island Public Library, Savannah, GA.

[Patrick Hanlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Canadian who puzzles over the collective American hang-up on party affiliation, KJP's declaration of independence in and of itself is a bit of a yawn. For her likely opportunity to bring a great deal of insider insight to the particular era she spent in the White House, she doesn't offer anything particularly incisive or new to the period of history that she is describing. While her declaration of independence and her closing of the book attempts a grand statement on the advantages of lacking a party affiliation and thinking more critically about what is occurring and how to respond to the (dis)information that we are all swimming in, the book will not stand as one of the more significant documents attempting to shed light on this chapter of history.

[Tracey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that really made me think about how neither of our political parties is really serving my needs as an American citizen right now. Jean-Pierre has had a long and impressive career in democratic politics, and the fact that what she saw from the inside led her to become a political independent really made me stop and think.

While I didn't agree with all of her viewpoints, her insider's perspective has really made me stop and think about some things I used to take for granted and question what our lawmakers are doing and what they should be doing to serve their constituents.

The truly sad thing about this book is how many of the people who are leaving negative reviews didn't even read it. It's obvious.

[Kathleen Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great rebuttal to all the hearsay pushed by the media about Biden’s alleged senility. As a result, the media has trashed this book. It is well worth reading. Its point about how the Democratic Party takes the Black vote for granted especially resonated. It was (mostly) White elites pushing the president out despite the fact that he remained exceptionally popular in Black communities.

Of course I have my own quibbles with the book (savaging Newsom while lauding AOC and Bernie was an odd choice in a book about taking the Black vote for granted), but it has some important things to say.

[Niki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book read like an assignment from a teacher that requires your essay to be at least 1000 words; it was very repetitive, including her mentioning over 10 different times that she was not only black but also queer. As a new “independent” I thought we would get both sides of the political spectrum and she failed to deliver. KJP is still a democrat and did not have a balanced argument when discussing issues that Americans care about. Republicans bad, democrats less bad but have a better heart. What a hypocrite. Good luck in your future!

[Vincent · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mama this is garbage. The call is not going through to the house! I agree with the authors critique of the larger Democratic Party, but gorg so is Biden and Harris? Are we going to pretend that Biden hasn’t supported Israel despite their atrocities? Harris too, whose one task was to establish herself outside of Biden, and failed. The answer isn’t to white knight for Harris, Biden, or any politician for that matter. The answer is to support progressive candidates who want to actually help the everyday people.

[Sidney אוֹר · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not wanting to throw away $30, I read through much of the ~170 pages in a bookstore. I leave it to this reviewer, who admirably echoes my sentiments, which after all, are what the Left is all about: Sentiments and kindness, right?
https://freebeacon.substack.com/p/a-b...

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm happy she wrote a book to say everything she needed to say about her time at the White House, but she was very repetitive and said nothing that hasn't been said before. Some of her "be an independent" messaging was contradictory when she stated that independent candidates give their votes to Republicans. Overall, it was an okay but forgettable read.

[Phillip Seeberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t what I thought it would be. And it was much too long considering it could have made a 5 page magazine article. I expected more about the inner struggle of the Democrats in the run up to the 2024 election. It had some of that, but not much name dropping. Most of this is pushing the AOC wing of the party and bashing Trump and Republicans.

[Burt Schoeppe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was embarrassingly bad.

She really is as vacuous as she appeared as White House press secretary.

"To be independent is to be open-minded, willing to listen, gather your own research, and reach a conclusion."

That she used such a self-aggrandizing way to describe herself while not actually fulfilling what she described is both laughable and quite sad.

[Joelette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rating of this book is closer to 3.5 stars. I like the book, but at times the point of it seems contradictory because Jean-Pierre seems to be promoting being independent while still supporting a two-party system.