Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 2018] Jennifer Palmieri

by Jennifer Palmieri

Please Read Notes: Brand New, International Softcover Edition, Printed in black and white pages, minor self wear on the cover or pages, Sale restriction may be printed on the book, but Book name, contents, and author are exactly same as Hardcover Edition. Fast delivery through DHL/FedEx express.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Feminism, Memoir, Audiobook, History, Womens

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Mayra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've thought over and over about the best way to describe this little book and one image of my childhood comes to mind: I am sunburned and my mom gently rubs cold Noxema on my back. Yes, that is precisely how reading this little book felt. Yes, this is an open letter for the women who will run the world, but it is also a heart-balm for those of us who were robbed of our hopes in the 2016 election. This is a quick read packed with emotion.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Could it be that women are meant to go only so far in the world? No, that can’t be it. Women haven’t plateaued; it is the rules we were playing by that are outdated.”

This short little book is a must-read for both women and men. It is inspiring, empowering, and optimistic.

And...

It is also a great book discussion selection, as our Library Book Discussion group discovered.

It is a book that is forward-thinking in that it provides practical advice. The author advises a future generation of women to embrace their femininity as a political advantage in the face of a male-dominated field, but also in other life settings as well.

This book is...

An open letter for the women who will run the world, it is also a heart-balm for those of us needing and desiring hope for the future.

As well as...

A quick read packed with emotion.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2016 US Presidential Election is that indelible mark that will likely be commented upon far past the next such event. Historians are happy to watch the ‘players’ bandy their own theories about for the time being. Jennifer Palmieri, a senior member of the Clinton Campaign, pens this short piece in the guise of writing a letter to the future first female President of the United States. In fact, it is her own mini-memoir and soapbox statement about the campaign, the issues, and her involvement in the political process. She explores how this fictitious first female POTUS will have to embrace her difference from all past holders of the office, rather than try to downplay it. She speaks of how said POTUS will have to rise above the fray and face verbal bullets along the way, as well as some of the poisonous attacks that Clinton took from the Trump fans. This elusive POTUS will also have to strive to be better and look back on what came before her, seeking to better the institution and the country, while staying true to herself and her family. Overall, Palmieri needed a place to vent her frustrations about being so close and so far from being able to pen this letter to her own boss after 2016. A decent account of personal stories and sentiments, though by now the entire process has been so over-examined that without something new to offer, the narrative blends in to all the other pieces that fill bookstore shelves.

I will be the first to admit that I was not pleased with the end result of the 2016 US presidential election, for more reasons than one. However, I have read many of the books on the subject, from both academics and laypeople, campaign staffers and candidates, which has given me some detailed—and exhausted—insight into the process and the end result that November night. In the end, there are reasons that things turned out a certain way, some of which are being investigated at present. However, there seems to be only so much that can be said and so many ways to blame a fool. We must look forward to heal and while Palmieri wants to, she’s still wrapped up in some regurgitation that does little to move the discussion forward. Developing a book about an open letter to a future presidential election winner is good, though the true content of this piece is less about the uplifting newness of the process and a way to bitch about why Clinton could not hold that role. It’s ok, bitterness is likely still concentrated in the veins of the campaign workers, but they will need to shake some of it off and look to 2020, when there is a new chance to slay an old dragon. Palmieri has some interesting perspectives, having worked with some strong-willed characters in the realm of US politics. But, these are used as anecdotes to create a mini-memoir about her own life, rather than constructive ideas for a yet to be identified winner of a presidential election who will go where Clinton could not in 2016. May that woman be great and intelligent, as well as keen to govern, but may she also not sit around and kick the can about lost opportunities forever.

Kudos, Madam Palmieri, for a decent insight into your life and experiences. A brief read, so the experience is not overly time consuming or troublesome. You communicated well with the time given to examine the subject matter.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. The author provided valuable information for future female leaders, and I will continue to support intelligent, progressive women who run for public office. However, the book's path was distracting when it went off topic by elaborating on the author's personal and family struggles as a paid consultant to Hillary. I would have preferred a clearer road map for young women seeking a career in politics.

[Monica Kim | Musings of Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could it be that women are meant to go only so far in the world? No, that can’t be it. Women haven’t plateaued; it is the rules we were playing by that are outdated. — Jennifer Palmieri, Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World
.
.
Jennifer Palmieri’s “Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World” is a must-read for all women and men, it’s inspiring, empowering, and optimistic.
.
"My book explained what happened and where we need to go from here. Jennifer Palmieri picks up the ball and runs with it in this book. It's about being a woman, working for a woman, and telling the stories of the personal and professional ups and downs that all women need to hear as we chart our individual and collective futures."― Hillary Rodham Clinton
.
As the former Director of Communications for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, the White House Communications Director for President Barack Obama, and various other politicians, Palmieri has been in the frontline of politics of many years, not to mention, campaigning for what was probably the most gruesome & consequential presidential campaign in the history. This book is essentially an open letter to the women who will be our first women president, thank you letter to Hillary Clinton, and empowering letter to all women looking to leave their mark in the world.
.
Short, but powerful and well-written, Palmieri reflects back on campaigning for Hillary Clinton and her time & experience in politics, with some personal stories interwoven. I find her deep-reflection & analyses of double standard during Hillary Clinton presidential campaign very insightful & painfully honest. She believed until recently that women’s equality fight has be won & done, but after the election loss, she started to see almost everything about the public’s perception of Clinton through the gender factor. I just had goosebumps writing that, lol. Palmieri opens up about how it felt for her during the campaign, the unprecedented personal attacks against the candidate, and the loss on election night. Let’s be real, things were not easy for Hillary, whether you like her or not. I’ll never forgive James Comey, although that wasn’t the only deciding factor. But to be the most qualified presidential candidate in the history, and to lose to the least qualified reality show celebrity 🍊🤡, it’s one ridiculously painful loss. I hope that we learned our lesson, and we certainly cannot afford another disastrous outcome in 2020.
.
This isn’t a gossipy, “what-ifs” tell-all kind of a book, rather a book of forward-thinking framework inspirational & practical advice for all women. Palmieri advises a future generation of women to embrace their femininity as a political advantage in the face of a male-dominated field, but also in other life settings as well. As painful the loss was, Palmieri wraps it in a empowering & positive note and as a learning experience. I really like the different styles of books & writing coming from Obama & Clinton staffers. Everyone writes in their own voice, style, and personality, and it’s interesting to read how they each experienced their time in politics differently. She could’ve easily write a memoir-type of a book, but I thought this format was really creative & right way to deliver her story & core message. I am looking forward to reading many more books by the staffers on my TBR list. You know what I’d love to read, a memoir by Hillary’s aid, Huma Abedin! Oh boy, that would be a good one. 🤣 This book, at times painful, but overall, a wonderful, inspiring read. I’ve actually never heard Palmieri speak before, but her intelligence, experience, and personality were deeply felt. Highly recommend it!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Palmieri was the director of communication for Hilary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. This book is a letter to any future woman president. It is also about the perils Clinton faced during the campaign as a woman persuing an office that tradition has reserved for men. Palmieri shares many insights that can help any woman seeking a leadership position. She is honest about the prejudices and biases a woman seeking power will face. She believes it is an "upsetting of the natural balance to upend the patriarchy" that is at the root of the problem.

Much of her advice is similar to that of Mary Beard in her book, Women and Power. "When it comes to pleasing the masses in a patriarchal society, women seeking power can't win playing by the old man-centric rules. This is why we should stop expecting to find ourselves reflected in our country's history and models of power, and write our own story." Palmieri believes we are hurting ourselves if, in the future we continue "to play a niche role in a workplace built for men".

Jennifer Palmieri's message is powerful and hopeful. I am heartened by her words, but the 2016 election shattered my optimism. Perhaps a U.S. president will be a woman in the distant future, but in 2020? Only in my dreams.

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Despite this being a best selling non-fiction title, I had never heard of it before seeing it on NetGalley. Being someone who has only been learning about American politics since 2016, Jennifer Palmieri wasn't a name that was familiar to me.

I have to say I was disappointed with this book unfortunately. I don't feel that the title, and especially the subtitle 'An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World', is indicative of what the book actually is. Jennifer Palmieri runs through her own experiences as part of the Hillary Clinton campaign and expresses what she thinks happened during the presidential election. Only the very end of each chapter is really addressed to 'Madam President', a future female president. I felt that the book is sold as an uplifting letter to women who aim for greatness, but sadly this felt like Palmieri airing her shock and sadness at the outcome of the election. She even mentions Hillary's What Happened in this book and as harsh as it sounds, I think the author is covering much of the same ground as Hillary Clinton did in her previously published account.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't really recommend this. Though I feel that the intentions were good, the execution was lacking and I feel that there are other books out there that would do the intended job better, uplifting women and inspiring them to enter politics.

[Natali · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll understood pretty early on in this book that she needed to write this for her own sanity and mindset as much as for the rest of us. The author was one of the main employees of the 2016 Clinton campaign. This isn't really a postmortem of that campaign, although there is some of that. More, this is a mantra of how that campaign was just a page in what could be a much better novel for all of us, not just women. I think she is saying that she has wisdom to share and we all do and it is time for us to share for the collective good. I appreciate that she did this. I wish we would all have the gumption to share and inspire in the spirt of this book.

And for those who will accuse her of whining about a Trump win, read the book. That isn't at all what this is. And if you are inclined to think so without reading the book, we probably shouldn't be GoodReads friends or any other social network for that matter.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heartfelt book of advice from Jennifer Palmieri, Hillary Clinton's 2016 Director of Communications, as well a former Obama and Clinton White House staffer, to the woman out there who will eventually be our first female president--and really for any woman in the workplace or in the world. It's also a memoir of sorts, as Palmieri relates stories of her time as a woman in politics and the ways that gender impacted the Clinton campaign. Overall, a really lovely and hopeful piece about the heights women can and will reach.

*Used for PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge prompt "A book about feminism."

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is empowering and encouraging. It is thoughtful and interesting. It speaks to the ways we as a country, but especially as women, can learn from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and uses those experiences to encourage and guide our future female president.

one of my favorite lines says, "a woman can be both strong and emotional." To which I say AMEN!

I highly recommend everyone read this short book. it will encourage and uplift you.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my review.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book has some really great quotes here and there that I think get her point across, it was a little all over the place and not exactly what I was expecting. I spent a lot more time listening to how she felt about the 2016 election and her personal ties to political leaders than I did feeling empowered as a woman, which is what I assumed was the purpose of this book.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a hard week. Politics has me down in the dumps. But in wanting to share my review of Jennifer Palmieri's "Dear Madam President," I felt hopeful again re-reading this quote below from the book. It reminded me of how I optimistic I felt with almost every page of this slim little read—a book that's equal parts memoir about Palmieri's experiences working for Obama and HRC and a story of inspiring positive change. If this excerpt fires you up, then I recommend you give this one a read!

"Women haven't plateaued; it is the rules we were playing that are outdated. We are learning to appreciate that with this [political] uncertainty comes an empowering new sense of possibility. I look around at all that women are doing in America today and I'm inspired. Women aren't just running for office in record numbers, they are winning in record numbers, too ... So you see, Madam President, having survived the unprecedented scene in the movie where the world exploded after all, we can now write our own happy ending. From now on, we will decide what is possible for us. This movie ends with women running the world."

[LuCee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very rarely review anything. I'm content to read and give a star rating for my own use. It jogs my memory and allows me to go back and read again the books I truly enjoyed, and for whatever reason, connected with.

This book, Dear Madam President, is different. And this 'review' is just me reminding myself why it got me to write a 'review' at all.

Disclaimer - I'm not American, so this political climate in the United States is not personal for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely fascinated with it. I keep thinking this is HISTORY happening right before my eyes. I assumed most people in this day and age were just too cynical, had access to vast troves of information and would never blindly follow anyone who promised they alone could fix it all. Well color me stupid, I thought we were all smarter than that.

This book gives me hope - hope that maybe, just maybe, we are smarter than that.

Dear Madam President is beautifully written, inspiringly so. Written as an open letter to some unkown person in the not to distant future (god willing), it's a reminder to every child, woman and man, that there is hope. That we are the hope.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my state's primary election - this year - I voted for a highly qualified woman. She has been Governor of South Carolina and the Ambassador to the United Nations. Her name is Nikki Haley and I don't regret that decision one bit.

What I do regret is reading this book.

I found the author Jennifer Palmieri slightly angry, self - centered and a bit of a whiner.
When you have those 3 elements you usually in most cases will not get a very good book.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very powerful , uplifting and inspirational book ! READ IT!!

Although this book was written as a letter of advice to the first woman president it can easily be interpreted as intended for all woman seeking a leadership position in their chosen field or their life. Words of wisdom and encouragement abound, exuding positivity that can be transposed for appropriate applications.

Whether you are in seeking leadership or just control of your own destiny this is a great quick read!

(Or a 2hr audiobook)

[Leena Dbouk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. I feel like the title is a little misleading. This is more of a semi-memoir of Palmieri's experience losing the 2016 election.
Personally, I would have liked something a little more academic such as "We Should All be Feminists" which I found to be more thoughtful. This will appeal to many readers/voters/feminists though. Just know that it is more a look at the Clinton campaign's loss than a letter to future woman president.

[Raven · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely Delusional. She lost. Get over it.

[Jos Nose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond empowering. This book makes you feel invincible.

[Brandee Taeubel · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Nothing draws fire like a woman moving forward.”

[Wendelle]

This is mostly a spirited defense and for-the-record account of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign rather than a letter actually dedicated to anticipating the needed advices of a future Madam President, but no one can begrudge this for two reasons: i) Hillary received so much slander and vilification that a corrective record should be released to burnish her legacy to reflect her actual person and achievements; ii) the catalog of attacks that Hillary received reached exaggerated heights precisely because she was a woman, whom the world and media circus perceived to be exceeding her rightful portfolio, so a precise documentation and template of her strategies and hurdles would be helpful for the next female presidential candidate to know and be prepared for. As Palmieri asserts, Hillary's experiences of manufactured charges and conspiracies could typify the sexist hurdles coloring the experiences of women aspiring for high political office.

[Vruksha Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t love the book, but I get it. I relate to it. It’s a quick read, although based on the 2016 Election campaign, author tries her best to not make it politically heavy. There are nuances from different parts of her life, which makes it easy to relate and adds in that extra perspective on her opinion of the the current and future woman world.

[Devin · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first book in my new "hate read" tag. I knew I would hate this book as soon as I picked it up. So why did I read it? Because I'm tired of always reading books I know I'll like. I needed a change. And also, because I am so flabbergasted at the rise of "resistance literature" that has popped up in the last four years, completely tone-deaf to the real issues at hand: the u.s. as a capitalist-imperialist empire.

This book is garbage. Its a 175-page praise of Hillary Clinton, arguably one of the worst people alive. It is propped up to be an open letter to a future woman president -- and that there lies the problem -- Palmieri is a liberal feminist who believes that the solutions to the u.s.' problems would be to elect a woman. It doesn't even matter her political party -- Palmieri is fine, as exemplified in the opening lines, with a right-wing woman in office. But what it really focuses on is Palmieri's frustrations with the HRC campaign, how she should've won, and occasional splices of her personal life.

This book's format is supposed to provide all of these anecdotes as a way to assure the future woman president of the hardships she will face. What it really is is a proclamation of HRC's "can-do-no-wrong" campaign, and also annoyingly, Palmieri's resumé -- she REALLY wants you to know she worked in the white house for 24 years. She really wants you to know she is friends with Barack Obama. And that YOU, future woman imperialist, can soar to great war criminal heights too if you just apply yourself and be bold!

Just a dreadful book. Hillary Clinton is a monster, not because she is a woman, but because she is a bloodthirsty killer who has contributed majorly to the intertwining of "feminism" and "imperialism" together.

[Shantel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected from the title. I thought it was suppose to be about empowering women. It was more about the ladies story about working with the Clinton campaign. I would only recommend if that's what you are looking for.

[Begum Sacak Sarilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of its kind and that's why I liked it for the most part. Written for "female" presidents or leaders of the future, the book inspires women to pursue their dreams and explain potential hurdles along the way by drawing from the 2016 election campaign.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some good advice moments/good quotes in here but overall I was not a huge fan of this book. I was gifted this book by a family member and thought I knew what to expect going in, but somehow it was worse? I felt that this “letter to the female president” would be filled with more empowering advice for women in general. However I felt that this was more of a memoir about the author’s (very successful) work history + stories from HRC’s campaign trail. I think those aspects are necessary to carry out a book like this, but the way it was presented seemed extremely disorganized. Also at one point the book states HRC was the first woman to run for Senate and the first woman to run for president, neither are true.

This also felt like the author was trying to convince me she was still hopeful, though I don’t think she was genuine. I agree it is hard to remain hopeful, especially at the beginning of the trump era, but if your messaging was hope for the future female leaders of this country, I did not feel it.

Finally, part of this felt like an apology to HRC, her colleagues, and the women of the US if I’m being honest, even though she explicitly stated she wasn’t doing that. Interesting to read about these stories, especially from someone who works in the same field, but misleading. Here are some quotes I enjoyed:

“We have learned to stop searching for where we fit into history because we are writing our own story”

“Don’t fall into the trap thinking that any cause or battle you take on has to be won in order to have been worth doing”

“And if men refuse to see you as an equal and you aren’t able to beat them or join them— then just ignore them. Don’t let anyone, man or woman, decide if you matter. You know you do.”

“I have found that in the simple, act of living with hope, and the daily effort to have a positive impact on the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious.”

[John Brinsley-pirie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the insights from people who worked on campaigns that became pivotal political moments. The Clinton campaign has come under enormous scrutiny and, in at least some part, from influences that have incentives that are unhelpful to understand how things actually operated.

Media portrayals of the campaign always appear to be tailored for some editorial view and political commentary is understandably loaded.

This book, while clearly and obviously from a point of view that is not neutral, is glorious in its openness to that. The author isn’t trying to make a case, rather she is articulating an appeal to the political instincts of the public and showing the reader the experience of being at the end of a divisive and mediatiaed campaign.

The emotional burden of the event is clear and the presentation of it is moving and compelling.

[Katie Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting it’s short, but powerful. Jennifer Palmieri writes with clarity and compassion, reflecting honestly on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, the missteps her team made, and the broader cultural forces that led to Trump’s election. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything, which makes this feel more like a reckoning than a memoir.

What really stood out was how she wrote to the future first woman president, whoever she may be with both wisdom and hope. It felt personal and universal all at once, like a timeless guide written in a kind, steady voice. DC’s shock post 2016 is palpable here, but so is the deep belief that progress is still possible. Just not in the way politics has always been done.

This book meant a lot to me, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read What Happened By HRC because I didn't want to get depressed and angry for that many pages. This book was the perfect size for me. I enjoyed reading about how Hillary was so concerned throughout the election but l also liked when the author talked about how inclusive President Obama was to women. I also loved her reminiscing about Elizabeth Edwards. I had forgotten how much I admired this woman. She was such a strong force and inspiration to me.
So thank you, Jennifer Palmieri, for allowing me to become hopeful and excited for the first woman president.

[Mitzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nod less, cry more!

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empowering book for women in general not just in politics!