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Kamala Harris: Phenomenal Woman
'We not only dream, we do. We not only see what has been, we see what can be. We shoot for the moon ... We are bold, fearless, and ambitious. We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome; that we will rise up.' - Kamala Harris; Inauguration night address
On 20 January 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America, making her the first person of Indian descent, and the first woman to reach this position. This was hardly surprising, for Kamala - the daughter of a breast-cancer scientist Indian mother and a Stanford University emeritus professor of economics Jamaican father - has been known to blaze a trail for herself in her chosen fields.
Fun 'momala' and aunt at home but hard-nosed, unsparing prosecutor and senator elsewhere, Kamala dons many hats. This biography focuses on the micro-histories that shaped Kamala Harris and celebrates her Asian and Jamaican heritage - with special attention to her India connect - and her barrier-shattering ascent as a woman of colour coming to occupy one of the highest offices in the USA.
Chidanand Rajghatta's masterful chronicling of Kamala's life - her rise to candidature, the struggles and triumph in a messy, hard-won election despite coming from a 'non-traditional' background - delivers an inspirational story of a phenomenal woman.
On 20 January 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America, making her the first person of Indian descent, and the first woman to reach this position. This was hardly surprising, for Kamala - the daughter of a breast-cancer scientist Indian mother and a Stanford University emeritus professor of economics Jamaican father - has been known to blaze a trail for herself in her chosen fields.
Fun 'momala' and aunt at home but hard-nosed, unsparing prosecutor and senator elsewhere, Kamala dons many hats. This biography focuses on the micro-histories that shaped Kamala Harris and celebrates her Asian and Jamaican heritage - with special attention to her India connect - and her barrier-shattering ascent as a woman of colour coming to occupy one of the highest offices in the USA.
Chidanand Rajghatta's masterful chronicling of Kamala's life - her rise to candidature, the struggles and triumph in a messy, hard-won election despite coming from a 'non-traditional' background - delivers an inspirational story of a phenomenal woman.
328 pages, Hardcover
Published October 28, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 11, 2022
Super disappointing. I am not a Kamala Harris fan and yet I was hoping that this book would build her up. The book is instead, hostile, crude and not well written. It’s not a factual book but rather an opinion based book.
December 30, 2025
Don’t understand the low ratings on this book. I listened to the audio version on Hoopla. It was insightful, thorough and prescient (came out in 2021 but is quite relevant today.)
December 29, 2021
Not having followed the US presidential campaign very closely, the book gave me a view into the current political context…
The book seems to use Kamala Harris’s journey as a backdrop, and attempts to highlight the changing demographic profile in the US - a multi-racial and multi-hued community that is challenging the traditional white nativist outlook… the enormity of the win - the first woman Vice President and that too of colour, and born to recent immigrants - provides the perfect launchpad to inspire others to act on their dreams…
The book leaves you thinking - that for all the progressive image that America portrays, the political system is quite conservative…
I have not followed Kamala Harris’s journey at all - and while her ambition and self-confidence stand out through her political career (from Californian politics, senate and the presidential/vice presidential run), I found it interesting that despite having being brought up by a single Indian mother she has grown up with stronger black connections than Indian… she acknowledges this and sees herself as black… in a sense it provides insight into many of her views and official comments on Indian issues… strange that despite this there has been so much hype around her Indian connect - there is very little that resonates…
Her achievements are big in themselves to command awe, and could inspire many (who relate to her) to think big, to believe in themselves, to have the courage to try, the resilience to work hard, and the encouragement to look forward with hope…
but for me the ease with which she embraces a new identity is not just surprising but unnerving and she fails to strike a chord with me…
ps. The book is readable - though in parts it loses the thread when it interleaves historical data to emphasis how long it’s taken for America to elect a woman… being a biography it portrays the personality as is in the public domain and fails to reveal the person beneath…
The book seems to use Kamala Harris’s journey as a backdrop, and attempts to highlight the changing demographic profile in the US - a multi-racial and multi-hued community that is challenging the traditional white nativist outlook… the enormity of the win - the first woman Vice President and that too of colour, and born to recent immigrants - provides the perfect launchpad to inspire others to act on their dreams…
The book leaves you thinking - that for all the progressive image that America portrays, the political system is quite conservative…
I have not followed Kamala Harris’s journey at all - and while her ambition and self-confidence stand out through her political career (from Californian politics, senate and the presidential/vice presidential run), I found it interesting that despite having being brought up by a single Indian mother she has grown up with stronger black connections than Indian… she acknowledges this and sees herself as black… in a sense it provides insight into many of her views and official comments on Indian issues… strange that despite this there has been so much hype around her Indian connect - there is very little that resonates…
Her achievements are big in themselves to command awe, and could inspire many (who relate to her) to think big, to believe in themselves, to have the courage to try, the resilience to work hard, and the encouragement to look forward with hope…
but for me the ease with which she embraces a new identity is not just surprising but unnerving and she fails to strike a chord with me…
ps. The book is readable - though in parts it loses the thread when it interleaves historical data to emphasis how long it’s taken for America to elect a woman… being a biography it portrays the personality as is in the public domain and fails to reveal the person beneath…
May 2, 2025
I would have preferred more on Kamala Harris` political stance and rise to power and less about the clothes she wore or the food she cooked. I will look for another biography to increase my understanding of this woman`s unique life experience and contribution to current events and history.
November 10, 2021
Ha-Ha-Ha
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews