Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story

by Lis Smith

New York Times Bestseller

An irreverent look behind the scenes of American politics from one of the most sought-after operatives in the Democratic Party

Lis Smith isn’t your average political strategist and Any Given Tuesday isn’t your typical political memoir. At once a revealing look at human nature at the highest levels of power and an intimate portrayal of a sometimes rocky personal journey, it breaks all the rules. Smith doesn’t pretend to be perfect—she owns the controversial choices that landed her in the tabloids, as well as the unorthodox ones that have paid off and defined her successful career.

 Any Given Tuesday follows Smith from her earliest experiences as a college-aged intern to her days as a trusted adviser and confidante to some of the most high-profile politicians in the country—including her star turn as senior adviser on Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign. Animated by Smith’s love for the hand-to-hand combat of politics and sustained by her deeply-held belief that it’s still possible to effect positive change, it’s an odyssey full of highs and lows and larger-than-life characters. Throughout, Smith shows what it’s really like behind the what happens when the lights go down and the cameras turn off, how it feels to be in the eye of the political media storm, and how the people responsible for heady, life and death decisions are as flawed as the rest of us.

While the journey hasn’t always been smooth, Lis Smith has seen and learned a lot—and she shares it all in this eye-opening, entertaining memoir.

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

286 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2022

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best political memoirs I've ever read.

I was biased going in because Ms. Smith was a member of Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign, so I knew how much she'd helped him as part of the communication team. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I enjoyed her stories about other campaigns she'd worked on, as well as some personal relationships that she's had along the way. She also loves football, drinking, and swearing.

I can relate.

What really shone for me was when she talked about working on Pete's campaign. (The chapter where she first meets him is entitled "The One.") Since Pete was my Mayor for eight years, I followed his campaign obsessively, and remember every public moment that she recounted. I was there for his announcement rally at the old Studebaker plant on that cold and dreary April day. I sensed that she felt the same excitement as I did when Pete was leading in an Iowa poll. (My Mom—a Republican—called me to see if I'd heard. I had and felt so excited and weak in the knees that I had to sit down!)

I encountered Mayor Pete several times over the course of his Mayorship and can happily regale anyone with stories of his intelligence, empathy, and decency. It made me feel great to know that Ms. Smith felt that, too. In fact, in her Acknowledgements, she thanks Pete for making her believe in politics AND herself again. (Yes, he really is that great.)

The first time I met Pete, I turned to my husband and said, "He's going to be President one day."

When that happens, I hope Ms. Smith will be part of Team Pete again. If you're a political junkie like me, this is a must-read.

[Malia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more enjoyable political memoirs I have read! Smith is sharp-witted, thoughtful and self-deprecating in this book that reaches beyond politics and into far more personal aspects of her life without it veering into the territory of tastelessness. Recommended!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Smith can come off a little entitled sometimes and I would have liked to know a bit more about her nitty gritty day to day routine, but she does lead a fascinating life behind the scenes on political campaigns that I enjoyed hearing about. Her time working with Pete Buttigeig was especially interesting and left me with the desire to know more about him, which is kind of the point of her job!!

[Matt- History on the Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz Smith is not your typical political advisor you would imagine on House of Cards or some other depicted piece, she's self described as brash, opinionated and has no time for bullshit (She's of New York of course.) But this grizzled vet of Democratic politics wrote on of the most honest and inspiring memoirs I've read. As a political nerd it delivers, as a New Yorker it delivers, even as Jets fan it delivers! But it's the very readable style that Smith writes in that brings the reader in on the secret that makes it enjoyable. Also the way Smith structured the story is great too, every big personal moment is anchored to a professional development and the juxtaposition of career success with personal dilemma was a really interesting setup. Overall I'd highly recommend Any Given Tuesday to the political junkie but to anyone looking for a great memoir.

P.S. Thanks Liz for getting me through Coivd!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the most realistic book I’ve ever read about working on a political campaign - the addiction to the adrenaline, the airy highs and devastating lows of politics, the crazy and unbelievable moments that happen and characters you meet along the way. At the same time, the book takes you on a deeply personal journey that will be relatable for those far removed from politics and campaigns and just want to strap in for a crisply written, sardonically funny journey. I wouldn’t be surprised if this jumps from a book to the silver screen soon.

[Morgan Salama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big Lis Smith fan, but wouldn't recommend this book. Wish it had gone deeper into her strategy/work or went further down the reflective memoir path. Instead, it felt like a laundry listing of semi-famous and famous events.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Very enjoyable and honest behind the scenes view of politics and campaigns.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not here to judge Lis based on the candidates she has worked for, since I know she has made some controversial picks that people (myself included) question (not Pete though <3 I like him a lot and that’s part of the reason I read this memoir lmao). I am here to say that I thought this book was really interesting and well-written. I thought Lis offered some great insights into the campaign world. Coming from someone who can get bored by nonfiction, I found the book very entertaining. It’s generally organized with one campaign per chapter, with some exceptions. She’s had such an extensive career, and she really gets into the nitty gritty details of some of her work, ESPECIALLY regarding Bill DeBlasio. She totally still hates him and is very honest about it. Some of the things she said about him were very funny. I think Lis is a good writer, and I’m glad I read her book! I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a political memoir.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the whole book but honestly the section where she starts working for Buttigieg takes on such a different feeling than the rest. Like suddenly you're sprinting. It's kind of wild for one person to have lived this life--she's one degree of separation from about a jillion people the rest of us will never even be six degrees from. It's also wild to have worked for both Spitzer AND Cuomo, I doubt there was much other overlap between their staffs. I also felt this book helped confirm my general yucky feelings about the Clintons; the way they throw power around is both disgusting and frankly kinda dangerous. (I enjoy anything that helps confirm for me that Hillary being a woman was not the reason I didn't want her to be the candidate.) Bill's hankypanky put a kibosh on some of his ambitions--it's a little scary to think where Hillary might have gone/gotten without him dragging her down a bit by being in his scandalous orbit. I'm not sure she would have always been the most humane president although clearly she would have be better than the fucking bullshit spaghetti monster.

ANYWAY back to the book: Smith has definitely made some bad decisions, and her vulnerability and openness about them is one of the strengths of this book. But it also seems like she's got some pretty damn genius ideas when it comes to executing political strategies.

[Sheris225 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Enjoyable Book. Filled with both practical political advice and campaign wisdom. The author’s own tales from her fascinating life are absorbing. It’s very hard to put down. Lis Smith has worked in key positions on numerous Democratic campaigns for the likes of Claire McCaskill, John Edwards, Bill de Blasio, Pete Buttigieg, Terri McAuliffe and Barack Obama. But this is not an insider’s book bragging about her experience. It is a genuine story about her life from the perspective of someone hooked on the campaign trail. The author’s voice is genuine. She tells of coping with a family member’s demise during a presidential campaign as well as being the subject of the camera’s glare herself. Other Politicos will relate to her as well as learn quite a bit. Nonpoliticos will enjoy the gossip. Highly readable.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this fascinating. Some memoirs are valuable because you get to see inside the head of someone you particularly admire or even identify with. Others are a chance to see life through the eyes of someone with a very divergent life and viewpoint, and walk around in their shoes for awhile.

An interesting look at the post-Trump political playbook and the grueling work it takes to manage a national political campaign.

[Kristopher Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect quick read for my trip to DC. Particularly interesting to me given my past connection with the Buttigieg campaign, but just for juicy political craziness the book is a fun read.

[Lily Ashbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I learnt a lot, disagreed on some fronts; however the book was an easy read and allowed for the reader to get a glimpse into a campaign.

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This became one of my favorite books of the year, as the biography of one of the politics industry's antiheroes. Lis Smith does not believe in moral victories in politics, and from the start you know that an author who frequently tosses around language like "bitch work" will bring you into the political boys' world with a particularly unique lens. It is a wild ride, with many characters that election junkies will be familiar with, and one that serves as a primer for people like myself pursuing this crazy path in life. It is a book that explains to the everyday person what any political operative knows: "The draw of the political game is any given Tuesday."

Lis Smith brings the life of political communications into clear focus. So many legendary Democratic campaigns are covered, including Smith's famed direction of a certain South Bend mayor's presidential communications strategy. Pete Buttigieg is described multiple times as "the one," and it is clear that working on Buttigieg's campaigns for Chair of the DNC and for President of the United States was the shining light of Smith's work. For those who love Pete Buttigieg, you will see him like never before; for those who don't, the same rule applies.

While many authors seek to glorify themselves in their biographies, Smith shares the full truth. Sometimes she may downplay the criminal or nefarious aspects of her candidates, and she defends her position, but she knows how it looks to everyone. Aside from defending Andrew Cuomo during his sexual harassment scandal, she also dated prominent political men like disgraced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Missouri up-and-comer Jeff Smith who went to prison for campaign finance violations. Smith has handled crisis, but she has also lived it firsthand.

This is a book about many things: the absurdity and power of the media, the way the Democratic Party works and how it doesn't, the role of sexism in a somewhat backward industry, and the way in which politics is changing every day. It is also uniquely funny and personal, in a way few nonfiction books are. For my fellow young people entering politics, I cannot recommend it enough.

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my biggest complaints about the Democratic Party is its reliance on "political consultants." Lis Smith sneers at grassroots organizing and yet Ms Professional has a terrible record. She's lost almost every single campaign. Her few winners were laughingstocks (De Blasio) or sleazeballs (Cuomo) who were in non-competitive races to begin with. Instead of trying to promote herself as a girlboss I wish she had pushed the REAL message. The future is local. The backbench isn't going to come from DC politicians but people like Mayor Pete. The Democratic Party has lost two thirds of the country. If it wants to rebuild then it needs to get its groundgame going again.

[Jed Sorokin-Altmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who went to college with Lis Smith (albeit not spoken with her since), it has been a pleasure, but not in any way a surprise, to read news articles over the years about her rise as a powerhouse in Democratic politics. That she’d write an amazingly readable, fascinating, behind the scenes book about her life in politics is the same—no surprise, but a pleasure to read. While I was saddened to read of the sexist attacks she has weathered, I am also impressed by how well she responded to them. And I very much look forward to seeing what she accomplishes in the future.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining read. yes, a little gossipy, but also informative about how communications tactics are used to raise money and activate voters. now.... I need to find one written by the opposite side...

[Anna Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. As a lifelong lover of politics I highly recommend. Lis had stories that were funny, brutal, depressing, and hopeful. Her in-depth descriptions of the candidates who she has worked with are fascinating, especially if you are familiar with the players.

[Amy Girard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love memoirs. I may not agree politically, but a very interesting read about campaigns and politics.

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I started this book not being a fan of Lis Smith, & hoped that I would finish it with a newfound respect. I didn't. Her career is interesting & she is good at her job, but I was frustrated by the lack of accountability in reflecting on her own choices. She writes as though she was shocked about the way her relationship with a problematic former boss was covered, without so much of an acknowledgement that she could see it coming. She writes that she has never been treated differently for being a woman, says she's gotten where she is by being herself & outspoken "one of the boys" - but then cites really awful coworker behavior that was "accepted" & how it's wrong for her relationship to be criticized. I wish there was more self awareness, more acknowledgement of her good & bad choices. She doesn't hold back writing some really nasty things about people she doesn't like, but to me that read as vapid gossip when she doesn't turn the same critical lens on herself or the people she does like.

[Ed Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, there are two ways to look at this book. First, the generous way — it’s a thoroughly entertaining, well-told tale of Lis Smith’s love affair with politics (and Eliot Spitzer, but I’ll get to that shortly), which she enters while a sophomore at Dartmouth and eventually becomes a media director and later a political consultant — working for Claire McCaskill, Terry McAuliffe, John Corzine, Pete Buttigedge and eventually President Obama. Lots of fun there. But, at least for me, the ungenerous reading eventually reared its ugly head — Smith kinda represents everything that’s wrong with politics, as she turns important issues into horse races, thinking only about winning and losing rather than the implications of a particular conundrum. Let me emphasize, this is NOT Smith’s fault — it’s how politics works in America. But that doesn’t make it any less icky to contemplate. And speaking of icky, there is her affair with Eliot Spitzer, which becomes tabloid fodder (another thing wrong with American politics) — I am not criticizing her choices or certainly not her right to date whomever she likes, but she’s a young 20-something, he’s an already scandal-ridden 40+ year old man who was also her boss (actually, she also slept with her professor at Dartmouth, so she’s clearly attracted to men who are more powerful than she), and it’s just kinda gross. I wouldn’t comment about it, except that it’s a substantial part of the book. Speaking of which, none of this has any impact on the quality of the book, nor on whether I enjoyed listening to it. But be aware — if you read this book, you will be confronted by this reality, which may or may not turn you off, or turn you off enough to not enjoy the book. I still liked it personally, and I found the author very compelling — but I kinda wanted to shower after I read it.

Grade: B+

[Zachary · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "meh."

Although Smith has had a front row seat and played a part in many interesting elections and interacted with some impressive individuals, the book itself isn't great. It felt like the author wasn't sure what direction she wanted the book to go or what it's purposes was, just that she'd had some interesting experiences and wanted to write a book. Early on, the book is a description of high and low points advising or dating various politicians, then it shifts into a more in-depth description of Buttigieg coming to national prominence, it then shift to a defense of her work with Andrew Cuomo, and ends as a reflection on the lessons she learned from her recently deceased father. There were a lot of directions this book could have gone, but it just didn't do a great job with any of them.

I wanted to like the book, but just didn't. The first half made me want to stop reading, the second half benefited from the Pete Buttigieg campaign, but not enough to get me to like the book. Ultimately, not a book I would recommend.

[Matt Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lis Smith offers a candid look into bizarre moments, Catch-22 situations, and the occasional heroic choices of political candidates she has worked for. Some of these leaders come away looking peevish and unethical, but the tone remains optimistic. If you want a close look at a strong reason to believe that there is a likely leader in the past hopeful presidential candidates, Smith has an inside tip.

[Pearl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lis Smith takes us through many of her life experiences from when she was a student at Dartmouth to being a political consultant with a variety of Democratic political campaigns, most of them losing ones, if those she sites are representative. Some of them short lived and some not. Some campaigns lost almost before they got started and others close and heart-breaking. At least twenty of them, not all detailed in her book.

What I learned most from the stories of her campaign experiences is that she can be brutal if she doesn’t like or respect you.

Chris Christie, whom she encountered when she was on Jon Corzine’s campaign, is described as cruel, rude, and a total asshole.

Bill DeBlasio, on whose campaign she didn’t last, as childish, intellectually lazy, overconfident in his own abilities, and annoyingly condescending. (She got fired when DeBlasio learned she was in a relationship with Eliot Spitzer – yes, that Eliot Spitzer).

John Edwards, who perhaps was her first infatuation with a political candidate, (“First Crush,” she called him) turned out to disgust all of his former campaign workers from his first Presidential campaign. She didn't join his second campaign and gave him no quarter after the details of his affair were revealed: it “wasn’t the disadvantaged vs. the advantaged [his “Two Americas]. It was the people who bought his bullshit and the people who saw right through it. Sadly, I fell into the former camp.” (But she was heart-broken when he withdrew in his first campaign for President.)

Mitt Romney, whom she worked against when she was on an Obama campaign, she describes as awkward, out-of-touch, and someone who destroyed companies, not built great ones.

Andrew Como, “The Prince of Darkness.” “Say what you will about Andrew, but he died [politically] as he lived: with zero regard for the people around him and the impact his actions would have on them.” She doesn’t exonerate his brother Chris, but credits him with being able to pull his brother back from his worst instincts and thinks it’s unfair that he got fired from CNN.

The Clintons. She never forgave them and never had a good word to say about them after they pulled out of fundraisers they had previously agreed to for Claire McCaskell in her first campaign for the U.S. Senate. I'm not sure how she expected them to react after McCaskell said she wouldn't let her daughter near Bill Clinton.

Yes, she can be harsh and unforgiving.

She also can look kindly on politicians she worked for who lost (some were already in office but lost their campaign for reelection):

Ted Strickland, thoroughly decent; Martin O’Malley, “warm, genuine, funny, and smart;” but who wasn’t able to connect when he was on stage. Terry McAuliffe, who made politics fun and was much more than the glad hander he is often represented to be; Barack Obama, who can be genuinely warm and appreciative despite his often cool demeanor. And others, but her warmest praise is for Pete Buttigieg.

His decency, as well of course as his smarts and what he stood for, restored her faith in American democracy and in herself.

I didn’t learn as much about how she became qualified to be a high level communications consultant as I wanted to know. She didn’t study journalism at Dartmouth, although political science was a major. She gives us only vague ideas about what it takes to climb the ladder in the very competitive world of political campaigns. Being on a wining campaign apparently isn’t one of them. She does emphasize personal relations, i.e. cultivating good relationships with the press. “If you don’t feed the beast, it will feed on you.” And she explains why she sometimes worked for people with whom she wasn’t always in agreement: “I do have my core beliefs . . . But they’re my beliefs. I’m not so arrogant and close-minded that I think everyone needs to share them.” At other points, she laments the purity code that has infected politics. She emphasizes staying abreast of the latest communication developments but also decries what a medium like Twitter (X) has done, i.e. demolished the thoughtfulness of news coverage. “It’s reduced politics to a spectator sport, where meaningless minute-by-minute developments are blown out of proportion, turning the smallest of stories into the biggest ones.”

Should I say something about the two failed love affairs she describes in her book? Naw.

[Laurel Osterkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any Given Tuesday had me at its subtitle. “A Political Love Story”. I have lamented that there aren’t enough books about politics that are meant to appeal to women, and that most novels in the “political fiction” genre feature male protagonists, with covers of a man, silhouetted, running away from an exploding helicopter. While Any Given Tuesday is not a novel, it is, in every other way, the type of book I wanted to write when I set out to create Favorite Daughters.

Lis Smith is a flawed but compelling heroine, who is extremely capable and savvy. She has no trouble fighting for a candidate she believes in, and she runs toward conflict, rather than away from it. Yes, she sees herself as an introvert, and describes her bouts with crippling stage fright. Her personal life is messy, but she is pro when it comes to her profession, and the details she describes are fascinating.

Smith’s memoir goes into detail about working for politicians like, among others, Claire McCaskill, Terry McAuliffe, Barack Obama, Eliot Spitzer (with whom she had a romantic relationship), and my favorite, Pete Buttigieg. Each chapter focuses on a different politician, and she uses loose relationship metaphors to title those chapters. McCaskill has the “It Factor,” McAuliffe is the “Life of the Party,” with Spitzer she has “Blurred Lines,” Obama was “The Machine,” and Buttigieg? He was “The One.” Seriously, it was great to find out that Buttigieg is as bright, kind, genuine, and talented as he seems. Reading the section about him made me fall in love with him as a candidate all over again.

Smith also worked for Governor Cuomo, and she describes how at first, she didn’t believe the accusations about him. Smith does not shy away from culpability and she doesn’t make excuses. Her tale is at once human and political, and that is a combination I just cannot resist. “I’d seen the worst of politics up close,” Smith states. “But I’d also seen the best of it.”

I loved, loved, loved this book. I hope we hear more from Lis Smith. Like perhaps another memoir, but this one could be about how she ran a campaign that got Buttigieg elected as President?

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Describes her work on many prominent campaigns, and a bit about her life (relationships with Eliot Spitzer among others, sad story of her Dad's illness and then death).

Appreciated her praising Ohio gov. Ted Strickland for having a psychology PhD!

Quite different from the third-party "Boys on the Bus"-style campaign writing -- everything is about tactical wins/losses for her side, along with who is a loathsome liar (Andrew Cuomo) or an admirable person of conviction (Mayor Pete, Martin O'Malley), not the big picture of the campaign, let alone governance/policy.

As an example, in the 2020 presidential campaign she covers Kamala Harris' going after Joe Biden on busing ("that little girl was me") in debate in about 3 lines, focusing on what a relief it was that she hadn't attacked Buttigieg, as they'd feared after hearing a nebulous rumor before the debate. Nothing about whether she had a fair point, about the story that Jill Biden had a hard time getting over it and accepting idea of Harris as VP running mate, etc. etc.

Sounds like she is quite successful at managing the media, placing favorable stories about her clients etc., but I could have used more analysis even in relation to the horse-race aspect. As a campaign layperson, for instance, I did not understand why an early win for Mayor Pete (Iowa) and one for Bernie (New Hampshire) and one for Biden (South Carolina) meant that Buttigieg had to drop out immediately. Were they out of money? Was South Carolina more similar to and likely predictive of the rest of the states b/c more diverse? She goes much longer on the atmospherics of the next day or two (meeting with Jimmy Carter, march reenactment with John Lewis, drinking beer on the plane while helping write Pete's "i'm out" speech...........) than on explaining what was so final about that one primary loss.

[Haleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Lis Smith weaves together interesting stories about her life as a political strategist/operative on various political campaigns -- from working on Claire McCaskill's MO Senate campaign to Jon Corzine's NJ and Terry McAuliff's VA gubernatorial campaigns, to working for Bill DeBlasio, and for Andrew Cuomo as Cuomo's career imploded, and then leading the communications team for Pete Buttigieg's presidential run.

She touches upon her personal life in self-deprecating ways -- her relationship with a single Dartmouth professor, which began when she was a student at Dartmouth, and that the relationship disintegrated as he felt frustrated by how consumed Smith was with her campaign jobs that took her on the road often, and her involvement with disgraced governor Eliot Spitzer (who she also worked for) and how their relationship became humiliating tabloid fodder after the NYPost secretly tailed her.

Though she briefly alludes to her opinion that the Democratic party's focus on identity politics may have cost them votes, she keeps most of her political beliefs close to her vest. She explains the importance of building good relationships with members of the media in order to get coverage for a political candidate, and gives concrete examples about how the teams she worked with succeeded in doing so.

Smith's passion for politics and her relentless drive to help her candidate win, seeps through each page of this book, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part very intimate memoir and part somewhat cynical campaign reporting and I found the shifts in tone between her personal life and hard bitten politics a bit jarring.

I am not quite what I think of Lis Smith, but she seems like that one person you know who has a new job every time you talk to them, always has a million things going on, and makes your life seem rather boring by comparison.

The biggest insight I had is that people like Lis Smith work in politics not because they are super idealistic but because they genuinely enjoy the thrill. I had always pictured political operatives as super passionate about the issues but by and large this seems to not be the case.

Personally I could not imagine enjoying the lifestyle she describes, so it's a hard to understand how some people find this fun (especially in the beginning when they have to work very hard for hardly any money).

Lis Smith is about the same age as me so the political campaigns she worked on are exactly the ones that happened since I started paying attention to politics

Overall, if you enjoy politics this is a fun read that gives a good insight into how the sausage is made.

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anyone who loves Pete Buttigieg, so therefor, I love Lis Smith. I read a magazine piece on her during Buttigieg's campaign (wish I could remember which magazine) that was uproariously funny detailing her ambition, intellect, bravado, and nearly terrifying alpha male self-confidence. Made even funnier because she's this gorgeous woman that seems almost aloof in her glam looks.

This book details her career as a political consultant to many politicians, including Buttigieg. Honestly, the writing itself reads more like a summary of some events. There's not a lot of heart or soul here, and almost no immediacy. Because of that, you don't quite feel the weight of the grind and burden of a campaign trail in these pages. Nonetheless, Lis is undoubtedly a star and I hope she gets rehired by Secretary Mayor Pete when he runs for president again. They make a great team. And after he wins, can she please be his press secretary because Holy God, I would PAY to see that!

No idea how to rate this. So, 4 stars because I love Pete!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was about to abandon this book after 2 chapters and give it a 2 star review. However, I’m glad I stuck with it.
The editorial choice to “start at the end” (her time with Cuomo) did not work for me at all. I found it very confusing and unclear if this is a chronological autobiography or a chapter based “highlights” book. Ultimately I can discern, the book is made up for sound bites and short summaries of Ms Smith’s biggest political campaigns.
The writing is fast paced and honest. It’s clear that the book is trying to settle a few political scores and tells her side of the story. It is still entertaining and gives a great insight into the dirty machinery of US elections. It avoids pitfalls of being too democrat or too politician in its own right.
I enjoyed the chapter on Buttigieg the most and glad I got to see her view of this outstanding man and understand the reasons he had to falter.
Ultimately, I’m glad I read it.