Reclaiming Her Time: The Life, Wit, and Wisdom of American Icon Maxine Waters
Author: Helena Andrews-Dyer and R. Eric Thomas
Publisher: Dey Street
Goodreads | The StoryGraph
Click above to buy this book from my Bookshop.org shop, which supports independent bookstores (not Amazon). You can also find it via your favorite indie bookstore here.
Cover Description
In the tradition of Notorious RBG, a lively, beautifully designed, full-color illustrated celebration of the life, wisdom, wit, legacy, and fearless style of iconic American Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
To millions nationwide, Congresswoman Maxine Waters is a hero of the resistance and an icon, serving eye rolls, withering looks, and sharp retorts to any who dare waste her time on nonsense. But behind the Auntie Maxine meme is a seasoned public servant and she’s not here to play. Throughout her forty years in public service and eighty years on earth, U.S. Representative for California’s 43rd district has been a role model, a crusader for justice, a game-changer, a trailblazer, and an advocate for the marginalized who has long defied her critics, including her most vocal detractor, Donald J. Trump. And she’s just getting started.
From her anti-apartheid work and support of affirmative action to her passionate opposition to the Iraq War and calls to hold Trump to account, you can count on Auntie Maxine to speak truth to power and do it with grace and, sometimes, sass. As ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee and one of the most powerful black women in America, she is the strong, ethical voice the country has always needed, especially right now.
Reclaiming Her Time pays tribute to all things Maxine Waters, from growing up in St. Louis “too skinny” and “too black,” to taking on Wall Street during the financial crisis and coming out on top in her legendary showdowns with Trump and his cronies. Featuring inspiring highlights from her personal life and political career, beloved memes, and testimonies from her many friends and fans, Reclaiming Her Time is a funny, warm, and admiring portrait of a champion who refuses to stay silent in the face of corruption and injustice; a powerful woman who is an inspiration to us all.
TL;DR Review
Reclaiming Her Time is an upbeat, vibrant biography of Maxine Waters that’s full of personality. It was a ton of fun to read, and I also learned a lot I didn’t know.
For you if: You are left-leaning, and fan of Maxine Waters (even casually).
Full Review
First of all, big thanks to Dey Street for sending me an advanced copy of this book! And for responding so positively when I requested that they match my copy with another sent to an Own Voices reviewer. It will be published in October.
Reclaiming Her Time is a bright spot in a lineup of books about current events and politics. It’s a colorful, vibrant, funny biography about Congresswoman Maxine Waters — whose nickname “Auntie Maxine” was originally inspired by R. Eric Thomas, one of this book’s authors, in his pop culture column of Elle. (He’s also the author of the excellent memoir-in-essays Here For It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America.) It’s also filled with photos, illustrations, quotations, and more.
Basically, this book is the raised-hands emoji of books dedicated to Maxine Waters. And I’m guessing that Black readers of this book will especially love the way the authors have written a love letter to both Auntie Maxine and the community she has spent her life serving.
Each chapter of the book covers a chunk of time in Maxine Waters’s life, from her childhood to the present day. Interspersed throughout are “Time Out” sections that zoom either in or out — like a timeline of her life, or an overview of her relationship with all the Presidents. I also appreciated that there were chapters on the way she’s been criticized for dressing, and for speaking.
So it’s packed with really good information about our country’s history. I think for many people in their 20s (or younger) — for whom Obama was president when we graduated high school — a lot of the unrest and conversations happening right now feel new. But … they aren’t. And this book is a fantastic reminder that racial justice movements have been happening for decades, and people like Maxine Waters have been fighting for them their entire lives.
Basically, I loved this one and I’m glad I read it. It’s light, it’s funny, it’s positive, and it’s informative. And it will turn anyone into a Maxine Waters stan, I’m sure. Pick up a copy — for your coffee table and your heart!