New Delhi: A new book written by Chidanand Rajghatta, journalist and author, traces the life and rise to power of “phenomenal woman” and US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Published by HarperCollins India, the book Kamala Harris: Phenomenal Woman will be released on 28 October on ‘Softcover’, ThePrint’s online venue to release select non-fiction books.
In its entirety, ‘Phenomenal Woman’ focuses on several aspects of Kamala Harris’ identity and her political career, including her involvement in California politics and the Senate prior to her presidential run.
As opposed to going in chronological order from the early days of Harris’ career, however, Rajghatta begins the book by focusing on Harris’ biggest moment — her ascendancy to Vice Presidency in the four years that followed the election of Donald Trump as the US President in 2016.
“From her pulpit in the senate, Kamala critiqued each of [Trump’s] policies – beginning with her very first speech, which was on the Muslim ban – reflecting her own expansive upbringing and the liberalism of California. She set herself up to take on Trump. She was the anti-Trump,” Rajghatta writes.
Rajghatta then continues to trace Harris’ footsteps following Joe Biden’s election victory and presidential inauguration in late 2020 to early 2021, from her remarks to her wardrobe and shoes she wore, representing her cultural identity.
“For little girls of colour across the country, 20 January 2021 was an epiphany – a moment that embodied what they could become,” Rajghatta writes.
Rajghatta is a journalist and political commentator based in Washington DC, and is the foreign editor and US bureau chief at The Times of India. His previous works include The Horse That Flew: How India’s Silicon Gurus Spread their Wings, and Illiberal India: Gauri Lankesh and the Age of Unreason.
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