Finding My Voice

My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward

By: Valerie Jarrett

Narrated by: Valerie Jarrett

A New York Times best seller

Finalist for the NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Literary Work"

"Valerie has been one of Barack and my closest confidantes for decades.... [T]he world would feel a lot better if there were more people like Valerie blazing the trail for the rest of us." (Michelle Obama)

"The ultimate Obama insider" (The New York Times) and longest-serving senior advisor in the Obama White House shares her journey as a daughter, mother, lawyer, business leader, public servant, and leader in government at a historic moment in American history.

When Valerie Jarrett interviewed a promising young lawyer named Michelle Robinson in July 1991 for a job in Chicago city government, neither knew it was the first step on a path that would end in the White House. Jarrett soon became Michelle and Barack Obama's trusted personal adviser and family confidante; in the White House, she was known as the one who "got" him and helped him engage his public life. Jarrett joined the White House team on January 20, 2009 and departed with the First Family on January 20, 2017, and she was in the room - in the Oval Office, on Air Force One, and everywhere else - when it all happened. No one has as intimate a view of the Obama years, nor one that reaches back as many decades, as Jarrett shares in Finding My Voice.

Born in Iran (where her father, a doctor, sought a better job than he could find in segregated America), Jarrett grew up in Chicago in the '60s as racial and gender barriers were being challenged. A single mother stagnating in corporate law, she found her voice in Harold Washington's historic administration, where she began a remarkable journey, ultimately becoming one of the most visible and influential African-American women of the 21st century.

From her work ensuring equality for women and girls, advancing civil rights, reforming our criminal justice system, and improving the lives of working families, to the real stories behind some of the most stirring moments of the Obama presidency, Jarrett shares her forthright, optimistic perspective on the importance of leadership and the responsibilities of citizenship in the 21st century, inspiring listeners to lift their own voices.

©2019 Valerie Jarrett (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A stirring volume illuminating the power of intelligence and grace...Jarrett narrates her journey from Iran, where she was born to American parents, to the West Wing, where she was one of President Obama's most trusted advisers." (O, The Oprah Magazine)

"Jarrett had charted an ideal path for herself - 'law school, work, marriage, baby, bliss.' Then her marriage...imploded. She was a single mom and a miserable, mediocre associate at a law firm. The separation and subsequent soul searching prompted her to leave the firm and climb into Chicago politics. The rest was history.... Jarrett’s early struggles relay a...life lesson. Her early, mistaken view was that 'it was somehow a sign of strength if I had the self-control to never waver from my intended course.'” (The New York Times)

"[Jarrett] shares the stories you're dying to hear about what it's like to advise (and just hang out with) former President Barack Obama." (Bustle)

Valerie Jarrett Makes it Real

Powerful, honest, insightful. Rare view of the executive level heart and strength. Well done!

Good

If you have read Barack and Michelle’s book then there is not much here outside of her personal life since their lives were closely entwined. Otherwise its a very nice read.

Powerful storytelling

A truly moving book not just about Valerie, but all of the people who shaped her life and their amazing stories. She doesn't been to list out leadership principles or lecture on any topic, she simply tells their stories - and hers - and the result is a book full of powerful narratives that inspire, move, and impart wisdom
Especially for readers like myself whose perspective is more recent, her ability to share perspective across time and culture is especially meaningful in today's climate.

Loved it! Maye

Great book, kept my interest from the beginning to the end. It’s a must read! I highly recommend this book.

SUCH A GREAT READ!

Ms. Jarrett's entire life story is sooo inspirational. If you are true to yourself & work hard, you can accomplish anything

Awesome

I enjoyed the Author, it gave me a new perspective on Valerie Jarrett, who she is and how awesome her life is and what she did accomplish for mankind, getting through all the obstacles as she did working in Chicago and in Washington DC. Thank you Valerie Jarrett for telling your story!

Inspiring Story

I had the opportunity to hear Valerie Jarrett speak in San Francisco. She was a wonderful storyteller. I wish more of her voice as a storyteller had come through in the book. At times it seemed to be a mix of voices — perhaps a result of the editing process. That said, it was interesting to learn more about her life; and I would recommend the book.

Great Read

This book read well to my listening ears. It offered me some beautiful memories of her life and her time in the White House.

Really Good Book!

I really enjoyed this book. Especially loved the inside and behind the scenes look at the Obama campaign and then his administration.

I was Observing History

I loved this book. Valerie Jarrett was the brilliant senior advisor to President Obama. This book is Valerie’s story. We see history being made. We see that an extremely well trained pathologist of color cannot get a job in 1950’s America. He went to Shiraz, Iran and Valerie was born there. Valerie was driven to be “twice as good”; and to live up to her ancestors, icons in the African-American community. We get to know and love Valerie, a woman with the same sort of fears as most of us. It is impossible to think of Valerie Jarrett without thinking of the Obamas. We get an inside look and it is wonderful. I can’t wait to see what Valerie will do next.