United

Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good

By: Cory Booker

Narrated by: Cory Booker

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •

United States Senator Cory Booker makes the case that the virtues of empathy, responsibility, and action must guide our nation toward a brighter future.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Cory Booker went to Stanford University on a football scholarship, accepted a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, then studied at Yale Law School. Graduating from Yale, his options were limitless. He chose public service.

He chose to move to a rough neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, where he worked as a tenants’ rights lawyer before winning a seat on the City Council. In 2006, he was elected mayor, and for more than seven years he was the public face of an American city that had gone decades with too little positive national attention and investment. In 2013, Booker became the first African American elected to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.

In United, Cory Booker draws on personal experience to issue a stirring call to reorient our nation and our politics around the principles of compassion and solidarity. He speaks of rising above despair to engage with hope, pursuing our shared mission, and embracing our common destiny.

Here is his account of his own political education, the moments—some entertaining, some heartbreaking, all of them enlightening—that have shaped his civic vision. Here are the lessons Booker learned from the remarkable people who inspired him to serve, men and women whose example fueled his desire to create opportunities for others. Here also are his observations on the issues he cares about most deeply, from race and crime and the crisis of mass incarceration to economic and environmental justice.

“Hope is the active conviction that despair will never have the last word,” Booker writes in this galvanizing book. In a world where we too easily lose touch with our neighbors, he argues, we must remember that we all rise or fall together—and that we must move beyond mere tolerance for one another toward a deeper connection: love.

Praise for United “An exceedingly good book, and an important book, and a reminder of what makes Booker an important and, through it all, a promising public figure.”—PolitickerNJ

“What sets Senator Booker’s work apart from that of similar political books is that it seeks to elevate discourse rather than bring down opponents of the opposite partisan persuasion. This is a refreshing take, one that is truly worthy of study and contemplation.”—The Huffington Post

©2015 Cory Booker (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"As narrator, [Booker] brings the same energy and enthusiasm that he does to his personal appearances and speeches. He reads with passion and conviction, and he uses his voice to urge listeners to take action on the issues he discusses." ( AudioFile)

Great book for all people

Inspiring, real, dramatic. And I am not even a Democrat. Incredible stories of what is going on in society and in our individual lives even, and some brave ways to think about them more robustly.

A great book and audiobook

This is one of the better political biographies I have gone through. highly recommend. this is a book you write 3-5 years before a presidential run.

Great Book!!

The book allowed me to see him not as another politician, but rather as a human being that wants to make a difference. There is a sincere tone in his voice as he tells the story. Totally recommend this book.

Hope for Recovery

I feel the promise and hope of the future through this presentation. My prayer is that we survive until the day when more leaders (all of us) join Senator Booker and all he has shared.

We have

We have the right and the will
To create the corrections and fairness .
Cory we see .

I don't know what to expect but I was fascinated

I know Newark and suburban NJ and found his account fascinating. He's got a bright future of giving...

Inspiring...Hopeful...But not finished

Normally an autobiographical book is dry or boring but Cory Booker managed to present a narrative that was both exciting and inspirational. While I don't agree with all of his politics, his process of becoming the person that we read about on the news is fascinating. I really appreciate how he told the stories of his mentors and friends. The analogies and old sayings that he used will be shared with family and friends for years to come. I even bought a printed version for my son to read before he heads off to college. The value of Senator Booker reading the book is priceless. The expression used as he spoke really conveyed his passion and commitment for the causes that he stands for. The only complaint is that the book did not seem to end on a strong note. While his life is ongoing and his time in the senate has been short, the transition from his personal story to the call to unity was not clear. While as a whole, it is clear that unity is needed to recover but it was not the clear summary of the book. The final chapter was as entertaining and insightful as the others but it did not end on that culminating call to action that should have been there. I know that I have work to do but I wish there would have been more emphasis. Overall though I highly recommend this book.

Great book

I like to listen to books by presidential candidates because it allows me to get to know them better.

A generous dive into 'CoryVille', a true leader

I read a lot, when I read some great books, I read them again like UNITED by Cory Booker.
Its like going deep into the truth of who Cory is and why he serves, pushing past the harsh realities of political slander to rooting for him to be the one who leads.

My dad told me, "The most endangered species in the world is a dedicated leader and if people cared to know more they will".

I am happy to buy and share copies with friends and family.
Here I cried, laughed, learned, connected with the pain of others that I could not comprehend or relate to, and I gained more perspective, hope and trust in a man I barely knew before I touched this book.

With such vulnerable valor, Cory shows you why, one person cannot do it alone. Why, it has to be a collective effort, standing behind one dedicated leader, with a voice and a vision that touches the heart and home of every American.

I wish every one would take the time to read it. It is so worth it.
Even if you do not want to vote for Cory (which I think you should :) ), you will certainly learn a few valuable lessons that will come in handy in your life somehow.

#RESPECT.

A timely reminder that we are all connected

Inspiring, important and very well written, part autobiography, part history lesson and totally worth the read or listen.