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Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, by Valerie Jarrett (Viking, New York, NY, 2019, 305 pages).
Book Review by Dennis Moore
As a woman who went from being a quiet girl in Chicago to one of the most visible and influential African-American women of the 21st century, Jarrett’s stories will inspire readers to overcome adversity and find their own voices. “FINDING MY VOICE” is an intimate view of Jarrett’s extraordinary life culminating in a hopeful message that is needed as much today as ever before.
July 5, 2019 (San Diego) - More than 30 years ago both I and Valerie Jarrett worked at City Hall in Chicago, one floor apart, me in the Purchasing Department on the 4th floor and Valerie in the Law Department on the 5th floor. Never in my wildest of imaginations would I have thought that I would be here in California writing a review of her insightful and thought provoking book; Finding my Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward. Perhaps Valerie could say the same about her journey.
I recall those many years ago when I would take contracts from the Purchasing Department to the Law Department to get them signed, and later as a Specification Engineer for the City of Chicago Department of Aviation at O’Hare International Airport, going to meet and talk with Valerie about a contract matter for vehicles and equipment that I would be involved with.
What a circuitous route for both of us to get to this point in our respective lives, but in the case of Jarrett’s route and this revealing and heartfelt book, I marvel at the rich history that she shares with us all. I feel honored to write this review, for so much that has been written by the author resonates with me from my life and history in Chicago. That puts this writer in the enviable position of dissecting the nuances of her life story as she presents it in this well written memoir.
When the author states in her book; “An iconic civil rights leader and one of Barack’s earliest supporters, Bishop Brazier was also my dear friend, and we had spent years working together on the redevelopment of Woodlawn”, also was close to home and resonated with me, for Bishop Brazier was my pastor and friend too. The fact that two of my children were baptized at the Apostolic Church of God, where Bishop Brazier pastored, further underscores the close proximity and circles that Jarrett and I ran in. We actually reminisced in a phone interview this week over the life and legacy of the late Bishop Brazier. President Obama gives his famous Father's Day speech at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago. Click here to view and listen to.
I actually saw and experienced the fruits of Jarrett’s labor in the redevelopment of “Woodlawn” that she writes about, as the once blighted area around my church (Apostolic Church of God) is now surrounded by beautiful and affordable homes, and the distraction of the “L” tracks have been removed.
This book, Finding My Voice, reveals so much about Jarrett’s family history, which will be surprising to some. The fact that she was born in Iran, and the circumstances of how that came about is a story in and of itself. Jarrett being born in Shiraz, Iran and spending the first several years of her life there, due to her father’s disenchantment with segregation and the treatment of blacks in Chicago and America, actually adopted some of the customs of Iran and initially spoke the Persian language of Farsi. From the early photos of Jarrett displayed in the book, she seems to have had an idyllic childhood in Iran. Jarrett is pictured here at an early age with her loving father.
Jarrett, in her own words talks about her early years being born in Iran; click to listen here.
A particular anecdote worth noting after leaving Iran and settling in Chicago, states: “Despite knowing French and Farsi, I refused to speak any language but English. My mother was proud to have mastered a new language. She often spoke Farsi when we were out in public and she didn’t want people to understand what she was saying. But when people turned to stare, I would plead with her to stop.”
Jarrett makes a profound revelation in her book; “I’m often asked why I was born in Iran. My father once said I should tell people, ‘Because that’s where my mother was at the time of my birth.’ But that answer never seems to satisfy anyone, particularly border guards and customs officials. The truth about why we were in Iran is somewhat complicated, but what it boils down to is really quite simple: we were there because my father was black, and he needed a job.” In a phone interview with Jarrett just this week, she repeated this explanation to me.
Leaving Iran and coming back to Chicago around the age of five, Jarrett and her family would settle in an area on the Southside of Chicago known as Bronzeville, where many of her other relatives and affluent blacks such as Jewel Lafontant the first black deputy solicitor general under President Richard Nixon – she was her family’s one Republican and their block on Greenwood, where the Obama’s now also have a home today, bears Jewel’s name on a street sign.
The author also indicates in her book that the area had its share of celebrity residents as well: musicians like Nat “King” Cole and Quincy Jones, the poet Gwendolyn Brooks, and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. I actually lived in the same general area for a brief period on 47th and King Drive more than 40 years ago.
Jarrett speaks of those formative years of her life in Chicago: “My first memory of encountering racism is from the age of ten, when my parents sent me to an all-girls sleep-away camp in Michigan. I was the only black girl there, and on the very last day of camp, as I was packing my clothes, this one girl with whom I’d become good friends started talking to me about what a fun time we’d had, and then out of nowhere she suddenly blindsided me by blurting out, ‘You know, I thought you were a nigger when I first met you. I’m really sorry.’ I froze. My face turned bright red. Did I want to lash out in outrage? Nope. All I wanted to do was get out of there as fast as I could. In my overactive imagination, I pictured myself saying, ‘Oh, but I am!’ only to have her beat me up the way the black girls had done five years before. So I didn’t tell her the truth. I just mumbled something like ‘Oh, that’s too bad.’ Then I finished packing and was anxious to leave. I never mentioned it to my parents or to anyone else. I was too ashamed. Fifty years later, I’m still embarrassed that I let her insult me that way without confronting her and telling her the truth.”
Jarrett makes a poignant and significant point in Finding my Voice, the election of the first black mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington. She states: “Mayor Washington had big ideals and a grand vision of humanity, a vision that I wouldn’t see realized on a much larger scale until twenty-five years later, on election night in 2008, when people of all kinds and all races gathered in Grant Park to celebrate Barack Obama’s victory. As President Obama himself has often said, ‘Had there not been a Mayor Washington, there might not have been a President Obama.’”
It should be noted that a lot of people were instrumental in Harold Washington becoming Mayor of Chicago, with Jarrett indicating in her book that she had volunteered in his campaign, knocking on doors on Election Day to turn out the vote. And I, as the 1st Vice President of the Chicago Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG), organized a voter registration drive in the two federal office buildings in downtown Chicago, to register people to vote. During the course of this campaigning and voter registration effort, Harold Washington would come and speak at one of our regularly scheduled meetings, and engage in his own form of campaigning. Again, in my phone interview with Jarrett just this week, we both reminisced about our roles in the Washington administration.
Jarrett further indicates in her well researched and documented book that when Washington was first elected, several of Chicago’s top black lawyers left private practice to work for his administration, and that she knew that because she knew all of them.
Finding My Voice delves into the sordid history of race and politics in Chicago, with Jarrett giving her inside and personal perspective on. As a matter of fact, the author indicates that this history contributed towards her father moving to Iran, where she would be born. Jarrett is pictured here in Persepolis, Iran at a very early age.
The family history would have a role and impact on Chicago politics and race relations, as Jarrett indicates that her grandfather, Robert Rochon Taylor, had his imprint on an infamous and maligned housing project in Chicago.
Jarrett indicates that there was no comprehensive housing policy providing reinvestment for the low income black neighborhoods that had been neglected, or for helping to stabilize the white neighborhoods going through racial transition as black families moved in and white families moved out. As chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority, Jarrett’s grandfather Robert Rochon Taylor had championed plans that he believed would do exactly that.
Then, in 1962, in what can be described as a very cruel irony, five years after Jarrett’s grandfather’s death, Mayor Richard J. Daley “honored” him by naming the largest housing development in the world after him. Jarrett indicates that her whole family attended the dedication ceremony, and the adults had mixed emotions. My having lived in Chicago and driven by this housing development known as the “Robert Taylor Homes” countless times, it is very understandable why the adults in Jarrett’s family might have these “mixed” emotions.
The Robert Taylor Homes was a housing project in which thousands upon thousands of blacks were packed together and on top of each other like sardines. It was nothing that the Jarrett family could possibly be proud of, despite Mayor Daley convening a ceremony to celebrate it. Mayor Daley is pictured giving the keys to one of the first tenants.
Jarrett specifically states in her well chronicled book: “As a youngster, watching the nightly news with ‘Pudden’ in her little front room, every time my grandfather’s name flashed on the screen, it was accompanied by a story about violent crimes in the public housing complex. On the ten o’clock news, nothing good was ever reported out of the Robert Taylor Homes. Nothing. Ever.”
Ironically, after the untimely death of Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington, whom Jarrett would campaign for and work in his administration, she would find herself working in the administration of Richard M. Daley, the son of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley who would honor and celebrate her grandfather in the aforementioned Robert Taylor Homes dedication ceremony. Jarrett indicates in Finding my Voice, that the new Mayor Daley asked her; “Would you like to be my deputy chief of staff?” She of course, accepted, and the rest is history and “Paving her journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward.” My family and I are pictured here with Mayor Richard M. Daley at a ceremony at City Hall honoring my son Damien for his being the Prince in the annual "Bud Billiken" parade.
It is curious as to why Jarrett would accept the Deputy Chief of Staff position offered to her by Mayor Daley, in view of the following passage in Finding My Voice: “Over the course of his first two years in office, Mayor Daley was certainly not perfect, but he earned my respect. He also terrified me. I mostly saw him on television, being gruff and impatient with the reporters, and I never had any direct interactions with him.”
When Jarrett interviewed a promising young lawyer named Michelle Robinson in July 1991 for a job in Mayor Richard Daley’s office, neither knew that it was the first step in a journey that would lead to the White House. They bonded over their desire to improve the lives of the people in their communities, and Jarrett soon became Michelle and Barack Obama’s trusted advisor and family confidante.
As a key player in both his presidential campaigns and throughout his eight years in office, Jarrett shares a unique perspective on the great accomplishments of the Obama years, as well as the challenges and setbacks. The book takes us deep inside the West Wing on the negotiations for health care and the fights for gender and racial equity and same sex marriage, behind the scenes in Supreme Court nominations, and around the world on Air Force One. In stories and memories, she shares her intimate view of the Obama presidency.
If it is true that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, the photos that Jarrett shares with us in Finding My Voice clearly demonstrates her Journey to the West Wing and her Path Forward. Typical is the photo of her and President Obama with Pope Francis in the White House, September 25, 2015.
In my brief phone interview with the author this week, I inquired as to her involvement or collaboration with Vice President Joe Biden on any projects while in the White House. She indicated that they did, and in Finding My Voice, she specifically stated: “When President Obama was briefed on the statistics, he created a task force to end college sexual assault chaired by the White House point person on violence against women, who reported directly to Vice President Biden, and me.”
The author is pictured here kicking back with President Obama in Philadelphia on June 30, 2011, waiting for his long introduction to finish.
The author is also pictured here in the Rose Garden at the White House in a staff meeting with President Obama.
Finding My Voice is a remarkable book by a truly remarkable woman that captures the essence of a historic moment in time, the election of the first black person to the presidency of the United States of America. Jarrett’s role as White House advisor contributed greatly to the success of this President, and reading this book will demonstrate how and why.
Dennis Moore is a writer and book reviewer for the East County Magazine in San Diego and he has been the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online news magazine that has partnered with the East County Magazine. Mr. Moore can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.
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Great book title: Finding My Voice by Valerie Jarrett
Submitted by DBAlston on Mon, 08/12/2019 - 12:45
I love reading biographies and testimonies of people who've made great strides and accomplished great things in their lives. The review of this memoir of Valerie Jarrett's ascent into national prominence is intriguing and very well told. I'm sure every reader will glean useful nuggets from her book and possibly even a road map into finding their own voice. "Finding My Voice" is a great book title because almost anyone who wants to make an impact in the public arena can relate based on their own personal journey of finding their own public voice; whether it's among family and friends, in their community, in their city, nationally, or internationally; everyone's journey will be unique and different. To the book reviewer, Dennis Moore, whose found his voice in the book reviewing industry; it's interesting as to how your paths crossed with the author, who tells her story in "Finding My Voice." I look forward to more of your book reviews; as you have found your own voice within this platform. Great review. By: Dorothy Bracy Alston, author, speaker, educator
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"Finding My Voice" by Valerie Jarrett nominated for NAACP Award
Submitted by Dennis on Fri, 02/07/2020 - 11:25
Valerie Jarrett and her book "Finding My Voice" has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award in Literature, which will be telecast live from Pasadena on February 22, 2020.
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A Great Voice Speaks Up
Submitted by Darryl Littleton on Wed, 07/17/2019 - 06:40
I have long adored Dennis Moore book reviews. He's introduced me to subject matter I hadn't previously considered as reading material in my interest lane. This one was not a hard coax. The era of Barack Obama will be churned over and digested for decades before historical perspective brings the integral points to light. However, I loved this review because not only was it vividly detailed and comprehensively informative, but involved this fantastic reviewer as well. Dennis is a walking rolodex, and having Valerie Jarrett as a close associate speaks volumes as to his respect and integrity across many genres and human pursuits. I look forward to diving into this book and also to see how Dennis fleshes out the nuances of my upcoming comedy encyclopedia, "This Day in Comedy: the Ethnic Encyclopedia of Laughter" due out December 3rd on TrineDay Books. It's on pre-sale right now on Amazon.com and Dennis' stamp of approval is highly anticipated.
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Valerie Jarrett becomes a proud Grandmother!
Submitted by Dennis on Wed, 07/17/2019 - 12:21
Thank you Darryl, I greatly appreciate your comments, but I would be remiss if I did not mention and congratulate the author, Valerie Jarrett, for becoming a grandmother, which I found out yesterday, to her daughter "Laura", who is a CNN analyst. By reading "Finding my Voice", and once working with her at City Hall in Chicago in the "Daley" and "Washington" administrations, I know how important it is for her to be a grandmother. She has to be bubbling over with pride and enthusiasm, and I can not think of anyone more deserving. Valerie is pictured here at the recent Essence Awards in New Orleans with her friend and former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
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Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forwa
Submitted by jacquie on Wed, 07/10/2019 - 17:16
Thanks Dennis, for a very detailed and descriptive review of Valerie Jarrett's book. You took the reader through her childhood to present day, and gave us an in-depth insight into the life of a courageous woman who empathized with the people and vowed to help them by ensuring that their civil rights weren't violated. I admired the fact that she chose to work in civil service and not corporate, and because she took that route she was able to meet some interesting and influential people, such as Barack and Michelle Obama, Mayor Daley, and also the former first black Mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington, who, in my opinion was a tireless warrior who worked hard to help the underprivileged. I liked this review for its depth, it held my interest, and the visuals were quite relatable. I will definitely read this book. Submitted by Jacqueline Carr - Author of "Hands of Time", "Quiet Thoughts" and "A Selected Few Just for You".
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Submitted by Bounder Bound on Mon, 07/08/2019 - 15:12
Dennis, Thanks for sharing your review of Valerie Jarrets best seller Finding my Voice. She is a women with a strong History of politics. Well written review. Im sure she will be delighted. Mobile Notary
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Submitted by cortinajackson on Mon, 07/08/2019 - 13:10
What a wonderful review of the beautiful Valerie Jarett's book! I was so interested in how she grew up in Iran and Chicago, and in the journey met some remarkable people. Of course, Mrs. Jarett is extremely remarkable in her own right, and I am so proud of her many accomplishments. I was so intrigued with just the review, I know the book will keep me equally enthralled! Thank you for yet another fantastic review Dennis!! Cortina Jackson, fiction thriller author www.cortinajackson.com
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"Find Your Voice; Change The World"
Submitted by Feds4justice on Mon, 07/08/2019 - 09:08
I joined Toastmasters International awhile ago and came across the quote: "Find Your Voice, Change The World." I am most impressed with Dennis Moore's book review of the dynamic life of Valerie Jarrett. It seems both the author and the book reviewer have used their gifts to bless the lives of others. Thank you for the insightful coverage of "Finding My Voice."
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Submitted by Carole McKee on Sat, 07/06/2019 - 12:08
Seems this lady has had an interesting life, and met a lot of interesting people. Meeting Barack Obama would be exciting enough for me. I'm just sayin.' I read this book review with great interest and I am in awe of the author. I'm sure the book will hae the same effect on me. I love Dennis Moore's book reviews.