Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change

Jayapal was born in India and came to the United States to attend college at Georgetown and later Northwestern. By her 20s, she was a successful investment banker and then changed course to become an activist for immigrant rights, creating a successful nongovernmental organization. Today, as a member of Congress representing a district in Washington State, she has collaborated with follow politicians, including Rashida Tlaib, who are committed to improving diversity and inclusion in Congress, as well as creating public policy that will change the treatment of immigrants by local and national government offices. In addition to the narrative of her immigration story and her American experience, Jayapal devotes chapters to three specific policy areas, which she describes as “moral visions”: immigration, healthcare, and income inequality. Although the book is labeled as a guide to politics, it reads more like a campaign biography, replete with praise from others for the author’s record of public service.