This book is primarily an account of Pete Buttigieg's education and political experience. It is only partly a personal memoir, intertwined at parts with the story of South Bend, IN.
After getting an education that was both elite and international - it really served to illustrate how privileged an experience an Ivy League education can be - it's heartwarming that he returned to his hometown and eventually became mayor. His decision to serve in the military is admirable, a reflection of his integrity, principles, and sense of duty.
I would definitely describe Mayor Pete as an intellectual. In this book, he presents in detail how his political identity was forged through his understanding of major events such as America's response to 9/11 and the auto industry bailout. His political philosophy is that "the practice of politics is about taking steps that support people in daily life - or tearing down obstacles that get in their way." (p. 88) He clearly prides himself in how much he has been able to revitalize South Bend, relying heavily on data-driven processes. Much of the book is about the methods and philosophies he developed and implemented while serving as mayor. He also includes some lessons learned.
Reading this book, I got to know Mayor Pete as a public figure and politician, but I didn't really get a feel for "what makes him tick" as a person, beyond the image of him being well-educated and worldly. I definitely better understand where he wants to take this country, but not exactly where he's coming from. We get only a brief glimpse of his childhood up through high school, and he reveals little about his family or upbringing. What exactly set him apart as a teenager that got him into Harvard? He went to a Catholic high school, but was he raised to be religious?
At one point, he describes the Midwest as a place "whose role in shaping me had become more obvious the farther away I'd move." (p. 60) The book title itself refers to how his extensive learning and travel was all a necessary path to bring him home to do meaningful work in South Bend. But HOW?! He recounts going to school at Harvard and in England, living abroad in Tunisia, but doesn't describe anything personal or emotional like feeling out of place or learning more about himself or feeling an unbroken connection back to South Bend.
I do follow the news, and it was satisfying when the book shed more light on things I had already heard about Buttigieg. For example, I knew that he once played piano with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, and there is a full chapter recounting that experience, which is pretty endearing.
Other times, I was disappointed when the book did not delve deeper into things I had already heard. For example, he's made some powerful statements about religion and being gay, and I had hoped the book would provide even more insight on articles such as this.
It sounds like he grappled significantly with his sexual orientiation, but the book does not go into his private struggles. In a very sweet chapter, he is actually at his most personal and seemingly vulnerable when writing about his husband Chasten. But he seems to make a point to not make the fight for LGBTQ rights personal. In the context of dealing with then-governor of Indiana Mike Pence, he mostly framed the discussion as an economic policy issue. He does recount the process by which he decided to come out, during his mayoral re-election campaign, but he focuses on the political implications. He specifically emphasizes his hope that one day sexual orientation will be a non-issue.
Overall, an engaging political memoir with a lot of information about politics at the local level.
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