True Gretch by Gretchen Whitmer

If Joe Biden loses the confidence of his party, Michigan’s Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer is one of the favourites to replace him. Having already tussled with Trump during lockdown – provoking a right-wing assassination plot – her local approval ratings are high and Michigan is a swing state. This timely book is an essay in understanding how a liberal can win over Republicans. There’s a mix of modern homespun cuteness – it contains a playlist, a recipe for her grandmother’s cloverleaf rolls and tales of her blended family of ex-husband, husband and various kids – alongside sharp politics with a personal edge. She discusses reproductive rights with an account of being sexually assaulted as a student and advocates listening to school shooters, as well as the militia who sought to kidnap and kill her. It is, at times, irritatingly positive and you wonder how true this version of loveable Gretch is. But the country has had worse presidents.