I grabbed this one off the return cart at work. I was interested in learning a little bit more about the woman who became the first female Speaker of the House. Vincent Bzdek is a news editor for The Washington Post so I figured it would be a good biographic presentation. He does bring readers through her life. Each chapter highlights a particular aspect: her childhood and family political history, her faith (Catholicism), etc. This leads to a not-quite linear presentation of her life, but one that helps define the person that she is and why she probably does the things that she does.

She was born in Baltimore into the D'Alesandro family, who started as immigrants with her great grandparents and developed into a political powerhouse with her father. The book carries the reader through her life as she builds a family after college and starts a second career in politics once the kids grew up. She is an interesting personality, and the book provides insight into that.

The problem I found is that the author often presents aspects in a circular way that made me want to say, "I get it, already! Move on!" I was glad that I read the book, but I think I might have enjoyed a different one on the topic even more.