A Fighting Chance

A Fighting Chance - Elizabeth Warren

An unlikely political star tells the inspiring story of the two-decade journey that taught her how Washington really worksand really doesn'tin A Fighting ChanceAs a child in small-town Oklahoma, Elizabeth Warren yearned to go to college and then become an elementary school teacheran ambitious goal, given her family's modest means. Early marriage and motherhood seemed to put even that dream out of reach, but fifteen years later she was a distinguished law professor with a deep understanding of why people go bankrupt. Then came the phone call that changed her life: could she come to Washington DC to help advise Congress on rewriting the bankruptcy laws?Thus began an impolite education into the bare-knuckled, often dysfunctional ways of Washington. She fought for better bankruptcy laws for ten years and lost. She tried to hold the federal government accountable during the financial crisis but became a target of the big banks. She came up with the idea for a new agency designed to protect consumers from predatory bankers and was denied the opportunity to run it. Finally, at age 62, she decided to run for elective office and won the most competitiveand watchedSenate race in the country. In this passionate, funny, rabble-rousing book, Warren shows why she has chosen to fight tooth and nail for the middle classand why she has become a hero to all those who believe that America's government can and must do better for working families.

Published: 2014-04-22 (Metropolitan Books)

ISBN: 9781627790529

Language: English

Format: Hardcover, 365 pages

Goodreads' rating: -

Reviews

Viola rated it

Elizabeth Warren is an excellent story teller and she's got a great story to tell as the daughter of working people in Oklahoma who went through hard times but whose daughter managed to get a law degree and land a job at Harvard Law School.In "A Fighting Chance" Warren reviews her own history of overcoming many obstacles on the way to her successful career, fighting for families like the one she was raised in. DO NOT read this book in the presence of a banker. You'll want to attack them physically when you read about the dirty tricks they play on their clients and how they defend their profits. Warren's tales of how she and others managed to established the Consumer Protection Bureau despite $500 million in lobbying from the banks is amazing.This woman has done incredible service to her country. We should all be thankful. Highly recommended.

Kalil rated it

Elizabeth Warren tells it like it is. In plain, straightforward language, she tells the truth about the mortgage crisis, the bank bailouts, the crumbling of the financial life of the everyday American family. Warren is a fighter you want on your side.

Rowe rated it

Can she just be president already?