Kamala Harris would be a refreshingly literary vice president
California Sen. Kamala Harris is a lot of things — Joe Biden's running mate, the first woman of color on a major party ticket, a SoulCycle devotee — but she's also a reader. "In choosing Kamala Harris, Biden may have found the anti-Trump," The Guardian argued Tuesday, an observation that extends beyond just her mixed-race background, her womanhood, and her politics. Were Biden to be elected, Harris' literary interests would be a refreshing return to the White House at a time when intellectual obstinacy has seemed to, ahem, trump more readerly open-mindedness.
The current president rather famously prefers a single page of bullet points to paragraphs, and has cited his own (ghostwritten) book, The Art of the Deal, as his "second favorite" piece of literature (after the Bible). While Trump will promote political books from time to time, he is hardly the voracious consumer of contemporary literature that his predecessor was. Former President Barack Obama still puts out annual summer reading lists and year-end favorites, having promoted everything from Sally Rooney's novel Normal People to the memoir Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan to Basketball (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano over the years. And while Mike Pence and Joe Biden have both indicated they at least read — the latter being among the swarm of politicians who love to cite James Joyce's Ulysses — they're not exactly bookish.
Harris, on the other hand, has "pretty good taste in books," Literary Hub declared Wednesday. Her favorites include Richard Wright's Native Son, Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and she's previously observed "National Book Lovers Day" on Facebook. It's seemingly not just for show: literature was important in her family growing up. Harris' parents separated when she was 7, with her father taking the bookshelves; she would "later tell young women she mentored that books were the only thing she ever heard her parents fight over," The New Yorker reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Merely being a reader, of course, isn't everything, and it hardly absolves Harris of her concerning record during her tenure as California's attorney general. Still, it's a promising quality in a leader: readers tend to be more empathetic and "score higher in intellectual humility." Seeing as there's been a dearth of both traits in the current White House, it'd be nice for someone to finally put its library to use again.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Try 6 free issues of The Week Junior
Spark your child's curiosity with The Week Junior - the award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14s.
By The Week Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Has True Detective gone full horror?
Talking Point The first season had supernatural undertones, but Night Country director Issa López has taken it to another level
By Ellie O'Mahoney, The Week UK Published
-
EV market slowdown: a bump in the road for Tesla?
Talking Point The electric vehicle market has stalled – with worrying consequences for carmakers
By The Week UK Published
-
The bizarre and depressing spectacle of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Talking Point
By Samuel Goldman Published
-
If Trump returns to Twitter, he'll win every news cycle
Talking Point
By Joel Mathis Published
-
How Better Call Saul perfected the art of the montage
Talking Point
By Jon O'Brien Published
-
The magic of watching Tiger Woods play the Masters
Talking Point
By Joel Mathis Published
-
Ed Sheeran won his plagiarism case. That's good for the future of music.
Talking Point
By Samuel Goldman Published