Synopses & Reviews
When Democrats in Colorado's First District were looking for a candidate to run against the Republican incumbent in 1972, no one saw Pat Schroeder as a viable candidate-least of all Schroeder herself. A lawyer by training and the mother of two, she was shocked at her triumph in the primary and further astonished when she actually won the election. But in an era when voters were calling for change, Schroeder rose to the challenge.
Pat Schroeder's autobiography, 24 Years of House Work ... and the Place Is Still a Mess, details her struggle to find a place and a voice in the male-dominated world of politics. The book is a fascinating look at how the longest-serving woman in congressional history balanced politics and power with family and children.
This candid autobiography begins with politics as they were when Schroeder first turned the political scene on its ear twenty-five years ago and continues to the present day. The book traces her controversial fight for the Equal Rights Amendment and her passionate advocacy for social justice, equal opportunity, and children's welfare. Sprinkled throughout are humorous and amazing tales from her years on Capitol Hill, stories of how she kicked open doors for women and tried to level the playing field, and her views on politics -- and the politicians -- of the present day. And, just as in the days when she was the most quotable person in Washington, Schroeder doesn't think twice about sharing her views throughout 24 Years of House Work.
"Many things are much better than they were when I arrived in Congress in 1973. But before we all join hands and sing, 'Kumbaya, the autocracy is dead, ' let me tell you about Newt Gingrich".
Some peoplelove her. Some people revile her. But everyone responds to her.
In 24 Years of House Work, Schroeder dusts off dozens of fascinating stories, polishes her stances on a spectrum of controversial political issues, and even cleans a few clocks of her past and present political colleagues.