Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosis Life Times & Rise to Power

Unthinkable just a generation ago, Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency and Nancy Pelosi's ascension to Speaker of the House have cast the spotlight on American political women as never before. In the 230 years of this country's history, never has a woman—let alone a mother and a grandmother—risen to such a position of power as Nancy Pelosi did when she assumed her role as the first female Speaker of the House, third in line for the presidency.

In Madam Speaker, Marc Sandalow, an esteemed journalist and political analyst who covered Pelosi for decades, offers a richly nuanced portrait of the woman who made history. He charts Pelosi's political roots, honing in on her father, who spent five terms in Congress and stored hundreds of copies of the Congressional Record under her bed, and goes on to examine how Pelosi, who didn't run for political office until she was 47 years old, juggled her family life and fought hard to forge a place for herself in Washington, ultimately becoming one of the most influential voices in our nation.

Based on hundreds of interviews with Pelosi's colleagues, family, and friends—and the Speaker herself—Sandalow culls together insightful anecdotes and political analysis to chronicle Pelosi's meteoric rise and controversial tenure. Madam Speaker illuminates the inspiring life of a woman who has already made history.

  "All Americans should know Nancy Pelosi's remarkable story. This is a fascinating account of one of the nation's most fascinating political figures. No journalist has followed her more closely, and can tell her story better, than Marc Sandalow. —Willie Brown, former California Assembly Speaker and mayor of San Francisco   "An illuminating portrait of the forces that shaped Nancy Pelosi and the way she wields power as the first woman to achieve the highest post in a male-dominated institution." —Eleanor Clift, contributing editor, Newsweek   "This book is a wonderful insight into the first woman Speaker of the House. She is a modern pioneer whose life story is an inspiration to a whole new generation of women. And no one has followed her political career more closely than Marc Sandalow." —Leon Panetta, former White House chief of staff

Nancy Pelosi didn't run for political office until she was 47 years old and her youngest child was a senior in high school. Today, as the first female Speaker of the House, Pelosi is one of the most influential voices in the nation’s capital and, having successfully juggled family life and a high-pressured career, a role model for young women. Her first biography, by an esteemed journalist and political analyst who has covered her for years, is an inside look at this intriguing political figure and her surprising climb to power.

The book comes at a time when—with Hillary Clinton’s run for the presidency and Pelosi’s ascension to Speaker—the spotlight is on American political women as never before. The pages of Madame Speaker are filled with surprising facts and untold anecdotes about Pelosi’s upbringing, family life, and political pedigree (we learn, for instance, that when she was growing up, her father, who spent five terms in Congress, stored hundreds of copies of the Congressional Record under her bed). The result is an insightful, richly nuanced portrait of a frequently misunderstood national figure, based on hundreds of interviews with the Speaker herself, as well as family, friends, and colleagues—all interpreted by one of the most respected journalists on the Washington scene.

Nancy Pelosi, as the first female Speaker of the House, is one of the most influential voices in the nation's capital. Her first biography, by an esteemed journalist and political analyst, is an inside look at this intriguing political figure and her surprising climb to power.

Marc Sandalow spent 21 years on the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle, the last 10 years as the paper's Washington bureau chief. He is currently a political analyst on KPIX-TV and KCBS radio in San Francisco. Sandalow is a coauthor of a book on baseball entitled Ballparks: A Panoramic History, and lives in Bethesda, Maryland.