Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines

In this blistering but bewildering critique of the two-party system, former White House press secretary Jean-Pierre (Moving Forward) details how her experiences in the Biden administration drove her to leave the Democratic Party and become an independent. Jean-Pierre recounts her growing “disillusionment” over Democrat leaders’ “mean-spirited” pressuring of President Biden to abandon his 2024 reelection bid after his disastrous debate with Trump (Jean-Pierre insists that Biden performed poorly because he had a cold). The author maintains that she observed Biden in his duties as “clearheaded... and well-informed,” and that his campaign “could have survived the debate setback.” Elsewhere, Jean-Pierre depicts her time in the White House as frequently embattled: she confronts “a belligerent press corps” who lob probing questions about Biden’s health; combats an influx of videos subtly manipulated, in their sound and speed, “to make Biden appear mentally and physically infirm”; and endures jealous squabbles with colleagues, including an unnamed “key member of the White House team... orchestrating a campaign to push me out.” Though Jean-Pierre excoriates Republicans for being “authoritarian,” her ire stays firmly fixed on her former party. However, her argument for independent affiliation never quite adds up to the promised “revolutionary act,” instead remaining blandly motivational (“When we act independently... we feel empowered”). Readers will be left scratching their heads. (Oct.)