Neither the shrill partisan featured in thousands of attack ads nor the cautious corporatist reviled by the far left, Nancy Pelosi is the rare politician who still knows how to get big things done. But who is she, and how did she reach the top tier of American politics? Based on exclusive interviews with the Speaker, Molly Ball's nuanced portrait follows Pelosi from her roots in urban Baltimore to her formative years as a party activist and fundraiser, from the fractious politics of San Francisco to high-stakes congressional negotiations with multiple presidents. The result is a compelling portrait of a barrier-breaking woman that sheds new light on American political history.

"An entertaining and balanced biography of Nancy Pelosi…. Ball offers plenty of insightful anecdotes, presenting events within historical perspective so that readers can fully appreciate their import."—Booklist (starred review)