Unbought and Unbossed
SynopsisPlot
Shirley Chisholm shares how she took on an entrenched system, gave a public voice to millions, and sets the stage for her trailblazing bid to be the first woman and first African-American President of the United States. By daring to be herself, Shirley Chisholm shows us how she forever changed the status quo. This expanded edition, edited by Scott Simpson, digs deeper with analysis by experts like Donna Brazile and Shola Lynch exploring Shirley Chisholm’s impact on today and tomorrow’s world.
Story
About this book
Shirley Chisholm grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and in 1968 became the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress. Unbought and Unbossed is her own account of that path, from her early years to the political fights she won on the way to the House of Representatives. The title comes from her campaign slogan, presenting her as a candidate who could not be bought or directed by party machines and special interests.
She represented a Brooklyn district in New York and uses the book to describe how she confronted entrenched political structures, party organizations and established figures who had long decided who could run and win. She writes about giving a public voice to people with little representation in national politics, and about the daily work of an outsider operating inside a large institution.
The book also sets up her later decision to seek the presidency, making her the first woman and the first African-American to campaign for the nomination of a major American party. This expanded edition, edited by Scott Simpson, adds commentary from Donna Brazile, Shola Lynch and other contributors who consider how her career shaped later politics.
