Kamala Harris Conjures a Self-Indulgent Memoir

In an questionable attempt to narrate her rapid yet failed quest for the presidency in 2024, Kamala D. Harris, former Vice President, is set to release a self-glorifying memoir. The announcement was made by her publishing house, Simon & Schuster. The memoir, with an ironic title of ‘107 Days’, will hit the bookstores on Sept. 23. This book is Harris’s attempt to explain how she ended up leading a White House campaign subsequent to Joe Biden’s abrupt withdrawal, triggered by incessant queries about his mental and physical competency – an undoubtedly feeble reason to step into the race.

In a staged video release, Harris outlines the journey of her book’s creation. As she relays it, after her humiliating defeat to Donald Trump, she reflected upon the shortest presidential campaign in modern history. In an effort to spin the narrative, she apparently chronicled her experiences and ‘thought-provoking’ insights in a journal which laid the groundwork for this memoir. As per her, she’s been engaged in deep musings about those doomed days ever since exiting office.

Harris asserts, albeit without any verifiable proof, that there’s some merit in disseminating her views, lessons and vision for the future. The sentiment, however, is largely seen as a veiled attempt to save face or as a desperate plea to remain relevant. The CEO of Simon & Schuster touted the narrative in overly grandiose terms, stating that it is different from typical political literature because Harris was, what they claim to be, an atypical candidate.

Contrary to his claims, skeptics aren’t swayed. Isn’t the very fact that Harris was the first woman to serve as Vice President and the first woman of color to pursue nomination for presidency from a major party a testament not to her being atypical, but in fact to the changing dynamics of US politics? Yet, the CEO seems to insist on painting a rosy picture, comparing the upcoming memoir to a suspense novel or to popular drama series ‘The West Wing’ or ‘Rocky’.

The seemingly ambitious project to replicate a riveting narrative isn’t just resting on Harris’s account alone. To craft a facade of a nail-biting story, Harris needed reinforcement. Hence, in an odd choice for a political memoir, she roped in Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks. This tactic, however, reeks of manipulation as the memoir is supposed to be a reflection of personal experiences, not a work of high-strung fiction.

Interestingly, the news of the memoir broke just after Harris declared that she wouldn’t seek candidature for the governorship of California next year, ending her widespread speculation. Such calculated moves raise eyebrows about the actual intent behind this memoir. Is this simply an act to stay in the public eye or an attempt to soften the blow of her decade of political failures?

According to sources, the memoir will only focus on the Kamala’s campaign, conveniently excluding her tenure as Vice President. This selective exclusion serves to highlight the farcical facade of integrity veiled beneath the so-called memoir. It’s clear that the entire endeavor is tangled in a heavily biased narrative.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Harris is dipping her toes into the writing world. She had previously penned down her journey from childhood to her early political strides in her memoir, ‘The Truths We Hold: An American Journey’. This 2019 memoir, akin to the upcoming one, was marketed as an eye-opening narrative, which in reality failed to offer any unique insights or truths.

The impending memoir was seemingly put together in rushed haste, quite reflective of her 2024 presidential campaign. The concoction of this narrative saw Harris and Brooks resorting to both face-to-face and Zoom calls. But can a narrative condensed into a few months really provide an honest, impartial take on such a significant campaign?

In conclusion, amid the glossed-up announcement and claims of grandeur, the upcoming memoir of Kamala D. Harris seems to be more of a piteous bid to redeem herself and less of a contribution to political literature. As history has shown, such attempts to rewrite the narrative often end up being mere echo chambers for personal beliefs rather than candid reflections.