Moscatello smartly weaves the stories of four inspiring candidates from the 2018 election cycle, illustrative tales of aspirants with startling statistics demonstrating a ground-shifting election ... The author is not a cool, nonpartisan, objective reporter. She has a mission. Moscatello is an advocate upset by President Trump’s ascendancy. The result is a book alive with insight and excitement about women who have overcome obstacles ... illuminates in vivid detail the moments that show the essence of these women’s guiding values.
Caitlin Moscatello began reporting on women running in the 2018 midterm elections soon after the women’s marches of 2017. See Jane Win is her celebration of their triumph ... Moscatello, a freelance journalist, captures the big trends of the midterms, most important among them that women won because they ran contrary to the old advice ... Her account is most vivid in the sections that follow Abigail Spanberger, one of the natural-born politicians to emerge in the midterms, who won a congressional seat in the Virginia district ... With the other three candidates, Moscatello relies on what they told her rather than what she sees. Voters and activists appear little if at all in this book, even though in these midterms, they too were mostly women. And she comes at her topic as a champion of a particular kind of woman, the Democratic kind, which leaves an overly glossy finish ... Moscatello does not explore the experiences of any Republican candidates. That’s understandable; the incoming House class had a record number of women yet only one Republican woman. But American politics will never get to gender equity on the backs of Democratic women alone.
It’s a tribute to Moscatello’s skill as a writer that she can make topics like fundraising and myriad other facets of campaigning interesting. And the story she tells is a much needed on-the-ground account of the obstacles women entering politics face, and the victories that are possible. Readers of See Jane Win will be fascinated, enlightened, outraged and, ultimately, inspired.
Moscatello captures it all with authenticity and passion, from the time the women toss their hats in the ring to election day. Reporting focuses not on political affiliation, but on the experience of running for office: the candidates portrayed here often faced sexist coverage, media attacks, online trolls, and more. With the upcoming 2020 presidential race and other recent high-profile elections, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, especially women and teen girls who are intrigued by the wave of female candidates who are changing the face of the American government.
Centering on the 2018 blue wave of women, the author explores the challenges and benefits of political representation within an increasingly diverse nation. Her analysis of specific barriers and needs of women of color and, to a lesser extent, trans and queer women adds an important dimension to her critique. She squarely addresses multiple layers of intersectional biases women face, exposing how racism, homophobia, classism, and sexism may impact candidates ... While the percent of women in office has been relatively static prior to the recent influx, Moscatello optimistically and realistically balances a blend of demographics and anecdotes from the candidates and politicians, painting a provocative picture about the impact of equalizing representation in the American political world. Memorable stories and illustrative data combine in a pertinent political and cultural analysis.
