Summary

Providing a highlight reel of his early days as a legislator, Franken begins by introducing one of his first and most widely supported pieces of legislation, a bill that funded a three-year study on the benefits of service dogs to “veterans suffering with invisible wounds” such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (191). Per the name of Chapter 25, Franken sees this legislation as his “First Big Win*,” signaling with the asterisk that despite his win, there was a catch (190). Despite passing the bill with fervent bipartisan support, the study, introduced in 2009, will not be complete until 2018 due to logistical problems in its design. As Franken claims, “even when everything goes right, politics can be full of setbacks and frustrations” (195). Adding to this frustration was the tragic death of the veteran who inspired the initial legislation, which to Franken serves as a “reminder of just...