The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Harris, Kamala. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. Penguin Press. 2019. Hardcover.

The book starts on November 8th, 2016 as Kamala waited for the results of the election. While she won, becoming the first Black woman senator from her state, her family was shocked when Donald Trump was elected president. Over time, Kamala believes the administration has become more corrupt and that America must escape the cycle of terror.

Chapter One: For the People begins in 1988, when Kamala was an intern at the Alameda County Superior Courthouse. One case that stood out to her was that of a woman who was wrongfully arrested and Kamala fought to have her released before the weekend so she would not risk losing her future over a mistake.

Kamala then writes about her parents Donald and Shyamala. Her mother graduated from the University of Delhi at 19 and moved to Berkeley. The two had Kamala and Maya but divorced. Her mother focused heavily on civil rights in the 1960s, Kamala and Maya spent a lot of time at Mrs. Shelton’s home, as she ran a nursery and after-school program. Kamala’s family also attended many performances at the Rainbow Sign. When they moved to Canada when Kamala was 12, Kamala decided she wanted to become a lawyer. She attended Howard University then UC Hastings College of Law. She failed her first bar exam but passed the second one. After a lot of hard work, Kamala was promoted to focus on sex crimes where she learned to work with victims of trauma.

Nine years later, Kamala moved to San Francisco and focused on violent offenders. Eighteen months later, she was offered a job by Louise Renne who was thrilled with Kamala’s idea to focus on keeping foster children out of the prison system. Kamala and Norma Hotaling created a program that saved women from prostitution. They created successful safe places for survivors to escape abuse. Kamala then decided to focus on an election campaign.

In Chapter Two: A Voice for Justice, Kamala built a base in a place called Bayview Hunters Point, a former shipyard that now struggles with violence and crime. Kamala won. She focused on criminal reform and became the district attorney in 2004. She looked to protect children who were born into unfavorable households and freed drug offenders. She mentions Lateefha Simon who was put on probation for shoplifting and was later promoted to the executive director for the Young Women’s Development at the age of 19.

Kamala and Tim Silard created a program called Back on Track that focused on getting nonviolent offenders back into society. The program was later adopted by the Obama Justice Department. Kamala ran for attorney general with the plan to make Back on Track a statewide system.

Furthermore, Kamala writes about the bail system and how it needs to be reworked to focus on a person’s risk of danger. Racism also plays a huge role in incarceration and Kamala focused on a training program to help policemen recognize their racial biases. She also believes there needs to be a talk about police brutality.

In Chapter Three: Underwater, Kamala explains how the foreclosure crisis started with banks and investors enticing people to take mortgages with outlandish promises. This, however, created a cycle where banks would hold securities on mortgages. This led to many families losing their homes altogether. However, it was revealed that banks were hiring people with no experience to sign off on foreclosures, committing mortgage fraud. When Kamala won her race for district attorney, she joined the National Association of Attorneys to investigate these banks. However, banks wanted to settle for a measly amount of money compared to the damages they caused. So, Kamala started her own investigation.

When Kamala met with the bank's counsel, they blamed the homeowners and tried to bully Kamala into stopping the investigation. She pulled out of all negotiations. Eventually, Kamala called the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, which led her to secure $20 billion in homeowner relief. She created a bill to protect homeowners and gained support from the speaker of the state assembly John Pérez. Together, they pressured everyone else to vote, winning the majority.

In Chapter Four: Wedding Bells, Kamala explains how Prop 8, a law banning same-sex marriage in California, made it all the way to the Supreme Court. After it was deemed unconstitutional, Kamala helped many others officiate weddings the day it was allowed. However, she says that the struggles of the LBGTQ community are not over.

Kamala then talks about elementary school truancy and how many students eventually drop out or end up committing crimes when they are older. She and her team decided to support schools so they could help the parents. During this time, she met a man named Doug who would later become her husband. In 2014, she received a call to take a job as the U.S. attorney general. However, Kamala decided that she needed to continue her work in California and turned it down.

In Chapter Five: I Say We Fight, Kamala was elected to the Senate. However, Kamala felt that the Republican party was changing the elections through hatred and xenophobia. She talked with multiple immigrants who feared deportation even though America is a nation that has relied on immigration. Kamala eventually flew to DC and heard James Comey’s testimony after he was fired as the FBI director.

Kamala was then sworn in and appointed to four seats including Homeland Security. When General John Kelly was nominated for secretary of Homeland Security, Kamala questioned him about DACA and helping quell immigrants' fear of deportation and law enforcement. Kelly refused to answer most of her questions, but he was still confirmed. The day after the inauguration, nearly four million people marched on the capital, and Kamala gave a speech about women fighting for equality. President Trump signed an order blocking people from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. The supreme court upheld it.

In Chapter Six: We Are Better Than This, Kamala gave her first speech to the Senate about poor decisions of the administration. Then, on September 5, 2017, Jeff Sessions announced that DACA was coming to an end before the DREAM Act was passed. The University of California sued, and the federal court sided with them. Unfortunately, the administration presented the DREAM Act bill alongside money for the wall which Kamala could not support.

Furthermore, Kamala explains how thousands of refugees were fleeing to America from the violence of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. While these refugees used to be given asylum, under the new administration they were separated from their children and tried for illegally crossing the border. It became clear that the administration was trying to use children as a deterrent, and Kamala writes that the separation was inhumane. Kamala visited the Otay Mesa Detention Center and learned of the terrible conditions. Nobody had a plan for reuniting families. When parents were reunited with their children, many were absolutely traumatized.

In Chapter Seven: Every Body, Kamala talks about health care and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She says that Republicans fought to remove the ACA and the Trump administration slowed it down. Furthermore, drug prices are high and pharmaceutical companies have shut down every bill to try and let Americans buy from other places. Emergency room bills are nearly impossible to pay and states only have a few psychiatrists for their population. Kamala wishes that everyone had a health advocate for them when dealing with illnesses just as someone would have a lawyer. She also addresses the racial disparity in health care, both in treatment and in the medical staff. She says the health system has to be transformed, both with ACA and with money provided to the National Institutes of Health so they can research drugs and illnesses. Mental health also needs to be better taken care of, she asserts.

Secondly, Kamala talks about the opioid crisis and how the company, Purdue Pharma, claimed their new medicine, OxyContin, was non-addictive. Doctors prescribed massive amounts of it, and people began either dying of overdoses or becoming addicted to it and most often heroin. The Trump administration limited the Drug Enforcement Administration’s power and there was no federal standard for addiction treatment. Kamala then describes her mother’s death from colon cancer and how she is always proud to be Shyamala’s daughter.

In Chapter Eight: Cost of Living, Kamala talks about the cost of living and how the middle-class is slowly slipping due to low wages, long work hours, and overly expensive necessities. She tries to implement multiple bills into the Senate to help relieve some of the issues but does not mention their progress. Furthermore, housing is incredibly expensive and many middle-class workers find they cannot afford more than small apartments. She explains that workers did get pay raises during World War II as the companies did well, but this changed when companies began to care more about paying shareholders than the workers themselves. Other things, such as automation and climate change also affect the job market. Kamala also believes that post-high-school education should be funded and housing and childcare must be accessible and affordable. She also believes that corporations and the rich need to pay their fair share of taxes.

In Chapter Nine: Smart on Security, Kamala joined the Intelligence Committee where she learned about threats in America. This included looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Eventually, the committee created a bill that would give election officials access to the tools they needed to handle a cyberattack during an election. But the Senate refused to vote on it, as the White House did not approve. However, Kamala writes, other countries have infiltrated important computer systems throughout America and cybersecurity needs to become a focus in the modern-day.

Then, Kamala questioned Mike Pompeo about climate change and explains to the reader that it is a matter of national security. America must be prepared for the fires caused by warmer temperatures, floods caused by rising water, and other natural disasters. She also says that America cannot accomplish anything alone. Furthermore, they must uphold their values, something she does not believe Gina Haspel did when she refused to call torture immoral during her own CIA confirmation hearing.

In Chapter Ten: What I’ve Learned, Kamala gives the reader eight mantras that have formulated throughout her career. The first is to Test the Hypothesis and always search for efficiency. The second is to go to the scene and connect with people directly. The third is to embrace the mundane and remember that the small things are as important as the big ones. The fourth is to remember that words matter and the truth should always be spoken. The fifth is to show the math, meaning that one should always be ready to show their decision-making process. The sixth is that no one should have to fight alone, no matter the battle. The seventh is If it is worth fighting for, it is a fight worth having, highlighting how victims of sexual assault continue to rise up and fight back. Lastly, the eight mantras is, you may be the first. Do not be the last, encouraging people to always look forward and never stop dreaming. Kamala says all of these are important, as Americans must continue to fight for equality and remain optimistic no matter the opposition.