Due to problems with a distributor, my local library took awhile to get Kamala Harris’s 107 Days. With that resolved and book finally in hand, I sat down this month to read it.
Harris wrote the book, in theory, as a journal of her brief 2024 campaign. And she captures the feeling of a whirlwind race to the presidency. But along the way, Harris also does the work of a traditional political autobiography. She just introduces herself more briefly and compactly than usual.
In a way, I found this refreshing. I read a lot of political autobiography. Much of it ends up as fluff. Harris comes off as more honest than most politicos. Yes, in part 107 Days makes her case for running again in 2028. That’s clear enough. But that case is short(er than usual) on cliches. And I think she stays upfront about her decisions and motives.
But the book irked me in many ways. What, then, is its problem?
Harris centers the book on an argument: if she had had more time to make her case, she would’ve won. But this is transparently a bad argument. To cite one obvious problem, Harris’s standing didn’t improve as the campaign wore on. If anything, her numbers regressed after a brief honeymoon phase in the first month or so.
But let’s take a closer look at 107 Days and see for ourselves.
