The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House

Review Pelosi’s statements about herself and other political figures as leaders. What makes for a good leader? What makes for a bad leader?

The Art of Power is a political memoir (See: Background). What conventions of the political memoir does Pelosi rely on? In what ways, if any, does she depart from those conventions?

Pelosi is known as a progressive Democrat. How does she celebrate and advance progressive ideology in the book?

Pelosi uses various rhetorical techniques throughout The Art of Power. What are some of these techniques, and what is their wider purpose in the narrative? What impact do they have in shaping the text?

Pelosi frequently represents Republicans as unworthy political peers and members of the Senate as the enemy of the House. What impact do these descriptors have on her credibility? How does her memoir address the issues of partisanship and a divided political culture?

Pelosi structures The Art of Power around several key events of her political career instead of offering a fuller, more straightforward autobiographical narrative. What is the significance of the events she chooses to highlight? How do these events illustrate her key themes and ideas?

Pelosi crafts a specific persona throughout her memoir. How does she characterize herself? How does she emphasize qualities or successes that illustrate her ideas of leadership and how she believes she fulfilled them?

Pelosi includes many photographs at the end of the text. What is the function of these photographs in the text? Why do you think she places them at the end of the text?