A new memoir by Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, set to be released May 7, is expected to detail her years in political office and serving in the Army National Guard, while charting a “corrective course for the Democratic Party and the country,” according book publisher Twelve.
News of the book, titled “Is Today the Day? Not Another Political Memoir,” has bolstered political speculation Gabbard is considering a run for president in 2020. Autobiographies often serve as preludes for politicians about to embark on a major political campaign. Examples include Barack Obama’s “Dreams from My Father,” Hillary Clinton’s “Hard Choices” and Mitt Romney’s “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.”
Gabbard has declined to comment on whether she is considering a presidential bid and her office didn’t respond to requests to comment on her book. In an interview last month with Fox News, when asked if she was considering running for the Oval Office, Gabbard said she was focused on the midterm elections and continuing to serve Hawaii and the country.
However, Gabbard has been taking steps that suggest she is readying for a possible run, including visiting Iowa, where the nation’s first Democratic caucus of the 2020 campaign will be held.
A top adviser to the congresswoman has been putting out feelers for digital and speech-writing staff, according to a report last month from Politico.
In interviews, Gabbard has spoken about how she had to grapple with the possibility of being killed while on deployment in the Middle East and how when serving in Iraq she saw a sign on a gate that read, “Is today the day?” — a possible inspiration for her memoir title.
Twelve, part of the Hachette Book Group, lists the price of Gabbard’s 256-page book at $24.98. Other public figures and noted scribes who have published under the imprint include Condoleezza Rice, Sebastian Junger, Maureen Dowd, Peggy Noonan and Christopher Hitchens.
The publisher’s listing for Gabbard’s book notes she was the first Hindu woman elected to Congress, who “grew up the fourth of five children in a loving, simple, rough- and-tumble home in beautiful Hawaii. Happiest when running around with no shoes on, reading books, surfing, and practicing yoga, she was a reserved child with no interest in politics.”
The blurb also mentions Gabbard’s election at age 21 to the state House of Representatives and says “Is Today the Day?” will recount her experiences as Gabbard “provides keen, insightful advice for everyone — from young women, to the modern, progressive voter, and everyone in between.”
Amazon.com is taking preorders for the book, which will be available via the online retailer April 25. The cover art has not been finalized, according to Twelve.
