Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The Democratic Party--and society at large--is experiencing an "authenticity crisis," according to political strategist Rupert's perceptive debut. While running Julián Castro's 2020 presidential campaign, Rupert became interested in the thorny concept of authenticity in electoral politics. Specifically, she noticed how demands for authenticity from candidates of color or women candidates put them in an impossible bind, as whiteness and maleness are seemingly defined as authenticity's "true zero." Sharing examples from pop culture, politics, and her own life, Rupert shows how authenticity is a concept used to gatekeep or trip up people with marginalized identities, including Castro during his presidential bid. She points to how pundits pigeonholed Castro as a representative of his ethnicity, only to then castigate him for deviating from the box they had assigned him, as well as how Castro himself would at times subtly shift his messaging depending on whether his audience was white or Latino--code-switching that was then pegged as inauthentic. The onus, she argues, is on society at large as well as the party and the candidates themselves to foster in candidates a truer authenticity that prioritizes their own unique perspectives and their principled leadership. (This, she argues, would invite more people of color into politics, not fewer.) Given that parts of her thesis seem to predict New Yor City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's victory, this is worth checking out. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Political strategist and host of the podcast When We Win, Rupert argues that people crave authenticity in others, but authenticity can be challenging to perform, especially for people of color. Rupert, who managed Julián Castro's 2020 presidential campaign, draws her book's examples of authenticity and inauthenticity from politics, law, and pop culture, as well as her own experiences as a Black woman who is often asked to present acceptable forms of herself that are tailored to appeal to white people, rather than her authentic self. As an alternative, Rupert introduces "self-reflective authenticity," which relies on an individual's own understanding of their choices, rather than others' perceptions. The book explores self-reflective authenticity through topics like code-switching, womanhood and feminism, media representation, effort, and the workplace. Rupert advocates for expanding the landscape of narratives that are told about marginalized groups, which she feels will help broaden the types of stories that are seen as "authentic." VERDICT A thought-provoking examination of the subjective nature of authenticity. Recommended for readers interested in racial justice in politics and pop culture.--Rebekah Kati
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A political strategist examines how acting in ways deemed "authentic" by racist American culture negatively affects people of color. Rupert argues that while "authenticity is supposed to [be freeing], for some…it stands in the way of freedom." Drawing on her background as a presidential campaign manager and adviser and her lived experience as a Black woman, Rupert reveals how authenticity actually operates as a barrier to both equality and inclusion. While running former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro's 2020 presidential campaign, she observed firsthand the way "unconscious biases and double standards" affected candidates of color like Castro and others. What she saw tallied with her own experiences and the way she often had to "contort" herself into social acceptability by performing a version of blackness approved by the dominant (white) culture. This involved such tactics as the "code-switching" or speech pattern adjustments such as those made by presidential candidate Kamala Harris, depending on whether she was speaking to white or Black audiences. In the world of popular music and culture, the author sees similar biases that work against people of color. While Taylor Swift is allowed to appear as the imperfect, vulnerable--and therefore authentic--"girl next door," Beyoncé must be the flawless Queen Bey, because "[f]or people of color, the appeal has to be indisputable to be recognized at all." To begin leveling an unequal cultural playing field, Rupert suggests that authenticity needs to be rethought. Rather than continuing to treat it as an entrapping "ideology," it must be seen as "methodology" that allows people of color to survive a white supremacist society. A timely and provocative study about the hidden gatekeeping power of authenticity. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
