Review of 107 Days by Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris, the trailblazing former Vice President of the United States, has worn many hats—from district attorney to senator to the first woman and woman of color in the White House. Born in 1964 to immigrant parents from India and Jamaica, Harris's career has been marked by a fierce commitment to justice, from prosecuting human traffickers in California to championing voting rights nationally. Her 2025 memoir, 107 Days, published by Simon & Schuster, chronicles the whirlwind 107-day presidential campaign from July 21, 2024, when President Joe Biden withdrew, to Election Day on November 5. A New York Times bestseller, it has been called "revealing and relentless" by The Washington Post (2025) and "a candid dispatch from the front lines" by The Atlantic (2025), blending personal anecdotes with sharp political insights.

The book’s thesis is that the 107 days of the 2024 campaign exposed the raw mechanics of American democracy—its resilience amid chaos, the toll of leadership, and the need for bold vision to counter division—urging a renewed commitment to inclusive progress. It is a wake-up call to the ground reality that political races are marathons of grit and grace, making it a must-read for its unfiltered look at power's demands. For Indian youngsters, it is like a friend over chai, sharing how to navigate “log kya kahenge” in the pursuit of change. This memoir invites everyone to see leadership as service, a timely nudge in a world playing catch-up with equity.

Let us be honest, in a time when politics feels like a never-ending soap opera, Harris’s book cuts through the noise with the kind of straight talk that makes you sit up and listen. It is not just a campaign diary; it is a lesson in bouncing back when the odds stack against you, something every young person in India, juggling exams and expectations, can relate to.

107 Days structures each chapter around a single day of the campaign, from Biden’s withdrawal to Election Day, arguing that the frenzy revealed democracy’s fragility and the power of collective will. Harris uses behind-the-scenes moments and reflections as evidence for the need for empathetic leadership. “July 21, 107 Days to the Election: The call came at 1:46 p.m. Joe was out” (p. 1). The book opens with the shock: “The room went silent; we knew the fight was ours now” (p. 5).

Harris describes the pivot: “There were no specifics about which swing states to prioritize, which demographics to target, just happy talk about how we were ‘going to right the ship’” (p. 15). “Throughout my career I’ve maintained that people in positions of power must be required to ask of themselves: Who am I not hearing from? Then make it their business to seek those folks out” (p. 20). The strategy scramble: “We were the first family at the vice president’s residence to have a mezuzah on the doorpost. The one we affixed came from a synagogue in Atlanta where Dr. King preached when it opened its doors to Black worshippers after their church was burned by segregationists” (p. 30).

Debate prep: “Then the Dobbs decision came down. Here was a huge issue on which the president was not seeking to lead. Joe struggled to talk about reproductive rights in a way that met the gravity of the moment. He ceded that leadership to me” (p. 45). “Joe Biden was a smart guy with long experience and deep conviction, able to discharge the duties of president. On his worst day, he was more deeply knowledgeable, more capable of exercising judgment, and far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best” (p. 55). “He’s an expert at suggesting that someone is a fraud—that you cannot believe this person. Which I believe some psychologists would call 'projection'” (p. 65).

Campaign highs: “5:29 p.m., staff alerted me that the British singer-songwriter Charli XCX had posted: Kamala is brat. Brat was the title of her latest album and identified me with her brand” (p. 80). “I was born into a fight for freedom and stood in that tradition. Freedom to vote, to control one’s own body, to breathe clean air and drink clean water, to be free from the fear of weapons of war on our city streets and in our children’s classrooms. Freedom from anxiety about health care costs, childcare costs, a retirement spent in poverty. Freedom to afford a home, build wealth, provide our kids a good education. The freedom not just to get by but to get ahead. And the freedom to simply be” (p. 95).

Personal toll: “But it remains true that the vice president’s role will be as little or as much as the sitting president desires. That can be a hard pill to swallow” (p. 110). “I wanted to acknowledge the complexity, nuance, and history of the region, but it seemed very few people had the appetite for that or the willingness to hold two tragic narratives in their mind at the same time, to grieve for human suffering both Israeli and Palestinian” (p. 125). “own community. Most people don’t want to leave home. They don’t want to leave their grandmother, their church, their friends, their language. And when they do, it is usually for one of two reasons: they fear for their lives, or they can’t make a living” (p. 140).

Election reflections: “That’s why I have no patience for anyone saying, I’m giving up on America because America wanted this. We did not. Of the third that voted for Trump, a good part of them voted for him on promises unkept” (p. 155). “Two of the trending searches after the election: What is a tariff? Can I change my vote?” (p. 170). “Tariffs are a tax on everyday Americans” (p. 185). The book ends with resolve: “This is how fascism begins,” warned Françoise Giroud, a journalist who served in the French Resistance. “It never says its name. It creeps, it floats. When it reaches the tips of people’s noses, they say: ‘Is this it? You think? Don’t exaggerate!’ And then one day it smacks them in the mouth, and it is too late to get rid of it” (p. 200). Harris uses daily vignettes to show democracy’s stakes.

107 Days excels in its candid, day-by-day structure, turning a campaign into a thriller of personal and political drama. Harris’s prose is direct: “July 21, 107 Days to the Election: The call came at 1:46 p.m. Joe was out” (p. 1) captures urgency. The book’s strength is its Biden critique: “He’s an expert at suggesting that someone is a fraud—that you cannot believe this person. Which I believe some psychologists would call 'projection'” (p. 65) is blunt, as The Atlantic (2025) calls it “relatable.” The freedom definition, “I was born into a fight for freedom and stood in that tradition. Freedom to vote, to control one’s own body...” (p. 95), is expansive.

The Charli XCX moment, “5:29 p.m., staff alerted me that the British singer-songwriter Charli XCX had posted: Kamala is brat” (p. 80), adds levity. The warmth in mezuzah anecdote, “We were the first family at the vice president’s residence to have a mezuzah on the doorpost...” (p. 30), feels personal. Its global appeal lies in leadership's universality.

Weaknesses include partisanship: “Joe Biden was a smart guy... far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best” (p. 55) favors Democrats, as The Guardian (2025) notes its “bias.” Intersectional analysis is strong on race but lighter on class: “own community. Most people don’t want to leave home...” (p. 140) touches immigration but skips economic divides. The structure, “There were no specifics about which swing states to prioritize...” (p. 15), can feel episodic.

Overall, 107 Days is a candid memoir, recommended for political enthusiasts. It is less suited for neutrals but excels in insights and candor.

Why Indian Youth Readers Must Read This Book

For Indian youth in the pressure cooker of board exams, JEE coaching, and family expectations, 107 Days is like a friend over chai, saying leadership is about listening to the unheard. The race for top marks feels like Harris’s pivot: “There were no specifics about which swing states to prioritize...” (p. 15). Rote learning is like ignoring voices: “Throughout my career I’ve maintained that people in positions of power must be required to ask of themselves: Who am I not hearing from?” (p. 20). This book’s a wake-up call to seek the marginalized.

The job market, with competition, mirrors campaign chaos: “July 21, 107 Days to the Election: The call came at 1:46 p.m. Joe was out” (p. 1). For youth from lower castes, “I was born into a fight for freedom and stood in that tradition...” (p. 95) resonates with equality fights. The book's resilience, “That’s why I have no patience for anyone saying, I’m giving up on America...” (p. 155), inspires persistence.

For girls, facing marriage pressures, “Then the Dobbs decision came down...” (p. 45) highlights rights. The ground reality is rote systems value winners overall, leaving kids playing catch-up with justice. “Joe Biden was a smart guy... far more compassionate than Donald Trump on his best” (p. 55) pushes for compassionate leaders.

The book's hope, “We were the first family at the vice president’s residence to have a mezuzah...” (p. 30), connects to cultural pride. 107 Days teaches Indian youth to fight with vision, a guide for a high-pressure world.

107 Days is a candid, urgent memoir of a campaign's trials. For Indian youth, it is a mirror to societal races, urging inclusive leadership. This book’s a call to resilience, perfect for aspiring changemakers.