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Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future Hardcover – February 12, 2019

by Pete Buttigieg (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,926 ratings
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"The best American political autobiography since Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father." ―Charles Kaiser, The Guardian

A mayor’s inspirational story of a Midwest city that has become nothing less than a blueprint for the future of American renewal.

Once described by the Washington Post as “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of,” Pete Buttigieg, the thirty seven year old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has now emerged as one of the nation’s most visionary politicians. With soaring prose that celebrates a resurgent American Midwest, Shortest Way Home narrates the heroic transformation of a “dying city” (Newsweek) into nothing less than a shining model of urban reinvention.

Interweaving two narratives―that of a young man coming of age and a town regaining its economic vitality―Buttigieg recounts growing up in a Rust Belt city, amid decayed factory buildings and the steady soundtrack of rumbling freight trains passing through on their long journey to Chicagoland. Inspired by John F. Kennedy’s legacy, Buttigieg first left northern Indiana for red bricked Harvard and then studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, before joining McKinsey, where he trained as a consultant―becoming, of all things, an expert in grocery pricing. Then, Buttigieg defied the expectations that came with his pedigree, choosing to return home to Indiana and responding to the ultimate challenge of how to revive a once great industrial city and help steer its future in the twenty first century.

Elected at twenty nine as the nation’s youngest mayor, Pete Buttigieg immediately recognized that “great cities, and even great nations, are built through attention to the everyday.” As Shortest Way Home recalls, the challenges were daunting―whether confronting gun violence, renaming a street in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., or attracting tech companies to a city that had appealed more to junk bond scavengers than serious investors. None of this is underscored more than Buttigieg’s audacious campaign to reclaim 1,000 houses, many of them abandoned, in 1,000 days and then, even as a sitting mayor, deploying to serve in Afghanistan as a Navy officer. Yet the most personal challenge still awaited Buttigieg, who came out in a South Bend Tribune editorial, just before being reelected with 78 percent of the vote, and then finding Chasten Glezman, a middle school teacher, who would become his partner for life.

While Washington reels with scandal, Shortest Way Home, with its graceful, often humorous, language, challenges our perception of the typical American politician. In chronicling two once unthinkable stories―that of an Afghanistan veteran who came out and found love and acceptance, all while in office, and that of a revitalized Rust Belt city no longer regarded as “flyover country”―Buttigieg provides a new vision for America’s shortest way home.

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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Liveright
  4. Publication date
    February 12, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1631494368
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1631494369
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From the Publisher

2020, president, mayor, midwest, indiana, memoir
mayor, president, 2020, indiana, leadership
politics, mayor, president, 2020, indiana

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Buttigieg’s Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future (Liveright) is the best written of all these books [by 2020 presidential candidates]; it offers the most unembarrassed political hope; and it’s got the best love story.... Buttigieg’s stirring, honest, and often beautiful book is a story of how the people of South Bend rebuilt their Rust Belt city, and made it a better place, and it’s an argument for what it means to answer a calling, and why it’s important to ask, again and again, ‘what each of us owes to the country.'"
― Jill Lepore, The New Yorker

"The best American political autobiography since Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father.... Buttigieg writes unusually well for a politician.... Is it too much to imagine that America could elect a gay president? I don’t think so.... Especially a man like this."
― Charles Kaiser, The Guardian

"Personal, beguiling and quite moving as he talks about coming out and getting married… The story is told with brisk engagement ― it is difficult not to like him…When Obama wrote his memoir, the idea that the nation would soon put an African-American in the White House seemed beyond the realm of the possible. After reading this memoir written 25 years later, the notion that Buttigieg might be the nation’s first openly gay president doesn’t feel quite as far-fetched."
― Adam Nagourney, New York Times

"If you were an early Barack Obama supporter a dozen or more years ago, you recall inching forward in your chair whenever he spoke. The words were so clear, the passion so strong, the message of hope so credible…. I suggest you watch the video of Pete Buttigieg at a CNN town hall. If that piques your interest, as it did mine, read his book, Shortest Way Home."
― Peter Funt, USA Today

"In a sense, Buttigieg’s book is a kind of antidote to J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, a story of broken people in a broken place.... This is a comeback story of a place that got hit hard, survived and then began thriving again.... It’s entirely true that a leap from mayor to president has been impossible in the past. But these pages make a pretty good case that city halls just might be better training schools for the presidency than attendance at any five years of congressional hearings combined.
"
― E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post

"Readers will find telling insights into the events that shaped Buttigieg's biggest decisions and share a typical day in the mayor's office; relive Buttigieg's tour of duty in Afghanistan (while he was still acting mayor); and understand his angst over being a young, gay public figure trying to get a date (spoiler alert: there's a happy ending!). First and foremost a great, engaging read, this is also an inspiring story of a millennial making a difference."
― Kathleen McBroom, Booklist [starred review]

"Since Buttigieg launched his campaign for the presidency last year, I have read or reread much of what he has written, at Harvard and since. Most notable is his excellent memoir Shortest Way Home, with its lyrical evocations of the Indiana landscape, its vivid account of military life in Afghanistan, its rollicking tales of campaign stops featuring Deep Fried Turkey Testicles and peanut-butter-and-bacon sandwiches dusted with powdered sugar, and its incisive analysis of the rewards and frustrations of life as mayor of a small city…. In one of the most powerful passages in Shortest Way Home, Buttigieg points out that there is no formula for resolving the tradeoffs required in government. Data cannot yield answers to questions about who should suffer, and how much, when competing policies are debated."
― James T. Cloppenberg, Commonweal

"[Buttigieg] has an extraordinary story and great insights into the politics of our country."
― David Axelrod

"Mika and I have been overwhelmed by the reaction Pete Buttigieg got after being on the show. The only other time in twelve years that we heard from as many people about a guest was after Barack Obama appeared on Morning Joe.
"
― Joe Scarborough, MSNBC's Morning Joe

"Combining candor and compassion with a brilliant understanding of how government can be more effective, Shortest Way Home demonstrates that Pete Buttigieg is not only a key political figure in his generation, but also an appealing and even funny writer. Far from a conventional politician's book, his work is an important entry in the American political tradition for the twenty-first century."
― Walter Isaacson

"Pete Buttigieg has given more to his community and country before his 40th birthday than most of us do over the course of our lives. At every crossroads, he has turned towards service and leveraged his energy and intellect to help his neighbors and fellow citizens. In this book, you will not only learn about what brings Pete home, but what drives him towards his vision of a better, kinder nation."
― Joe Kennedy III

"In this uplifting coming-of-age memoir from the American heartland, Pete Buttigieg, successful mayor of revitalized South Bend, Indiana, writes that the shortest distance between opportunity and success, ‘like good literature, takes personal lived experience as its starting point’―a promising axiom for a prospective national figure."
― David Levering Lewis

About the Author

Born in Indiana in 1982, Pete Buttigieg is the US secretary of transportation and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. A Rhodes Scholar and Navy veteran, Buttigieg was educated at Harvard University and the University of Oxford. He and his husband live in South Bend.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Liveright (February 12, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1631494368
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1631494369
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,926 ratings

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Pete Buttigieg

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
3,926 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book readable, engaging, and intelligent. They describe the writing quality as well-written, eloquent, and clear. Readers also find the story compelling, with a well-balanced mix of personal anecdotes and professional challenges. They appreciate the great insight into Pete Buttigieg's background and how his experiences made him who he is. Additionally, they say he has the talent, brains, and integrity to lead.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityIntelligenceWriting qualityStorytellingInsightTalentStyleCompassion
307 customers mention "Readability"299 positive8 negative

Customers find the book readable, engaging, and articulate. They also describe the author as humble, decent, and an incredible writer.

"...He is humble, likeable, and really really smart. He also lives many of the challenges we are all facing...." Read more

"...Thank you for writing this wonderful book." Read more

"...The book is really well written, with a strong sense of who Pete really is...." Read more

"...autobiography confirms what a lot of people think about him: a smart, decent, principled, and somewhat nerdy and wonky man...." Read more

267 customers mention "Intelligence"267 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thoughtful, wise, and enlightening. They appreciate the author's intellectual agility, optimism, bravery, and cohesive vision. Readers also mention the book is compelling, inspiring, and informative.

"...Read the book. It’s well written, it’s filled with wisdom, and you will get a deeper understanding of this candidate...." Read more

"...with how important his family - a loving, healthy, caring, and intelligent family - was in raising and supporting him through his challenging, daring..." Read more

"...(approaching the 2020 campaign) you realize that this is a man who thinks clearly, plans a course, but who has the wisdom to listen to other people..." Read more

"...This autobiography confirms what a lot of people think about him: a smart, decent, principled, and somewhat nerdy and wonky man...." Read more

184 customers mention "Writing quality"180 positive4 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written, funny, and moving in turns. They also appreciate the beautiful and artistic prose, as well as vulnerably honest self reflection. Readers describe the author as down-to-earth, authentic, and a natural politician. They say the story is straightforward, easy to read, and understand.

"...Read the book. It’s well written, it’s filled with wisdom, and you will get a deeper understanding of this candidate...." Read more

"...I recommend Shortest Way Home, and the other two. They are all three well written." Read more

"...again reflecting his intelligence and upbringing, refrains from polemics and rude commentary about people who do not share his vision or his..." Read more

"...The writing is lively, dignified, eloquent, and one after another, generously sharing solutions that anyone interested in the fate of America will..." Read more

85 customers mention "Storytelling"85 positive0 negative

Customers find the story compelling, with a well-balanced mix of personal anecdotes and professional challenges. They say the author shares his story in a straightforward, easy-to-read, and understandable way. Readers also mention the book is fascinating and deeply thoughtful.

"...It is a true love story, nicely defined, but not filled with unimportant "details."..." Read more

"...Mayor Pete shares his story in a straightforward, easy to read and understand way...." Read more

"This is a fascinating and deeply thoughtful memoir by the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (and current surprise Presidential candidate)...." Read more

"...The book is very readable. It intertwines his personal history along with the story of his birth city for which he later became Mayor before the age..." Read more

63 customers mention "Insight"63 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They say it helps them understand Pete's background and how his experiences made him who he is. Readers also mention the author is smart and principled.

"...written, it’s filled with wisdom, and you will get a deeper understanding of this candidate...." Read more

"...He relates well and humbly to their problems. I recommend Shortest Way Home, and the other two. They are all three well written." Read more

"...Pete's passion and commitment are admirable and should be the blueprint for everyone in politics and as a true human being." Read more

"...It is his inherent ability to understand and easily explain why we are in the situation we are in and that there is so much more involved in than..." Read more

56 customers mention "Talent"56 positive0 negative

Customers find the man outstanding, thoughtful, and extraordinary. They say he has the talent, brains, and integrity to lead. Readers also mention he's down-to-earth, gifted, and hard-working.

"...He is a good man with a great vision , but of course we're probably not smart enough to vote for him. Not with all the other just dandy candidates." Read more

"...In any case, it was compelling. And this young man is extraordinary...." Read more

"...However, his articulate, thoughtful demeanor was immediately intriguing. So, I bought his book to learn more, and am now smitten with his potential...." Read more

"...this book more than I thought he really is a very honest and good man at heart...A GREAT READ." Read more

41 customers mention "Style"41 positive0 negative

Customers find the style insightful, folksy, and endearing. They say it provides a well-rounded portrait of an exceptional individual. Readers also mention the writing is lively, dignified, and eloquent.

"...He gives real, non-“politiciany” answers to hard questions. He is humble, likeable, and really really smart...." Read more

"...I’m impressed with how important his family - a loving, healthy, caring, and intelligent family - was in raising and supporting him through his..." Read more

"...The writing is lively, dignified, eloquent, and one after another, generously sharing solutions that anyone interested in the fate of America will..." Read more

"Pete is the smartest, most authentic, kind, sincere person running for the Democratic nomination...." Read more

39 customers mention "Compassion"39 positive0 negative

Customers find the author compassionate, kind, and inspiring. They say his empathy is a superpower. Readers also mention that he's respectful, humble, and has a unifying spirit.

"...I’m impressed with how important his family - a loving, healthy, caring, and intelligent family - was in raising and supporting him through his..." Read more

"...Rather, he comes across as calm, caring and wanting to listen and to serve others...." Read more

"...He is young but experienced beyond his years, thoughtful, compassionate and energetic...." Read more

"...: he's kind, thoughtful, modest, intelligent, reads books and shows compassion...." Read more

An amazing and inspiring story. Do not underestimate this man from South Bend
5 out of 5 stars
An amazing and inspiring story. Do not underestimate this man from South Bend
Just finished "Shortest Way Home," and I am now thinking Pete Buttigieg could indeed be our next President.I immediately recognized South Bend, Indiana, when I arrived from Pittsburgh. Both cities have suffered from the loss of American manufacturing (Pittsburgh steel, and South Bend Studebaker automobiles). I had to move from Pittsburgh to South Bend about 6 years ago, and I have witnessed the renaissance here, inspired and helmed by this young, dynamic guy."Mayor Pete" came to the office of mayor with impressive credentials and a drive to reshape his hometown into a model of success for the twenty-first century. This book is the story of small city politics, and of the nuts and bolts of turning high expectations and soaring ideas into concrete success.Along with the story of leading South Bend, much attention will no doubt be paid to the fact that Mayor Pete, along with being a veteran, is a married gay man. But that story, couched as it is amid the tale of drive, success, dedication, patriotism, optimism and vision, becomes not such a big deal. He benefits from the progress we have made in accepting our lgbtq fellow citizens, but his candor is refreshing and inspiring.This book reveals a man of intellectual agility, optimism, bravery, and a cohesive vision that is inspiring and clearly conveyed. Whatever his future holds in politics, one should not dismiss this guy. My bet is that he will inspire surprising support from a diverse group of converts. It's rather fitting that Joe Kennedy III is a fan.
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Top reviews from the United States

Charley Ada
5.0 out of 5 stars Winning an Era
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Everyone that I talk to about this candidate asks the same question: is America ready? But that’s not the right question. The right question is, “What can each of us do between now and November 2020 to open people’s minds so that America is ready?”

First, the book. I wish I could say to read this book to see why America needs Mayor Pete to be President Pete, but you don’t need to – just listen to him talk for five minutes in any of his recent speeches or town halls. I wish also that I could say to read this book for a complete understanding, but that’s not really true either. The book left me wanting to know more. This book will give you a deeper understanding for sure, but on every topic, from his service in Afghanistan, to his Rhodes Scholar studies, to his time as mayor, I felt like I was only hearing the first chapter of a great story. At age 37, this candidate has done and experienced so many things in his life, that I get the sense he could fill ten books, and they would all be interesting.

He speaks in a way that can bring people from different backgrounds and political mindsets together. He gives real, non-“politiciany” answers to hard questions. He is humble, likeable, and really really smart. He also lives many of the challenges we are all facing. He doesn’t just have opinions and positions: he has student debt, he will be around to see the full effects of climate change, and he has overcome adversity. If not for that one question about whether America is ready for a gay president, I think Pete would be the front runner in this race by a mile already. But I remember a similar question being asked early on about a certain, other energizing new candidate who then went on to became a historic “first” in 2008.

Who can win in 2020 America is not some immutable law. We are America. We decide who can win. If we brush this candidate aside with a, “yeah, he’s great, but he can’t win,” then he won’t. But if we get involved and show up at events, knock on doors, and talk to our friends and family, then he can. He won reelection in South Bend, Indiana with 80% of the vote after coming out, based on the sheer power of his ideas and problem-solving, and with the right support from all of us, he can win the presidency and much more: not just another election where the pendulum swings left, only to return hard-right two to four years later, but in his words “an era.”

Read the book. It’s well written, it’s filled with wisdom, and you will get a deeper understanding of this candidate. But don’t stop there when there is so much more to be done. As Pete learned in Afghanistan:

“A river is made drop by drop.” - Afghan Proverb
13 people found this helpful
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Joanna Poppink
5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
The deep love and respect he carries for people and South Bend and our country permeates his writing. This love helps me understand his courage and life choices as well as political choices. I’m impressed with how important his family - a loving, healthy, caring, and intelligent family - was in raising and supporting him through his challenging, daring, and generous life journey. He made what I think were good choices. He took the initiative when needed. He shares his process and emotions with his readers. I feel like I will make better choices after spending this time with Pete Buttigieg. Thank you for writing this wonderful book.
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Alan Montgomery
5.0 out of 5 stars Learn about the man - lots of things I didn't know.
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
I just finished what I will call the Buttdigieg trilogy - This book, Trust (by Pete), and Chasten's book, too. This book tells of Pete's rise to awareness of the problems in South Bend (never recovered from the Studebaker closing). He outlines a methodical approach to that and other problems he faced. In South Bend that included about 1,000 houses that were too run-down for low income housing. The book is really well written, with a strong sense of who Pete really is. I was aware he was a scholar (Harvard and Oxford), but I didn't know he knew so many languages, including Arabic. As a musician, I was impressed that he learned and performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, a famous piece that is in no way easy to play. By the end of the book (approaching the 2020 campaign) you realize that this is a man who thinks clearly, plans a course, but who has the wisdom to listen to other people's advice. Trust deals with observations of the regime just ended.
One thing refreshing is the gentle way both Pete and Chasten approach the subject of their marriage. It is a true love story, nicely defined, but not filled with unimportant "details." Chasten's book also makes clear his (at one time) discomfort around the bigwigs in the political parties. Education is his background, and he feels a little out of his depth. But then he finds that young people, those who face the questions of identity that both Chasten and Pete went through, are heartened and learn from him. He relates well and humbly to their problems. I recommend Shortest Way Home, and the other two. They are all three well written.
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Top reviews from other countries

goddessmaat
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
Fascinating, beautifully written book.

Thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely recommend to anyone who has not read it.

I believe that in particular his chapter on the use of data to drive management decisions would have been of great use to some people I’ve worked with in the past.
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ladykit
5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding read. Well worth the time to understand this lovely man.
Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
If you thought you liked Mayor Pete before this read, you will love him after. Such a talented, thoughtful, kind person who is what the US sorely needs now.
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SJ
5.0 out of 5 stars A story worth reading (and sharing)
Reviewed in India on June 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Rarely have i read a non-fiction book at one go and though I have sometimes lost a whole night's sleep over a book, it was always to a thriller/crime/detective novel - i am surprised at myself to get so engrossed in a political autobiography of someone who isn't yet famous in his own country, let alone mine.

I got directed to this book through one of Mayor Pete's appearances in an American talk show where the host displayed the book. The mayor seemed to talk sense and though from a different country, with very different issues than mine, he seemed to be able to generate appreciation in me for things he said (and the way he said it) and somehow strike a chord in someone so far removed from issues he talked about (or maybe we are not really that removed, given the globalisation of thought processes and politics that transcends boundaries and finds commonality in many national discourses today).

After seeing some of his TV appearances, streamed online, i decided to give the book a chance. And despite difficulty of finding it here for almost a month (the first Amazon seller, after two weeks of booking, cancelled the order as there was no book in his stock) it finally landed in my home and reading through it i felt it was a wise decision to persist in trying to buy a copy.

The autobiography revolves around the author's role as Mayor of his hometown: it's history and characteristics, the challenges he faces as a mayor and how he, and his city administration, are responding to such challenges in innovative ways. This book is the story of an incredible young man who has achieved a lot, yet has remained humble while telling his story. The story's central tenet is about the love of a man for his roots and how he went out to gather knowledge first and then returned to serve his hometown, community and country. It also contains the simple and romantic story of Mayor Pete and his husband Chasten.

And all of it is beautifully written.

If you are someone who likes reading books, and gets inspiration from the written word, this particular book is a must read, even if you are not that interested in American (or any) politics.

So do get hold of a copy of this book. Apart from reading a good story told well, you will also get to know the next US President (if not, the next US something - what I don't know but it is for sure he is destined to greatness, or rather Mayor Pete is great already and we will get to see him shaping something important in US or international politics).
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Sue Lemon
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written and thoughtful book.
Reviewed in Australia on August 18, 2019
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I spent a long time over this. I started at the beginning, then dipped into different chapters out of order, then went back and read some chapters I’d read before. Then I started from the beginning again, and read all the way through. I also listened to Pete narrating his own story with the Audible version. I’m full of admiration for the things Pete’s achieved in his relatively short life time, and admit to having a huge (political) crush on him. I can see him going all the way to the top. I only wish we had someone of such high calibre here in the Australian political scene
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Ekta Singh
5.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly fascinating read
Reviewed in India on February 14, 2021
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Similar to its author who suddenly broke on the national and international political scene like a fresh perspective...this book is the same. I actually want ti visit South Bend now.
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