For jaded Democratic voters, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s election to the House was a breath of fresh air that gave hope to progressive voters that the party could be pushed in a new direction. In The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution, political journalist Ryan Grim analyzes the political climate that led to the emergence and success of AOC and her fellow progressive congress members (dubbed “The Squad”), detailing the party’s pushback against Bernie Sanders in his bids for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Although The Squad is specifically named in the title, much of the book focuses on AOC and Sanders during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and their relationships with other party members. Grim gives great focus to the unrelenting idealism demonstrated by both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders, showing AOC standing up against Democratic establishment leaders and even voting against her party line, despite threats of ostracization and blacklisting. While some members of the far left may have become recently disillusioned with AOC, Grim does not waver from his optimism, believing her to be a beacon of hope for a possible sea change within the party.
Image via Henry Holt and Co.
