Who’s Your Mimi?

Here’s something we bet ya didn’t know about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: She loves chocolate. She just can’t get enough of the sweet stuff. That’s just one of the many revelations you’ll read in her new memoir, Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters. You’ll also learn that Pelosi’s grandchildren call her “Mimi” and that the country’s most powerful female politician still refers to her parents as “Mommy” and “Daddy.” Okay, so the memoir ain’t exactly a tell-all. As the book’s subhead suggests, it’s more of a paean to girl power. Just check out this bit from the bookflap: “In these pages, she encourages mothers and grandmothers, daughters and granddaughters to never lose faith, to speak out and make their voices heard, to focus on what matters most and follow their dreams wherever they may lead.” While Know Your Power lacks juicy accounts of political hardball, it does capture the amazing arc of Pelosi’s life from housewife to House Speaker. And even though right-wingers mock her for her “San Francisco values,” the book shows there’s a lot for conservatives to admire about her — after all, she is a devout Catholic who raised five children before launching her career. See Pelosi in conversation with Michael Krasny.
Thu., Aug. 14, 7 p.m., 2008