Trust – Pete Buttigieg

Today is election day in the United States and it is filled with fear and anxiety for many, so I'm spending it thinking about a moment that gave me hope during this election cycle.

I moved to Iowa at the end of December 2019, which meant I was able to participate in the Iowa Caucus, the first major presidential competition held the first week of February. If you followed the headlines, you know it ended up being a disaster.

However, our precinct didn't have issues, and I enjoyed the experience of sitting in a crowded gymnasium (this was six weeks before COVID-19 lockdown) and watching neighbors debate the merit of their candidate over another. It was spirited, thoughtful and respectful — exactly what democracy should be.

I cast a ballot for Pete Buttigieg, the first presidential candidate that I felt truly represented me. Besides both of us being openly gay, Pete and I grew up about 75-miles from one another in Indiana and are only a month a part in age. His upbringing and values closely mirror mine, and it was a privilege to be one of the many Iowans that helped him win the state delegates.

Even though Mayor Pete's campaign ended about a month later, "Trust," and his husband Chasten's recent novel "I Have Something To Tell You," are signs that the Buttigieg's are not done with politics.

In "Trust," Mayor Pete outlines the many ways in which Americans have grown distrustful — of politics, of science, of media, of each other, etc. — and how foreign actors and partisan politics have exploited the schism.

Given it was written this year, the examples are timely and bone chilling, but it’s not all doom and gloom. He also provides a practical blueprint for course correction that could be implemented by any politician willing to put people above party.

Overall, the slim novel isn’t anything too remarkable, but it helps Mayor Pete lay a groundwork by clarifying his stance on various policies and opportunities for improving the United States’ reputation globally.

The highlight for me was listening, again, to his and Chasten’s emotional concession speech given on March 1, 2020, in South Bend, Ind., just weeks after his historic win in Iowa. It reaffirmed that he was the right candidate for me, and I hope he continues to strive for public service for all —not just those that agree with him.  

As he states near the closing, Americans have been through divisiveness before. We've come through it, and we can do it again. So, today, I'm not going to think about everything that could go wrong, rather I'm focusing on the power I — and all Americans — wield to enact change: casting a vote.

Rating (story): 3/5 stars

Rating (narration): 3/5 stars

Format: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: October 28 – November 1, 2020

Multi-tasking: Okay.