Acknowledgments
As with everything I’ve done in my life, this memoir would not have been
possible without the love and support of many people.
I would not be who I am today without the steady hand and unconditional
love of my mother, Marian Shields Robinson. She has always been my rock,
allowing me the freedom to be who I am, while never allowing my feet to get
too far off the ground. Her boundless love for my girls, and her willingness to put
our needs before her own, gave me the comfort and confidence to venture out
into the world knowing they were safe and cherished at home.
My husband, Barack, my love, my partner of twenty-five years and the most
lovingly committed father to our daughters, has been a life partner I could only
have imagined. Our story is still unfolding, and I eagerly await the many
adventures left to come. Thank you for your help and guidance with this book...
for reading chapters carefully and patiently, and for knowing exactly when to give
a gentle steer.
And to my big brother, Craig. Where do I begin? You have been my
protector since the day I was born. You have made me laugh more than any
other person on this earth. You are the best brother a sister could ask for, a loving
and caring son, husband, and father. Thank you for all the hours you spent with
my team peeling back the layers of our childhood. Some of my best memories of
writing this book will be our time together, with Mom, sitting in the kitchen
reliving so many old stories.
There is absolutely no way that I could have completed this book in my
lifetime without an incredibly gifted team of collaborators whom I simply adore.
When I first met Sara Corbett a little over a year ago, all I knew about her was
that she was highly respected by my editor and knew very little about politics.