Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri has a memoir coming out this fall in which she will recount her personal struggles, years of activism and her decision to run for office in 2020, when she became the first Black woman from her state elected to Congress.
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Monday it will release “The Forerunner: A Memoir by Congresswoman Cori Bush” on Oct. 3.
"In ‘The Forerunner,’ she courageously lays bare her experience as a minimum-wage worker, a survivor of domestic and sexual violence, and an unhoused parent — a raw and moving account that is unusual for a politician," the Knopf statement reads in part. The book is also a “call to action for political leadership to prioritize the needs of marginalized communities.”
Bush, a Democrat seeking re-election this fall, listed her book deal on a financial disclosure form in 2021, when her memoir had the working title “The Cori Chronicles” and did not yet have a date of publication.
A nurse and activist, Bush became known nationally as among those protesting in Ferguson, Missouri, after a white police officer fatally shot an 18-year-old Black man, Michael Brown, in 2014.
“If telling my story helps others in positions of power better understand how their decision-making affects regular, everyday people, people like me, then my own self-exposure is worth it," Bush said in a statement issued through Knopf.
“I’m sharing my truth because I feel an urgency to put my mind, my body, and my reputation on the line to make sure our communities get what we need. I hope being open about my own journey will help ease others’ pain.”
