Mayor Pete’s Biggest Fan
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            Chasten’s book deal—I’ll use first names to avoid confusion—no doubt came in part due to his popularity on social media, in particular on Twitter, where he shared bits and pieces of information and joked about the inanities of the campaign trail. His gee-whiz style is on full display. He assures us that a discussion of “camp” is not the Susan Sontag variety and that “Dad knows a thing or two about peanut butter sandwiches” (without any irony).

            To be fair, the balancing act expected of political spouses is gravity-defying, as Chasten is aware. They’re supposed to be independent spirits, not mere appendages of their famous spouses, but can’t stand out too much lest they overshadow you-know-who. Chasten was given the added challenge of being a gay trailblazer, which explains why he went to what seem like extraordi- nary lengths to let us know how ordinary he and his husband are.

            The only trouble with this approach is that the “we’re just like everyone else” routine doesn’t always make for the most fascinating reading. I wasn’t holding out to learn, for example, that their wedding registry was at the Pottery Barn. And indeed there are those who maintain that Pete and Chasten are mainstream assimilationist sellouts. No doubt these critics would point out that in this entire book Chasten offers not one sentence of explanation for why he took his husband’s surname upon getting married. It’s a patriarchal custom that feminists warned women against long ago.

            That said, Chasten is so earnest a writer that at times he’s endearing. And much of his story does actually turn into a serious message of concern for the American people. After getting a bachelor’s degree, and after enduring one night in the hospital for severe stomach pains, he found himself deep in debt. He kept this fact from Pete, who finally came home early one day to intercept the mail and found another warning notice from collectors. Chasten’s confession of shame is genuinely moving, and he offers it as a life lesson that stoked their motivation to work toward a better future for all Americans.