From the Publisher
"Why do most Democrats keep faring so poorly in rural America? Mr. Tester, a farmer from Big Sandy, Mont. — and the only full-time farmer in the Senate — has a few ideas. He lays them out at length in Grounded, a memoir that doubles as a policy manifesto." — New York Times
“Candid and appealing. . . . Tester relates his unique personal story with plainspoken charm, and offers helpful advice for red-state Democrats. This political memoir stands apart from the pack.” — Publishers Weekly
“Politics junkies, especially those following Western issues, will enjoy Tester’s fluent storytelling.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Jon Tester and I were raised in the same small town of Big Sandy, Montana. He has an authentic and unique perspective of America that should never be ignored. This is a story about the truest way we can progress as a nation, and to hold our government accountable, without dismissing the beating heart and working soul of those who live in rural America. Nobody cares more than Jon.” — Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam
“‘Remember those who work with their hands’ is one of Jon Tester’s guiding principles. As the only farmer in the U.S. Senate, Tester has fought for a food system that’s independent, sustainable, and free of corporate domination. The values that he embodies could not be more important today, more relevant—or more endangered by the greed of multinational corporations. In this book you will find a deep respect for the traditions of the American heartland and a guide for how this country can become more prosperous, more fair, and more compassionate in the future.” — Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation
"Jon Tester is the essence of a true Montanan. He works hard, stands up to bullies, helps his neighbors, and does it all with such authentic empathy, Democrats and Republicans alike in a deeply red state continue to proudly call him their Senator. His story is one of bravery. Of tirelessly fighting for justice while learning to do better. He is, truly, a fine example of what makes America great." — Stephanie Land, New York Times bestselling author of Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and A Mother’s Will to Survive
"Jon is a farmer, a teacher, and an advocate for causes that I believe in. He is open minded, open handed, fair. and authentic. He is a beacon for promoting good in the world.” — Jeff Bridges
“Jon Tester shares with the reader some refreshingly honest and straightforward lessons on life and leadership. In Grounded, this farmer-senator reminds us why authenticity, bipartisanship, and honest leadership still play an important role in our government. This is a powerful contribution to us all at a defining time in our country and the world.” — Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, and author of America: Our Next Chapter
Stephanie Land
"Jon Tester is the essence of a true Montanan. He works hard, stands up to bullies, helps his neighbors, and does it all with such authentic empathy, Democrats and Republicans alike in a deeply red state continue to proudly call him their Senator. His story is one of bravery. Of tirelessly fighting for justice while learning to do better. He is, truly, a fine example of what makes America great."
Eric Schlosser
‘Remember those who work with their hands’ is one of Jon Tester’s guiding principles. As the only farmer in the U.S. Senate, Tester has fought for a food system that’s independent, sustainable, and free of corporate domination. The values that he embodies could not be more important today, more relevant—or more endangered by the greed of multinational corporations. In this book you will find a deep respect for the traditions of the American heartland and a guide for how this country can become more prosperous, more fair, and more compassionate in the future.
Jeff Ament
Jon Tester and I were raised in the same small town of Big Sandy, Montana. He has an authentic and unique perspective of America that should never be ignored. This is a story about the truest way we can progress as a nation, and to hold our government accountable, without dismissing the beating heart and working soul of those who live in rural America. Nobody cares more than Jon.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
Jon Tester shares with the reader some refreshingly honest and straightforward lessons on life and leadership. In Grounded, this farmer-senator reminds us why authenticity, bipartisanship, and honest leadership still play an important role in our government. This is a powerful contribution to us all at a defining time in our country and the world.
Jeff Bridges
"Jon is a farmer, a teacher, and an advocate for causes that I believe in. He is open minded, open handed, fair. and authentic. He is a beacon for promoting good in the world.
New York Times
"Why do most Democrats keep faring so poorly in rural America? Mr. Tester, a farmer from Big Sandy, Mont. — and the only full-time farmer in the Senate — has a few ideas. He lays them out at length in Grounded, a memoir that doubles as a policy manifesto."
null Jeff Bridges
"Jon is a farmer, a teacher, and an advocate for causes that I believe in. He is open minded, open handed, fair. and authentic. He is a beacon for promoting good in the world.
Kirkus Reviews
2020-06-30
The Montana senator recounts the rough and tumble of the political life.
Tester, a farmer from the high plains of north-central Montana, is known to most casual observers as the senator with the flattop haircut. He is more than that. As he writes, with undisguised pride, he is “one of the few citizens of this nation who has successfully held Donald Trump accountable without suffering politically for it.” He did so, at first, by opposing the nomination of Trump’s personal doctor to be the head of the Veterans Administration in committee, suspecting that someone nicknamed “Candyman” for his easy dispensation of prescription drugs might not be the best choice. Trump swore vengeance at the polls, but Montana voters, despite having gone for Trump over Hillary Clinton, still returned Tester, a Democrat, to the Senate in the last election. Tester writes of his engagement with politics, which began at the local level as a member of his small town’s school board and expanded to incorporate national issues in a number of areas, particularly agriculture. The author is mostly affable and forgiving, though he harbors a touch of scorn for a few opponents—to say nothing of Trump himself and Don Jr., whom he usually refers to as “his greasy-haired kid.” Tester has a good sense of humor, laughing at a hapless political foe who ran an ad with a doctored photograph of Tester shaking hands with Barack Obama, showing the senator to have a full suite of fingers when, in fact, he’s missing three of them as the result of a farm accident. Even so, he writes, he’s since sat next to that opponent on plane rides. “We get along,” he avers, “as most Montanans do when they check politics at the door.” Politics, for all that, are at the heart of this book, manifested in such ways as Tester’s disdain for dark money, the sitting president, Ryan Zinke, and assorted other bugaboos.
Politics junkies, especially those following Western issues, will enjoy Tester’s fluent storytelling.
