Jan 24, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Elijah Cummings book set to come out this summer

Elijah Cummings headshot.

Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

A book that was mostly written by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, and worked on by his widow Maya Rockeymoore Cummings after his death, is set to be released on June 30, AP reports.

The big picture: "We're Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of Our Democracy" offers perspective from Cummings' personal life, including 23 years in Congress. He was chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee, which was partly responsible for conducting impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

What they're saying:

  • It "powerfully weaves together the urgent drama of modern-day politics and the defining stories from his past," said the book's publisher, Harper.
  • "He offers a unique perspective on how his upbringing as the son of sharecroppers in a South Baltimore neighborhood, rampant with racism and poverty, laid the foundation of a life spent fighting for justice," Harper wrote.
  • "He had many stories from his life he wanted to share because he wanted to encourage young people to overcome obstacles and strive toward their goals. This book is for the ages and the moment. Elijah's fierce defense of our democracy was tied to his total certainty that without it, freedom and opportunity for all would be impossible," Maya Rockeymoore Cummings said in statement to AP.

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