Stand

By: Cory Booker

Narrated by: Cory Booker

"Sen. Cory Booker is an orator, so it's no surprise that he knows how to deliver an emotional text, and in narrating his own book, he delivers." — Kirkus (Earphones Award Winner)


An urgent call to rekindle our shared American ideals. This program is read by the author.

We are living through a time of crisis. The problems we face grow more serious, while our divisions continue to widen. But our history overflows with people who used the power of our foundational virtues to overcome impossible obstacles.

In Stand, Senator Cory Booker offers a hopeful and practical path forward, weaving together powerful stories and stirring personal reflections to remind us that our country’s shared ideals can serve as a North Star to guide us, even when our journey feels especially dark and perilous. He argues that our principles are not luxuries; they are vital, strategic keys to our survival and success. By wielding these tools, we can reclaim our sense of common cause and change the course of our country’s history.

Stand takes listeners on a trip through America’s past and present, showcasing moments when individuals and communities—in unexpected situations and against staggering odds—prevailed by embodying the best of our nation’s virtues. Through the stories of leaders from President George Washington and Congressman John Lewis, to suffragist Alice Paul and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to environmental justice advocate Ron Finley and disability rights activist Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, Booker offers inspiring and actionable insights for Americans from all walks of life.

Published ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, Stand is a defiantly optimistic challenge to reclaim our national story and work together to redeem the American dream.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

Critic reviews

"Stand captured my mind and my heart. Through Booker’s gifted storytelling, a series of virtues essential to our civil society are made concrete by tales of individuals who stood up in times of danger and adversity. These powerful stories evoke our emotions. They inspire us. They give us strength.” —Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Leadership: In Turbulent Times

“With energy, insight, and a passion for the best of the American tradition, Cory Booker has issued a compelling and invaluable summons to what Lincoln called our ‘better angels.’ In an hour of political and moral crisis, Stand not only illuminates the problem but points us toward solutions. This is an important, suprapartisan work that deserves careful consideration by all Americans who long for a ceasefire to the total war our politics has become.” —Jon Meacham, author of And There Was Light

"A stirring reminder of the central importance of virtue in a free society. Sen. Booker offers a roadmap not only for realizing the ideals of a more perfect union, but also—and perhaps more importantly—for carrying out the day-to-day practicalities of governance, activism, and community-building. Inspiring, moving, and beautifully written, Stand is mandatory reading for all Americans who seek inspiration in a country and world beset by constant crisis." —Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University

Sincere and genuine

Inspiring stories and beautifully read. Senator Booker’s words gave me hope for our nation and greater society. He is clearly a decent and compassionate leader.

Stand & Recover our Democracy

Exceptional & so uplifting & orienting during this difficult period in our nation’s history. I am 87 & was three when my Dad volunteered & became a B-17 Pilot in WWII. He flew 35 missions. I was marching for Civil Rights at 18 after Emmett Tills murder when I was 14. Your personal story & history I didn’t fully know has helped me cope & continue to STAND & recover our Democratic Republic!

How current this book is! We need more politicians thinking the way Cory Booker does.

I loved the tone of conviction Cory uses in reading his book. May he prevail in all he does!

So so SO good!

Cory Booker. I have seen him on FB. I have seen him briefly in the papers. But I had no idea what an amazing human this man is. This book talks about history, his own and our nations. It talks about commitment, decency, loyalty, and love. The shared stories inspired me, moved me and a few shattered me (the loss oh the loss) but resiliency leads the path back to standing up for who we really are as humans, who we really are as community and who we really are as love. Thank you Cory. And could you please run for president? I will help you in any way possible from my small town in NH. Lynne-Anne McGrail.

Book For This Hour...MUST READ

I loved this book. Very well written. it addresses the perils we face today and what we MUST DO AND BE to actually make America Great, Save our Democracy and become the people our Creator intended us to be.
I truly believe that truth is the key to open the hearts and minds of a people that have been engulfed in lies and propaganda. The bookbshare pertain truths that easily demonstrate how it is and what WE AS A PEOPLE must do to livebup to the Constitution and all the Founding documents.
If I had to compare this book to another, it would be The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.