I Didn't Come Here to Lie - by Karen G J Lewis & Elizabeth Todd-Breland (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An intimate, inspiring memoir by educator and labor union leader Karen Lewis, a formidable fighter, a staunch defender of teachers and students, and a beloved Chicagoan.

In 2012, Karen Lewis led the Chicago Teachers Union to a historic strike, challenging the city's powerful mayor and paving the way for an unprecedented wave of teacher strikes in the decade that followed.

But Lewis's life took her in rich and surprising directions long before she landed in the CTU President's office. I Didn't Come Here to Lie, written in collaboration with historian and education expert Elizabeth Todd-Breland, tells Lewis's story in full for the first time, capturing her lively wit, her charisma, and her commitment to building the schools and communities teachers, students, and families deserve.

From her childhood on Chicago's South Side to her teen years organizing Black Power walkouts, from her education at Mount Holyoke and Dartmouth to her years in Oklahoma and Barbados and her stints in medical school and film school, readers follow Lewis through a life full of exploration. Wherever she was, she maintained a strong commitment to building fairness. She found her calling in the classroom, teaching science for more than twenty years before becoming a union leader in Chicago.

Up until her untimely death from brain cancer in 2021, Karen Lewis was spirited, unshakeable, and fierce. She remains a model for current organizers and teachers doing the day-to-day work of building a better world. I Didn't Come Here to Lie is a testament to one of the true revolutionaries of her generation.

Review Quotes

"The love that Lewis had for her students, her fellow advocates, and the city of Chicago becomes visceral through this book. Inspiring, funny, informative and heartwarming, the release of I Didn't Come Here to Lie is a tribute to Lewis's life and impact, and proof that we all can make change if we turn to each other with love, understanding, and a drive to make the world better." --The Progressive

"The bottom line: Love her or hate her, Lewis bent the trajectory of Chicago education and politics as we know it -- and, boy, could she tell a story." --Axios

"Karen Lewis changed the world. Her legacy lives on in the work of countless organizers committed to transforming the lives of young people, and this book is a welcome assurance that her lessons endure for generations to come." --Eve L. Ewing

"Karen Lewis's story, as captured in this book, is remarkable and deeply inspiring. It's a narrative of resilience, resistance, and the relentless pursuit of justice that will galvanize readers to imagine and work towards a more equitable future. Thank you, Karen Lewis, for leaving us with a roadmap for freedom dreams--a gift that will inspire generations to come." --Bettina Love

"Karen Lewis was one of Chicago's most powerful labor and community leaders, who was as humble and generous as she was fierce and formidable. We need more like her. I admired her greatly and her legacy offers important lessons for this generation of labor, left and anti-racist organizers. Who better to help share her story than the amazing Chicago educator and historian Elizabeth Todd-Breland. I Didn't Come Here to Lie is a must read in order to prepare us for all the truth-telling that must happen if we are to survive and advance in these dangerous, but dynamic, political times." --Barbara Ransby, historian, activist, and author of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement

"I Didn't Come Here to Lie is a memoir as fearless, insightful, hilarious, and fiercely honest as Karen herself. This book offers unique insight into the sharp humor and brilliant wit that defined Karen--qualities that made her not just a formidable labor leader but also a beloved friend and mentor. It doesn't just tell Karen's story; it inspires us to laugh, resist, and work together for a better world. I Didn't Come Here to Lie serves as a blueprint for collective action in the pursuit of social justice and will endure as a lasting inspiration for changemakers for generations to come." --Jesse Hagopian

About the Author

Karen Lewis (1953-2021) was a teacher and labor union leader who served as the president of the Chicago Teachers Union from 2010-2014. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, she was the only African American woman in her graduating class at Dartmouth College. She spent time in Oklahoma and Barbados before returning home and becoming a teacher. Lewis was a high school chemistry teacher for twenty-two years. A labor leader, an organizer, a brilliant strategist, an advocate for children and public education, a symbol of the progressive left, a lover of opera, movies, and tennis, Lewis passed away in 2021.

Elizabeth Todd-Breland is the author of the award-winning A Political Education: Black Politics and Education Reform in Chicago since the 1960s and an associate professor of history and affiliated faculty member in Black Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a scholar of 20th century U.S. urban and social history, African American history, the history of education, and education policy. In 2019, Todd-Breland was appointed as a member of the Chicago Board of Education. She lives in Chicago.