Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Outsider in the White House summary
Bernie Sanders with Huck Gutman
The political autobiography of the insurgent presidential candidate
14 mins
Brief summary
Outsider in the White House by Bernie Sanders with Huck Gutman is a memoir that chronicles Bernie’s journey from an activist in Vermont to a US senator, and his fight for progressive politics. It offers an insightful look into the political establishment from an outsider’s perspective.
Topics
Table of Contents
Outsider in the White House
Summary of 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
The financial hardships of Sanders’s upbringing taught him how greatly economics can affect people’s lives.
Bernard Sanders was born in 1941, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. During his childhood, money was tight; his family managed to stay above the poverty line, but Sanders’s parents often fought about the best uses for the little money they had.
These conditions, however, taught Sanders the value of money.
From his mother, Dorothy, for example, he learned the importance of being thrifty. One day, instead of shopping at an inexpensive supermarket, Sanders bought groceries from a smaller, local store. When he got home, his mother scolded him, stressing the importance of frugality.
Sanders’s father, Elias, had lived through the Great Depression, so he knew what it was like to get by in hard economic times.
Originally from Poland, Elias worked hard as a paint salesman to provide for his family, and his strong work ethic sometimes led to conflicts between father and son.
For instance, when Sanders first applied to college, his father initially opposed the idea. Elias thought it wiser for Sanders to start making money rather than continuing his education.
It was Sanders’s older brother, Larry, who helped turn their parents’ common-sense economics into concrete political ideas.
At Brooklyn College, Larry was a chairman in the Democratic Party’s liberal-minded Young Democrats group, and every once in a while he would bring young Sanders along with him to meetings. During this time, Larry also introduced his brother to progressive political literature and newspapers.
So, by the time Sanders entered Brooklyn College, in 1959, he was well informed and keenly interested in politics, economics and history.
These interests and ambitions continued to blossom a year later when he transferred to the University of Chicago to study political science. Sanders immersed himself in literature in the school’s basement library, spending countless hours reading everything he could get his hands on.
Want to see all full key ideas from Outsider in the White House?
Key ideas in Outsider in the White House
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Outsider in the White House about?
Outsider in the White House (2015) tells the story of Bernie Sanders, the presidential candidate and US senator. From marching for civil rights in the 1960s to campaigning against big money in politics as a 2016 presidential candidate, Sanders has always been at the forefront of US left-wing politics. First published in 1997 as Outsider in the House, this updated version of Bernie Sanders’s autobiography traces his lifelong fight for social justice and economic fairness.
Best quote from Outsider in the White House
Although I was the candidate of a minor party, people were listening to what I had to say and they often supported my positions.
—Bernie Sanders with Huck Gutman
Who should read Outsider in the White House?
- Anyone interested in the 2016 US presidential election
- Students of political science or political history
- US voters looking for information on a presidential candidate
Categories with Outsider in the White House
Book summaries like Outsider in the White House
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
29 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth