24 Years of House Work... and the Place is Still a Mess

by Pat Schroder

Pat Schroeder's memoir of 24 years in politics is so enthusiastic it is easy to forget how difficult her work must have been. She was Colorado's first congresswoman and one of only 14 female representatives to the House when she was elected in 1972. "The women in Congress had to wage virtually every battle alone," she remembers of those early years, "whether we were fighting for female pages (there were none) or a place where we could pee."

Schroeder takes on a lot in this book; sometimes she barely skims the surface as she tries to fit tales of politics, childhood, family life, and her opinions on a thousand disparate issues into less than 250 pages. Nevertheless, as one of our longest serving female politicians, her story of life in American politics is a welcome change from the usual political guy-ographies. Who else can write about being a congresswoman under Nixon, Reagan (whom she famously called the "Teflon President"), and Clinton? Or tell of working for women's equal rights back when there was opposition from "Ladies Against Women," who wore pins that read "I'd rather be ironing"?

This is an optimistic book, a reminder of the possibility of change through politics. "Cynics claim we get the government we deserve," says Schroeder. "I say we deserve better, but we will get it only if we act." It will speak in particular to women, whom Schroeder directly urges to take the torch she is passing on. "Consider this a postcard from the front," she writes. "Wish you were here." She almost makes it sound like fun. -- Maria Dolan

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Feminism, Biography, Memoir, History, Womens

244 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pat Schroeder was the first female U.S. Representative elected from Colorado and she served from 1973 to 1997. 24 Years of House Work-- And the Place Is Still a Mess: My Life in Politics is her memoir about her time in the House.

After leaving the House, Schroeder was named CEO of the Association of American Publishers and served for 11 years and fought strongly for ensuring writers were compensated for their content, particularly digital content.

Schroeder was a trailblazer and passed away in March 2023. Her memoir shares the entry into politics as an original lark where no one thought she could win as an attorney with two young children. She was a tireless advocate for pay equity, the Equal Rights Amendment, breast cancer research, and family leave. Her book includes many photos.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was EXCELLENT. I never knew who Pat Schroeder was, I had seen Nora Dunn's parody of her on Saturday Night Live, when I was in maybe 8th grade, but that's about it. I am very impressed that Pat Shroeder was able to go to Congress in the early 70s when there were only a handful of women there (out of 435). She was quick-witted and able to stand up to the men and stand up for her liberal values. She didn't take gifts, and she didn't do polls to see how she should vote on various issues. She took her job seriously and did a lot of research to be informed on the issues, and she did what she thought was right. I think this is the key to successful representative government. We elect the people who we think will have the intelligence, judgment, and moral compass to do the right thing on our behalf. If we find that they are making decisions contrary to what we believe in, then we vote them out in the next term. Pat Schroeder's career in Congress was a true example of representative democracy in action.

She was a role model in her personal life, too. She had two young children when she went to Congress. She prioritized her kids by earmarking every night for dinner with the family; only breakfast and lunch were available for Congressional shmoozing--dinner was off-limits (unless it was a function where kids and hubby could come, too). Pat Shroeder's family lived very frugally. They had a very no-frills house in DC (one they picked out over the phone), the same house the entire 24 years she was there. They figured out the family could afford to pay for the kids and husband to come with her on her international trips as Congresswoman, but only if the kids went to public school. So they made a deal with the kids, if they kept their grades up, they could stay in public school, and there would be enough money for the whole family to travel; if the grades dropped, the kids would have to go to private school and wouldn't be able to go on the international trips. The kids were responsible about their grades, and the family seemed to have lots of happy memories together on these international trips as well as their time spent at home in DC and at their condo in Colorado.

I love the way Pat Schroeder speaks her mind about many of the main players in the House of Representatives and the Presidents from around 1972 to 1996. She is funny and light-hearted, while being serious about the issues. She is able to laugh at herself and at other people without being mean at all. It's amazing when people can pull that off, and she really does. She seems to be always laughing and smiling, and from the way she writes, you can tell she truly enjoys people and life. And yet she is so full of substance when it comes to issues like war, health care, abortion, education, poverty, scientific research, ethics reform, all kinds of things.

Reading Pat's breezy bio was such a breath of fresh air. I feel confident she would have been an awesome president of the United States back in 1988! If the American people would have been compassionate and smart enough to elect her back then. The way she tells it, she was doing quite well, coming in 3rd in the polls before the primaries, but she backed out because she looked at the numbers and decided it would cost too much for her to continue to run, and in 3rd place, she wasn't assured of getting the nomination. She was financially responsible, almost to a fault, and wasn't willing to risk the family savings on a folly. Since Dukakis ended up getting the nomination (not an especially strong candidate), I wonder if she might have actually had a chance at winning the nomination after all! But she was so financially conservative, she backed out without finding out. Her husband wanted her to continue on as he thought she had a chance. And the way we've seen things lately, sometimes the 3rd or 4th place person before the primaries DOES move up and become the main candidate. So maybe she really could have made it. Think how different the 1988 debates would have been, if it had been Pat Schroeder against Papa Bush!

Of course quite likely I'm brainwashed, having just read Pat Shroeder's autobiography that would clearly paint her a favorable light. :) As you can tell, I really liked the book. It gave me hope the politicians DO NOT have to be a bunch of wishy-washy puppets of the lobbyists and big monied interests, with opinions changing to match whatever polls, to get elected and stay in office. From what she wrote, the belief that things have to be the way they are now is just totally a sham. She did not get elected that way, and if we want, we can change all of this. Sadly, I feel like most of the American public are like mindless drones, watching whatever sound bytes they see on TV and believing whatever that shows up in expensive TV commercials or Cable TV shows paid for by Big Money. It makes me sad. We could elect people like Pat Shroeder and have an awesome representative government with independent people who decide what is right based on the information before them. Just because X candidate has Y and Z special interests paying for commercials, doesn't mean we have to vote for X candidate. Thankfully we still have the freedom to check whatever box that we want to check on the ballot.

I hope the American populace will break out of its vegetative state (step away from the TV!) and start voting for more progressive, independent candidates.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned from this book:

- I will never go into politics, because I would not be able to control my Fist of Death.

- (Some) (mostly white) men are complete assholes.

Other than that, Pat Schroeder seems like a terrific person, and I'm very glad that she served for as long as she did. I'd like to think I would say that even if I didn't generally agree with her politics - as a woman, I'm very happy to have anyone fighting for womens' rights, no matter which side of the aisle they're on.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up with Pat Schroeder as my representative, and when she recently died, I realized I really didn't know that much about her. I very much admire and am thankful for her public service. There were a few cringy and jarring "of the times" paragraphs (did you really have to make fun of Paula Jones' appearance, Pat?).

[Jerry Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended - very glad I read this during Women's History Month

[Roo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was spurred on to get this book because Pat Schroeder recently passed away. There was an article about her achievements and the books she wrote in the Denver Post. I know her best for having been the impetus behind Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, which I visit quite often. I saw her name atop the visitor center on one visit and found out that they named it for her efforts to get rid of poisonous gases that were stored there.
I had to order the book through my library - seemingly the only one in Colorado which makes me sad.
This book is a time capsule into the years that she served in Congress - all the presidents in office, all of the bills that she passed, and the ones that to this day have not come to pass like the ERA. She wrote with such sardonic humor that the book was a joy to read. She explains so many instances of discrimination against women that resonate today. Still, it was eye opening to read of the many remarks that were made to her when she was only one of 10 women in Congress. She used humor as subtle digs to those jerky guys, both articulated and in one instance by wearing a bunny suit! This book explains the whole background of that well covered media outrage!
She met with all the biggies of her day: Joan Collins, Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, Moshe Dayan, Tip O'Neill, Barney Frank, and Mick Jagger to name a few! She coined the phrase "Teflon President" about Reagan. She was great at gotcha politics and mentions when she got a crowd to believe that a conservative congressman was for the ERA by "thanking" him. Joe Biden just did a similar thing at his State of the Union.
A fantastic read about a fantastic, very underappreciated voice for women! Sorry that she is gone.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINISHED this book in only two (2) days! Excellent read--easy to follow and I love her writing style. It is as if she is just sitting there having a great conversation with you. One of my favorite lines in the book is "It was depressing that while I was pushing hard for women's rights, the first to criticize my agenda were often other women." I have often said that women are their own worst enemies in so many ways. I was pleased to learn that after leaving Congress after serving 24 years, she became president of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the trade group for the book publishing industry. Most of her focus was protecting intellectual property, which is exactly what I did for 30 years as a intellectual property legal assistant. I wish I had met her in person. I think we would have been great friends. I am sad for her passing a little over a week ago at the age of 82. She left Congress at the age of 55--she didn't want to be one of the WAY TOO MANY DINOSAURS we have there now! Thank you, Pat Schroeder, for all you did and tried to do for us women. I applaud you!!!

[Dano · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter which side of the isle you’re on, you have to admire Pat Schroeder and her conviction to do the right thing. Growing up in a Congress which had only recently seen women serving in more than a handful of districts, Pat carried the torch on so many women’s issues … and was successful in moving the ball forward on many of them. Her humor, her humility, her sense to leave at the right time, and more make her a pioneer in American politics in every sense of the word. Besides a historical reading of events transpiring in those 24 years, the book also has a humorous side as well as a human interest side. Enjoyed it very much. Thanks

[idgiethreadegoode · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for a class - it was really interesting, the author is really funny and has a unique perspective as a woman in congress in the 70s. I enjoyed this more than some of the other congressional memoirs I’ve read

[Jules Nyquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, smart, and oh-so-true still today.....

[Bookclub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Host Jen.

Read: 4,3.5,4,4.5,4
Discussion: 4.5,5,4.5,5,4.5

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always appreciated the work Rep. Schroeder did for women in the military and had wondered where when she had left pubic service. She does a pretty good job of telling her own story. I was amazed at the crap that went on in the good old boys' club in congress. But, I was even more amazed at society's acceptance of "women in their place". We're talking the 70's thru the 90's. Many troubling facts I didn't know even though I thought I was paying attention to US news back then.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing woman! I heard P. Schroeder speak recently and was inspired to read her book. We need more people like her in politics!!

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

921 Schroeder. Pat Schroeder's clever biography of her life. Well written and humorous.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent story of a woman who dedicated her life to making life easier for many other women. She has some really good stories.

[Jack B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This woman is a gifted writer. Hilarious and engaging. Helps one really see just how tough women have had it in politics and gov't, even very recently.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Women of the West book club selection. Political history isn't usually my thing, but her humor and breezy style made this light and easy to read. And I learned some stuff along the way.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only sorry that I've never had the opportunity to vote for Ms Shroeder. I admire her enormously.