First Gen with Alejandra Campoverdi and Paola Ramos

The Drama Book Shop presents, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications, First Gen with Alejandra Campoverdi and Paola Ramos - A talkback and signing.

About the book

Alejandra Campoverdi has been a child on welfare, a White House aide to President Obama, a Harvard graduate, a gang member’s girlfriend, and a candidate for U.S. Congress. Living a life of contradictory extremes often comes with the territory when you’re a “First and Only.” It also comes at a price.

In her award-winning memoir First Gen, Alejandra retraces her trajectory as a Mexican American woman raised by an immigrant single mother in Los Angeles. Forgoing the tidy bullet points of her résumé and shining a light on the spaces between them instead, what emerges is a powerful testimony that shatters the one-dimensional glossy narrative we are often sold of what it takes to achieve the American Dream.

Part memoir, part manifesto, First Gen is a gripping journey to “reclaim the parts of ourselves we sacrificed in order to survive.”

About the guests:

Alejandra Campoverdi is a nationally-recognized women’s health advocate, bestselling author, founder, producer, and former White House aide to President Obama.

Alejandra's award-winning memoir, FIRST GEN, examines the emotional toll of social mobility on those she refers to as "First and Onlys." A national bestseller, FIRST GEN is the winner of CALIBA's Martin Cruz Smith Award, and was longlisted for the Outstanding Works of Literature Award for the First Year Experience. FIRST GEN is also the 2024 Opportunity Matters Book Club selection for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), a national book club for first-generation and low-income students at colleges and universities across the country.

Previously, Alejandra served in the Obama White House as the first White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media. She produced and appeared in the groundbreaking PBS documentary Inheritance, and founded the LATINOS & BRCA awareness initiative in partnership with Penn Medicine’s Basser Center for BRCA. Alejandra holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and graduated cum laude from USC.

Paola Ramos is an author and Emmy-Award winning journalist. Ramos is a contributor for Telemundo News and MSNBC, where she is the host of “Field Report.” Ramos is a former Correspondent for Vice News, where she spent four years. Prior to her career in journalism, she was the former Deputy Director of Hispanic Media for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential Campaign, a political appointee during the Obama Administration and also served in President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Ramos is the author of “Finding Latin-X: In Search of the Voices redefining Latino Identity,” published by Penguin Random House. Ramos has a new book coming out this Fall titled “DEFECTORS: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and what It Means for America.” Ramos received her Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and her B.A. from Barnard College.

About the event

We kindly ask that you review the following information before reserving your spot:

This Eventbrite ticket is your reservation for the event.

Please note that the purchase of. “First Gen ” is required for entry.

Upon arrival, our team will direct you to the register to obtain your copy and complete your admission.

The store will begin welcoming guests at 7:15 pm.

Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Drama Book Shop, 266 West 39th Street, New York, United States