When Valerie Jarrett opens the front door to her house in Hyde Park, the historic neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, it’s clear she’s happy to be home. The property has been in her family for more than 50 years, she says, settling in on the couch while the family dog, Honey, perches next to her. And though neighbors have come and gone, hers still include her friends of more than 27 years, the Obamas, whose pre– and post–White House house is “just down the block.”
“When women succeed, America succeeds—it’s that simple.” Jarrett just got back from Phoenix, where she was on a book tour with Michelle Obama for Becoming, the former first lady’s memoir. It was Jarrett’s third time moderating a discussion and Q&A with her. “We have a…