Unite and Conquer was in The Arizona Republic Today

As it appeared in The Arizona Republic today:

State representative writes book on building coalitions

If you can't beat 'em - invite 'em to join you.

That's the message of a new book by Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, whose "Unite and Conquer: How to Build Coalitions That Win - and Last" comes out in July from Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

With a forward written by former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a 32-year-old state legislator could do worse.

But for Sinema, one of the youngest members of the state House of Representatives, necessity was the mother of invention.

After being elected in 2004, she says she spent her first months complaining about the injustice of her opponents' bills - or, in unofficial lawmaking terms, being a generally ineffective "bomb thrower."

"People were mostly polite to me and complimented my outfits," she wrote in her book of her first legislative session, "but no one wanted to actually work with me."

Miserable and disillusioned, Sinema spent the summer re-evaluating her approach and returning to her roots as a social worker.

In her second session, she says she forced herself to empathize with even her most radically different colleagues and slowly built the first of many coalitions that changed her career.

"A coalition can be me and one other person working together," she said in an interview with The Republic. "Rather than focusing on what we don't have in common, we seek to find areas of common ground."

This year, Sinema became the assistant House minority leader. She is perhaps best known for leading Arizona Together, a coalition that defeated Proposition 107, a same-sex marriage ban, in 2006. It was the only ballot initiative of its kind in the country that did not pass that year.

It was Sinema's ambition for progressive change that struck Johanna Vondeling, an editor with Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Vondeling met the legislator last January at a political conference in Washington. Vondeling had dropped in on a session at which Sinema was a panelist; by the end of the day, they were discussing a book proposal.

"As soon as she started speaking, I was just blown away by her energy and her enormous heart," Vondeling said. "To me, she just had 'rising star' written all over her."

Sinema is unapologetic about her unique style, and unabashed in her admiration for another young Democrat who embraced coalition-building.

She nearly jumps when talking about one of President Barack Obama's speeches.

In her office, quirky paper lamps illuminate the colorful "Si, Se Puede!" posters hanging next to a leopard-print bulletin board. A copy of "The Audacity of Hope" is propped up on a side table.

With chapter titles such as "Letting Go of the Bear and Picking Up the Buddha," Sinema hopes "Unite and Conquer" will appeal not only to politicians, but also to those who are interested in becoming politically engaged in other ways.

"That doesn't mean they have to want to run for public office," she said. "Maybe they want to organize around an issue, or volunteer for a campaign. There's a really broad range."

And despite literally seeing the world through rose-colored glasses - she sports a pair of dark pink Chanel frames - Sinema rejects assumptions that her generation is overly idealistic.

"I think we have deeply held beliefs," she said. "But we're not interested in sitting around and talking. We just want to get stuff done."