Young Man in a Hurry

A Memoir of Discovery

By: Gavin Newsom

Narrated by: Gavin Newsom

Brought to you by Penguin.

**Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by the New York Times**

California Governor Gavin Newsom's intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics

‘Go slow,’ his political elders advised him, but Gavin Newsom has never known such a speed. For Newsom, the California Dream is what lured his father’s family from Ireland, six generations ago. His great-great-grandfather, a cop, walked a beat in San Francisco, where almost 150 years later Newsom would be elected as mayor.

Newsom has never lived anywhere but California. His childhood was spent being tugged between two worlds: his mother worked three jobs in order to care for her children while his father, a close friend of the Getty family, brought Newsom into a world of wealth and connections. But the vantage point was valuable: he inherited his mother’s perseverance and his father’s reverence of California – not only its wildness, but its opportunity.

In Young Man in a Hurry, Newsom traces the forces that have defined his ambitions as a politician. As mayor of San Francisco, he made waves when he violated state law in order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. He launched bold efforts to counter climate change, improve mental health care, and enhance gun safety. Elected as governor and entering office into immediate hyper-partisan headwinds from Washington, DC, Newsom has constantly and consistently stuck his neck out.
Here, he reflects on the long journey that ultimately shaped him into one of the most recognizable and accomplished elected officials in America.

© Gavin Newsom 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critic reviews

Few readers of Young Man in a Hurry will come away thinking of its author as the 'Prince Gavin' of his rivals' caricature. Instead they will see a man ... whose story is far more complex, and interesting, than the haircut and smile would have you believe – one whose life might just have equipped him to win the most powerful office in the world (Jonathan Freedland)

[Gavin Newsom is] somebody who might one day be the President of the United States … He’s somebody who’s got a fascinating childhood, then made it pretty big in business ... and is now making a difference in the arguments about what the Democrats should do to take on Donald Trump … His analysis of Trump is spot on … Very clever … The book [Young Man in a Hurry] is very, very open … and that’s the lesson he’s taking [from] this sort of new way of new politics that we’re in … Terrific

[Newsom is] self-aware, battle-tested and versed in confrontation with Trump… [Young Man in a Hurry] make[s] for a colourful read

Political memoirs ... often read like chronically verbose campaign leaflets. Less so, Newsom's ... Young Man in a Hurry is a tale of two childhoods. One was spent in Marin, north of San Francisco making his own mac-n-cheese for dinner while his mother was at work. The other was with the Gettys ... He's honest ... You believe him

Surprisingly good … an unusually readable campaign tract … colourful … the last chapter contains an astonishing account of Newsom’s relationship with Donald Trump

Young Man in a Hurry is better than most political confessionals ... It is part family history, part accidental ethnography of San Francisco's upper crust

After a decade of Trump bluster, bullying and boasting, hearing Gavin Newsom ... discuss his acute dyslexia and anxiety as both a boy and teenager is refreshing, whether you agree with his politics or not

He knows where to go and its importance

Newsom’s humanity and warmth shines through. Humility too is a great quality for a would-be president.