Editor’s Note: We reached out to Gov. Mills, wondering what she is reading during her exceptionally tumultuous second year as governor. We were also curious about Mills’ book choices, because she has supported literature in Maine for decades and is a poet in her own right. It took some time to get a response; as her Press Secretary Lindsay Crete explained, “as you can imagine we’ve had a lot on our plates!” So two days after Christmas, one week before the second anniversary of her inauguration and three days before her birthday, we wish Gov. Mills a little quiet, peaceful and rejuvenating reading time. 

“I am reading ‘Accountable: The Rise of Citizen Capitalism,’ by Warren Valdmanis of Portland and Michael O’Leary, investment analysts with backgrounds in social impact funds. This recently published book talks about how corporations could be made accountable to a greater social purpose rather than focusing solely on immediate profit. Also on my bedside table is ‘Leadership In Turbulent Times’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin, given to me by the author when I was running for governor. Historian-author Goodwin describes how Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson – people of very different backgrounds and times – grew to lead our nation through its most difficult periods, overcoming personal hardship and adversity and transcending ambition to become authentic leaders guided by moral purpose, civility and collaboration. I have turned to this book time and time again during the pandemic, because it reminds me of the true leaders among us during these trying times: the nurses and doctors, the teachers and childcare workers, the first responders and law enforcement officers, the mental health workers, the grocery store and convenience store clerks, all of whom are on the front lines, who heed the call of duty and who go out of their way to care for others while we face the greatest challenge of our generation.”  —  Gov. Janet Mills, Augusta