Veteran journalist Jon Ralston, founder and CEO of The Nevada Independent, has written a detailed, page-turning biography of the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, The Game Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How to Fight, offering political junkies and the politically indifferent alike an expansive look at one of Capitol Hill’s most influential lawmakers.

Ralston pairs meticulous reporting with lively prose to chronicle the rise of the former boxer from Searchlight, Nevada — a figure who was rarely the most likable person in U.S. politics, even within his own party — in a way that makes his 300-plus-page book hard to put down. He argues that Reid’s lack of charm may have only heightened his effectiveness: Reid delivered results, including shepherding President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act.