Sen. Amy Klobuchar to Young Women Going Into Politics: 'It's Worth It'

— -- Senator Amy Klobuchar, one of only 20 women in the Senate, is sharing her advice on breaking the political glass ceiling, telling ABC News’ Martha Raddatz that it’s important for young women to “be ready to make that plunge and take those risks.”

“My first advice is that it’s worth it. You can actually lead and get things done and you have to imagine yourself in that role. And the second thing is that you have to have a thick skin,” she told Raddatz. “You’re going to get attacked and you have to be ready for it, but then you have to move on and look at the good things.”

In her new book, "The Senator Next Door," Klobuchar shares her experiences as the first female senator from Minnesota, a journey that began with the birth of her daughter Abigail.

Sen Klobuchar said her insurance company only allowed her to stay in the hospital with her sick child after giving birth for a total of 24 hours. Speaking of her ordeal just after giving birth she said, “She was in intensive care, she couldn’t swallow, they kicked me out,” she told Raddatz. And I went to the legislature.” Her commitment to advocacy and public service led Klobuchar to become a lead advocate in the effort to push for a new state law guaranteeing mothers and their babies a 48-hour hospital stay. That effort sparked her interest in politics.

In a time of growing partisanship on Capitol Hill, Sen. Klobuchar stressed the need to keep a positive attitude and said that the “vitriolic talk” in politics was part of the inspiration behind her book.

“I actually thought a case should be made for how we can get things done in this democracy, the fact that there's still some joy left with people that work in it, and actually how we can get more normal people to run for office,” Klobuchar explained.

As a new senator, Klobuchar said she quickly realized that “things aren’t always the fairy tale that you thought they were.”

“When I first got there I was just in awe of the surroundings, like everyone else, and the old joke is you walk around and say 'how did I get here?' and within a few weeks, you’re saying ‘how did they get here?’” Klobuchar told ABC News.

On overcoming the partisanship in Congress she said, “I think the answer is to find some common ground and to work with other people to do it. And so that has been my philosophy since I got there.”