NEW YORK (AP) - She wasn’t in her home state, but U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren couldn’t have asked for a friendlier audience to launch her book tour.

The Massachusetts Democrat entered and left to warm ovations Tuesday night at the Barnes & Noble in Manhattan’s Union Square, where she spoke about “This Fight is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class.”

More than 200 people gathered as Warren, one of the country’s leading progressives, read a few pages and responded to written questions, most of them focused on issues such as health care, the environment and the role of unions.

The appearance felt as much like a political rally as an author reading, with Warren pacing about the stage instead of standing behind the lectern. Many cheered as she called for ongoing resistance to President Donald Trump and condemned Republicans for caring only about the wealthy. When Warren asked how many had attended one of the women’s marches held the day after Trump’s inauguration, dozens raised their hands. Warren also jokingly referred to her “nerdiness” whenever she cited statistics, and noted that when she offered “facts,” she didn’t mean “alternative facts.”

“I never thought I’d have to start using a modifier for ‘facts,’” she said.

“This Fight is Our Fight” is Warren’s 11th book and ranked No. 42 on Amazon.com as of late Tuesday. The book, like her talk at Barnes & Noble, didn’t place any blame for the Democrats’ loss in 2016 and instead emphasized the struggles of the middle class.

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