Knopf Publishing Group
Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From political economist, cabinet member, beloved professor, media presence, and bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good, a deeply felt, compelling memoir of growing up in a baby-boom America that made progress in certain areas, fell short in so many important ways, and still has lots of work to do
"Important and galvanizing." --Senator Bernie Sanders
"Essential reading for understanding this moment in American history." --Molly Jong-Fast, New York Times bestselling author of How to Lose Your Mother
A thought-provoking, principled, clear-eyed chronicle of the culture, politics, and economic choices that have landed us where we are today--with irresponsible economic bullies and corporations with immense wealth and lobbying power on top, demagogues on the rise, and increasing inequality fueling anger and hatred across the country.
Nine months after World War II, Robert Reich was born into a united America with a bright future--which went unrealized for so many as big money took over our democracy. His encounter with school bullies on account of his height--4'11" as an adult--set him on a determined path to spend his life fighting American bullies of every sort. He recounts the death of a friend in the civil rights movement; his political coming of age witnessing the Berkeley free speech movement; working for Bobby Kennedy and Senator Eugene McCarthy; experiencing a country torn apart by the Vietnam War; meeting Hillary Rodham in college, Bill Clinton at Oxford, and Clarence Thomas at Yale Law. He details his friendship with John Kenneth Galbraith during his time teaching at Harvard, and subsequent friendships with Bernie Sanders and Ted Kennedy; and his efforts as labor secretary for Clinton and economic advisor to Barack Obama. Ultimately, Reich asks: What did his generation accomplish? Did they make America better, more inclusive, more tolerant? Did they strengthen democracy? Or did they come up short?
Reich hardly abandons us to despair over a doomed democracy. With characteristic spirit and humor, he lays out how we can reclaim a sense of community and a democratic capitalism based on the American ideals we still have the power to salvage.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780593803288
EAN:
9780593803288
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
416
Authors:
Robert B Reich
Publisher:
Knopf Publishing Group
Published Date: 2025-05-08
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Some of Robert’s best work, great analysis and explanation of how we got here and ideas for solutions. I particularly appreciate that he doesn’t single out one party for blame, but shows how politics, culture, and changing values came together to set up our current situation.
Fantastic. Beautifully written. Brave. Thoroughly educational. So important!
This memoir is a humorous and inside view of the political world from on of my favorite people. He knew so many people and worked with both Republican and Democrats. He like an educated fly-on-the-wall historian who knows his subject well. The title is a double meaning, and this shows his sense of humor. He is an example of what we should all face in life.. the challenges that make a person stronger. I guess where he lacked in height, he got extra in the brain department. Such an amusing read, you don't realize how much you're learning.
Witty and readable, but Reich's view only. He has always been right, and any who differ , even in his own party, are always wrong.
Robert Reich is a dedicated idealist immersed in the real world of politics, power, and money. Like John Maynard Keynes and Bernie Sanders, he stays focused on his ideals and how we as a country can achieve them (in the long run). He might agree with MLK,who said, “I can see the promised land, but I may not get there with you.” Though short in stature, he was always ready to admit his mistakes and to use them as teaching points with his students, who numbered in the tens of thousands. Reading this book makes me wish that I too had been one of his students. He had the great insight to realize that wealth is not a zero-sum game, but, power is. If you realize this, you must stand up to the bullies and demand a fair share of power. That is what democracy is all about.
