#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.
