Coming Up Short - by Robert B Reich (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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

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.

Review Quotes

"I am a big fan of Robert Reich. He is the rare academic who addresses the real problems facing America and fights to fix an economic system propelled by uncontrollable greed and contempt for human decency. He has used every position and platform at his disposal to reverse the unbridled pursuit of power and profit by the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working people. We would all do well to follow his example. Coming Up Short, an important and galvanizing account of a life dedicated to public service, is a good place to start."--Senator Bernie Sanders

"Being bullied as a child helped Robert Reich become a champion for the little guy. As Secretary of Labor, political economist, and public intellectual, he has called out the bullies, demagogues, and oligarchs who exploit working people and now threaten to subvert democracy. With characteristic wit and verve, Reich's thoroughly absorbing memoir shows how his generation fell short in achieving a just society, and how the next generation can do better."--Michael Sandel

"Robert Reich is one of the most important political thinkers and activists of our time, and Coming Up Short is essential reading for understanding this moment in American history."--Molly Jong-Fast

"A sharply pointed chronicle of a society that, Reich laments, gladly tolerates the strong brutalizing the weak."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

ROBERT B. REICH recently retired as Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He has served in three presidential administrations, Republican and Democrat, as Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, and has written eighteen books, including The Work of Nations (translated into twenty-two languages) and the bestsellers The Common Good, Saving Capitalism, and Locked in the Cabinet. His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He is a columnist for Newsweek and The Guardian, and writes a daily newsletter at https: //robertreich.substack.com/. He is co-creator of the award-winning film Inequality for All and the Netflix original Saving Capitalism, and co-founder of Inequality Media. He lives in Berkeley.