A thought-provoking, principled, clear-eyed chronicle of the culture, politics, and economic choices that have landed America where it is today - with irresponsible economic bullies and corporations with immense wealth and lobbying power on top, demagogues on the rise, and increasing inequality fuelling 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 unrealised for so many as big money took over. His encounter with school bullies on account of his height - just under five foot - 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? With characteristic spirit and humour, he lays out how progressives can reclaim a sense of community and salvage a democratic capitalism based on American ideals.
'In Coming Up Short, the former adviser to multiple presidents lays out all that's wrong with the country and how we might get back on track ... A full-throated rallying cry to get things back to where they belong.' -The Washington Post
'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, New York Times bestselling author of How to Lose Your Mother
'As bullied as Reich was, he never became a bully. He has dedicated his life to promoting fairness, not revenge ... His numerous books have a moral centre because he has a moral centre ... Reich has been remarkably prescient, regularly warning about the dangers of inequality and the perils posed by a financial industry run amok ... Over the last four decades, Reich has seen what happens when his colleagues succumb to complacency, presuming that everything will be just fine in the long run ... Even though this book is billed as a memoir, it's ultimately a call to action.' -Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times
