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A Memoir of My America
by Robert B. Reich
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.
What are you reading this week? (8/7/2025)
I'm listening to Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America by Robert Reich and reading The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy. Two VERY different books, and so far Reich's book is taking up more of my time. The history is interesting!
-Laura_K
"What Reich self-deprecatingly claims he lacks in physical stature, he more than makes up for in moral standing and civic pride ... . Reich's memoir is both economic treatise and political reckoning, stemming from a deep love of country and commitment to progress, in pursuit of doing what's right as opposed to what is popular or expedient ... . Clear-eyed and critical, Reich's assessment of where America is headed is both sobering and, characteristically, hopeful." —Booklist (starred review)
"In this passionate political memoir, Reich, former U.S. secretary of labor under Bill Clinton, calls on Democrats to refocus on the working class ... . Along the way, he works in piquant sketches of political figures…. Reich's arguments are convincing ... . A perceptive insider's account of Democratic disarray." —Publishers Weekly
"A sharply pointed chronicle of a society that, Reich laments, gladly tolerates the strong brutalizing the weak." —Kirkus Reviews
"Highly recommended for readers concerned about the nation's future and the world that will be left to the next generation." —Library Journal
"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, author of The Tyranny of Merit
"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
This information about Coming Up Short was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
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.
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