Coming Up Short: 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—that 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; his efforts as labor secretary for Clinton and economic advisor to Barack Obama.

Ultimately, Reich What did his generation accomplish? Did they make America better, more inclusive, more tolerant? Did they strengthen democracy? Or, did they come up short?

In the end, though, Reich hardly abandons us to despair over a doomed democracy. With his characteristic spirit, humor, and inherent decency, 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, History, Biography, Biography Memoir, Economics

416 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Robert Bernard Reich is an American politician, academic, and political commentator. He served as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. Reich is a former Harvard University professor and the former Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. Mr. Reich is also on the board of directors of Tutor.com. He is a trustee of the Economists for Peace and Security. He is an occasional political commentator, notably on Hardball with Chris Matthews, This Week with George Stephanopoulos and CNBC's Kudlow & Company.

Reviews

[Ken]

Billed as a memoir, Coming Up Short is also a political tract and a plea. It's the type of book where you constantly feel the urge to quote excerpts, thinking to yourself, "Great point!" or "This is exactly how I feel!" or "I never knew that, but now I see how things have come to be as rotten as they presently are!" All good feelings (despite being about odious things).

The "call to action" finish features short chapters with such titles as "Rejecting 'Both-sides-ism'," "Refusing Dr. Phil," "Restoring Democratic Capitalism," "Reclaiming Patriotism," "Creating 'We' Workplaces," "Sharing the Profits," "Making Community Count," "Recirculating Stuff," "Leading America," "Making Society Healthy," and "Watching the Moneyed Class Get Run Over."

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Reich hasn't drifted or much changed in his core beliefs. He's never fallen prey to the "get rich quick and the devil take the hindmost -- read: the vast majority of Americans" like so many other politicians, bought and paid for, have. He points out that Trump's culture wars and emphasis on immigrants, crime, DEI, etc., are really a smoke screen for the fact that most of his moves are made to make himself and his fellow 1%ers rich and richer still. As for common Americans, he's all about their votes only, period. End of story.

As an example of the many great points he makes throughout this book, there's his charges against the media, including liberal media, which is intent on "both side-isms":

"More of our ablest journalists must be willing and able to tell America the truth and their bosses must allow them to do so. It is not 'partisan' to explain what Trump and his anti-democracy movement are seeking. It is not 'taking sides' to point out that the Trump Republicans are trying to establish an authoritarian government in America. It is not 'violating journalistic standards' to tell the unvarnished truth about the crisis we are facing today. A failure to call out the Trump Republicans for what they are -- liars, enablers, and accessories to crimes against the Constitution -- itself violates the most basic canons of journalistic ethics."

And so, what you have here is a guy in the twilight of his life pulling no punches. He even has some criticisms for Clinton and Obama and the more traditional Republican George W. Bush, chiefly for being beholden to Wall Street and notoriously for the Wall Street bailout of 2008, wherein the little guy was left to his own sinking devices while the banks committing crimes where saved and propped up -- at taxpayer expense.

He has nothing but bad to say about EVERYONE involved in opening the gateways to campaign contributions -- unlimited and hidden offerings to lobbyists and political candidates alike -- by the monied class. These fabulously wealthy folks now own the politicians in Washington, certainly in the White House, in Congress, and yes, even in the "Supreme" Court, which is partisan and looking out for the 1%-ers.

Reich rues the fact that Hillary, and not Bernie Sanders, got the presidential nomination in 2016. He truly believes that Sanders' form of populism for the people would have won the day over Trump's form of populism for himself. It's all part of the "If" game, though. If only Republicans had held Trump accountable when he ginned up the crowd that attacked the Capitol. If only Republicans did not "fear" Trump so much that they do his every bidding instead of what they know is good for the country.

If, if, if. It doesn't change where we find ourselves and the long road back that lies ahead of us.

[Ava Courtney Sylvester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Reich for president!

Unfortunately, I’m too young to remember Reich as a Clinton cabinet member, and I’m not privileged enough to know him from his Harvard professorship. It was Reich’s articles in the Guardian and posts on social media that first brought me to his work, and I preordered this book right away because I loved what I saw.

In this book, Reich details his life and career in terms of standing up against bullying, from fighting for himself as a kid to seeing bullies everywhere in America and taking a stance. Reich stands for feminism, civil rights, gay rights, and for the common American against big corporations, billionaires, and corrupt demagogs alike. Throughout his memoir, Reich weaves his own personal narrative with compelling historical events and statistics that detail how his generation let us down from these ideals. My favorite part is when he ties John Rawls’ classic veil of ignorance thought experiment with the Powell memo: we clearly could have built a society with freedom and justice for all, but we chose instead one where corporations and oligarchs rule over everyone. That, and the joke about Hillary’s buttered popcorn.

Reich writes how he was once the Democrats’ “new guru” in the 1980s when his first book came out. Had we listened to him then, perhaps the Democrats wouldn’t have so glibly abandoned the working class, and perhaps we wouldn’t be living under fascist rule now.

Can we vote for Reich as president?

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not merely a memoir. It is a history—personal and comparative—and because it's also a compellingly readable story, it's sometimes magical. Former Labor Secretary and so many other things Robert Reich was born at the start of the Baby Boom generation in 1946. But, at the beginning of the book, this fact is woven into the simultaneous histories of Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, as well as the Frank Capra movie It's a Wonderful Life—also born in 1946. What a great way to launch a memoir and history. It's inventive, idiosyncratic, and FUN!

Over and over, in Reich's words, "my eyes welled up" as people I'd known of from general history knowledge and events I lived through, but from the periphery, became deeply personal. And sometimes I learned history that had somehow escaped me: the hardhat riot of May 8, 1970 right here in NYC, "the first major salvo in America's culture wars, and it had been planned in [Nixon's] Oval Office (128)." I attribute my emotional reactions to storytelling that carries a kind of vibrant energy that animates everything he writes. (And I have no doubt that same energy makes him a gifted teacher.)

Reich's history and American history, starting in 1946, are seamlessly intertwined, and reading this memoir is an emotional, visceral experience. Sometimes funny, always entertaining, his personal life intersects not only early on with murdered Freedom Rider Michael Schwerner, but with Hillary Rodham Clinton when he was at Dartmouth, segueing into the beginning of a professional life working a signature machine for Bobby Kennedy and going on to organize young people for Eugene McCarthy in the fight against LBJ for the Democratic nomination for president.

Reich is ambitious as early as grade school, and turns out to be an absolutely fearless leader, activist, and organizer in his twenties. Although he suffers from a genetic disorder that ended his physical growth at 4'11" and made him a magnet for bullies when he was a child (experience that has directed his politics as well as the rest of his life), his ability to jump in wherever he is needed and make a difference make him to us sapiosexuals (people who are attracted to intelligence) a stud! (And I'm sure that would make him blush and laugh.)

However, not only is he smart, he is self-aware. He tells a remarkable story that I will not spoil by retelling it about encountering his own potential to become a bully and rather than getting seduced by the "win" inherent in what happens, he is shocked and commits to never letting himself go down that road. Oh, my heart!

There was a lot of economic policy which was interesting, but I'm not educated enough to understand the weeds. But then came the chapter "Becoming Secretary." Kaboom. New understanding about how government works, and specifically cabinet confirmations. (Teaser: confirmation has zero to do with what a candidate knows or even his policies.) I felt as if I was learning secrets that can be extended to many parts of life. (Interestingly, I had the same reaction to E. Jean Carroll's hilarious and detailed narrative in her memoir Not My Type about how her lawyers prepared her to testify. And then the judge's instructions to the jury. And I've had the same reaction to Elizabeth Warren's books which connect the dots between economic policy and life. All of this leads me to think that were we all educated by economists and lawyers for at least part of our schooling, the world would be a better place because we'd understand how the "game" is played.)

The "Becoming Secretary" chapter was followed by a laugh-out-loud one about meeting Fed chair Alan Greenspan, with imaginary conversation worthy of the best comedy writer. And then there is Reich's lunch with Bill Gates, and the ethical brouhaha around his letting Gates pick up his tab made me groan with both longing for ethics and pain at the naked grift in today's White House. There's the "Illicit Affair" chapter about his laugh-out-loud long, funny, loving friendship with tall Alan Simpson, Republican Senator for Wyoming. And so much more.

I reiterate, this book is FUN! But it's a lot more than that. Sometimes the policy and economic discussion erupts in a call to action with a prophet's vision of a different future. I found myself silently cheering during the following passage from a chapter titled "The Rigging of the Market."

It was once thought acceptable to own and trade human beings, to take the land of Indigenous people by force, to put debtors in prison, and to exercise vast monopoly power. It must now be asked: Is it morally acceptable that the typical worker's wage has stagnated for the last forty years while most of the economy's gains have gone to the top? Do we believe that people who are fabulously rich are succeeding because of their own inherent worthiness or because the game is rigged in their favor? Have people who are poor failed, or has the system failed them? Is it morally acceptable that the pay of American CEOs of big companies has gone from an average of 20 times that of the of the typical worker forty years ago to over 350 times today? Are the denizens of Wall Street—who in the 1950s and 1960s earned modest sums but are now paid tens or hundreds of millions annually really "worth" that much more now than they were then? (360-361)

As Arthur Miller wrote in Death of a Salesman, "attention must be paid" to the working people of this country. Otherwise we are unsustainable. Robert Reich tells the whole chaotic story of how we got where we are, while maintaining optimism in young people's will and ability to transform us.

See Robert Reich podcast about the book: Coffee Klatch.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir is also a great history lesson, and it combined much of what I studied in college and taught in a college course with politics of the last 40 years. The author toes in his sense of humor in laugh-out-loud ways and also provides advice for how we can stop the bullies. I’d recommend this book to anyone!

My favorite quotes:
“Nothing important works out in the end, unless we work hard for it now. We must all be activists. Overtime, I’ve come to understand that the choice is not between gaining immediate wins or falling into passivity. Being an activist for social justice means working hard but not expecting the goals to be achieved any time soon. It requires accepting that they may not be achieved in our lifetime. But that seeking them is essential for our lives to matter. It means taking on some challenges you’re likely to fail at, but which may inspire others along the way. It means regarding some failures as Nobel experiments. It means seeking to achieve big important, things that will change people’s lives for the better. Even if you come up short.” — Part VI The Long Game: My Mother’s Advice


“…but the stark reality, as I have traced it and lived it over the past 78 years, is that the richest and most powerful nation in modern history—the America that emerged victorious from World Ward II and whose democracy was a beacon for much of the rest of the world, is now coming up short. Trump and trumpism are consequences —not causes. As I hope I’ve made clear, the causes have been growing for more than 40 years. We could have addressed them. We did not. The responsibility to remedy this— to restore genuine opportunity, strengthen democracy and contain the bullies—now falls to those who come after us.” - Growing Old (final words of the book)

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

I was too young to be paying attention to the politics (and drama) of the Clinton administration, so my familiarity with Robert Reich came from his Instagram posts and videos. Reich’s videos demonstrated his talent for taking complex problems or ideas (as well as topics that can immediately “trigger” many a MAGA) and breaking them down into easy-to-understand explanations and graphics. Reich was able to translate this skill into this book successfully - mixing memoir, American history, and amusing tales from his many fascinating jobs, while connecting it all through the theme of “bullies.” Reich’s argument that the concept of the “common good” being critical to a civilized society, while castigating the dangers of selfish individualism (epitomized by a certain orange cretin) feels like an essential part of the conversation that is often missing in political discussions. Overall, this book was a fast-paced, fascinating, refreshing, and, dare I say, hopeful read.

Also - Reich referring to Ayn Rand as “Trump’s pinup girl” made me full out witch cackle.

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The biography portions were interesting and fun, but his analysis of what ails the United States is right on. I watched a company I worked for fall prey to the forces Reich thinks are destructive to this country. My company, founded by charismatic and thoughtful men, was sold to an equity company which systematically squeezed it for bigger profits, decreased benefits, and eventually sold off the company for big money. Profits over people; law and order over freedom; nationalism over diversity!

[Beth Seabreeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting account of all the things the professor saw and did in politics. He was in the middle of it all.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic memoir from a man who’s spent his life in politics fighting for workers. I’ve closely followed politics for most of my life, and I knew a lot of the material covered in this memoir. But Mr. Reich, having worked closely with many administrations (and just by virtue of being a lot older than me,) covered so many gaps in my knowledge and provided essential context so that I now have a much better understanding of, for instance, why there was such an explosion of corporate money in politics in the 1980s, and why the GOP has been so vocal about their (supposed) disdain for large government. I also learned about the Hard Hat Riot (seriously wtf???) and the Powell memo. This is an essential read for anyone who wants to know how we got to where we are in the US in 2025, and wants to fight to protect democracy.

[Skyhorse Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just a few months younger that Prof Reich and I find I have very much in common with him as far as attitudes about politics, society, wealth, good and evil, etc. I highly recommend this book.

[Molly Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve seen Robert as a speaker and so I wanted to see if his speech giving translated well to his books and it does. It was eye opening to see how our current political climate is a result of decisions made 40+ years ago.

[Wrbill Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opinionated!

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.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to hear Robert B. Reich speak last night at The Progressive Forum in Houston, and now I'm on fire for democracy. I took pages and pages of notes at the event, and I am eager to dive into this memoir. His interviewer at the event introduced him and his book, saying this book is "not just a memoir---it's a book on how to live."

He spoke about how, after the economic debacle of 2008, he spoke with people and they continually told him their two favorite candidates for president were Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. This mystified him, and he questioned them further, but the people were serious---they wanted someone who would speak out against the system they felt was against them, no matter whether the person was on the far left or the far right. He found it unfortunate that the Democratic Party did not choose Bernie as their candidate.

Reich finds a lot of hope in the future. Everywhere he goes, he hears people asking the same question: How can we save democracy? He feels like there are a lot of young people who are going into politics with a populatist vision, and that gives him hope. He hears regular people talking seriously about due process and the Constitution and gerrymandering for the first time, and that gives him hope. He looks back in America's past and sees how the American people, when they see what is at stake, do the right thing, and that gives him hope.

He encourages us to use the power of economic and political boycotts against those who are folding under Trump's bullying. He urges us to speak up to those who are making decisions and to let them know we will vote people out who are doing the wrong thing. He says the only way to deal with a tyrant is not to appease the tyrant, but to get together with others and stand up to the tyrant. We cannot fall into despair or cynicism. We must keep hoping. "This," he says, "is the fight of our lives, and it is critical that we keep going for future generations." And, he ends with, "We can't wait for others to take the lead. We are the leaders we have been waiting for."

[Nathaniel de Sam Lazaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've long been a fan of Robert Reich, and I am a frequent reader of his substack and listener of his podcast, the Saturday Coffee Klatch, so of course I had to pick up his new memoir, and it did not disappoint. Oftentimes this book reads more as a history and social and political commentary of late twentieth and early twentyfirst century America, though with Reich's own insights through living through this time period and being in government through much of it.
I personally quite liked the portion where he writes about his Senate confirmation hearings, where he discusses having to learn to effectively appease the egos of Senators, rather than, as his advisors put it, "show how smart he is."
Reich, however, is incredibly smart, and reading this novel fills me with what I can only imagine is his own frustration on the state of America, which, despite his best efforts, is not great.
Overall, this book provides an incredible insight into the trends of America over the past eighty or so years in which its author has lived, and I reccomend it to all interested in American political history.

[MaryLou Guizzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reich explains how the US has gotten to the point it has in politics today. He speaks from his experience in various government, administrative, judicial and university positions. He talks about his connections with Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barrack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Robert Bork, Bob Rubin, Larry Summers and others. He points out where administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have failed in their responsibility to serve the American people. He talks about his youth when he was bullied, how it affected his life and how much politics has devolved into bullying. He discusses the vast inequality in wealth that has increased exponentially during the past half century. The final section points out his hopes for a brighter future and his basis for this.

A worthwhile but not easy read. Repetitious at times.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Reich has long been active in the political scene, having served as Labor Secretary in the Clinton administration. His memoir also serves as a wake up call to stop the increasing power grabs by the current administration. He is honest about times in his career when he feels he personally fell short, but also very confident in his proposals to address many economic weaknesses in our system. He is unabashedly biased, but hey, this is his book. I learned/remembered a lot of recent history and enjoyed Reich's writing style. It gave me greater understanding of how our government landed in it's current condition. Great book and well worth reading!

[Tobbe Ingemansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. Excellent book. With his experience he brings it all togerher. Being of the European boomer generation myself, it is important to understand, because now we need to correct the faults made. The common good is not a new concept, some countries has it more than others, like the Nordic countries, but we have let MONEY overrule everything. We need rules, regulations and respect. The old GDP formula is dead. The inequality gap was warned by OECD etc already in the 70s. Still we let this happen and oligarchs are now ruling. So, what is the next step....How can we correct this? Please Professor Reich, guide us and write another book 🙏

[무방문내구제 폰테크내구제 대출후기[카톡 mobile119] · Rating 5 out of 5]

정말 감동적인 책입니다..꼭들 읽어 보세요.
연체자대출가능한곳 명작입니다
연체자내구제 독서는 마음의양식^^
무직자내구제 성경도 있습니다.
당일내구제대출 로 급한 자금, 바로 해결하세요.
무방문내구제대출 , 집에서 100% 비대면으로 신청 완료!
내구제대출 승인률 높은 곳으로 안전하게 연결해드립니다.

[Leah Hortin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounding up because I did enjoy it overall. This book is positioned as a memoir but it is much more than that. I think a different subtitle honestly would have made it a homerun but it took me too long to get my bearings and grasp the point he was trying to make. I've been following him on Facebook in recent years and while I was too young to remember his involvement in the Clinton era, I have appreciated his insights on what's happening in our current political climate. I love his values and his ideas make sense to me, and the healthy dose of humor makes it all more digestible.

[Karen Cohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read autobiographies. In general, I don’t like them. This one, however, was fascinating. Packed with historical information placed in context, and written in a conversational style (I can hear Robert Reich’s voice as I read), I quite enjoyed this one. Being a generation younger than Reich, I found the second half particularly interesting, as it deals with events I experienced and remember, but the entire volume is well worth reading for its clear and cogent explanation of how our economy has evolved over the last century.

[Jim Szatkowski]

Reich's memoir is not just about his life (which is interesting enough) but also of the country during his lifetime. He was among the original Baby Boomers, and has seen tremendous change in the U.S. since his birth. He delves into the major issues confronting the country today, identifies the causes and proposes some solutions. He is an economist (and lawyer) by training, but sees things in several ways and has the ability to breakdown and explain complex issues. The book is informative and entertaining. He shows the inner workings and thought patterns of movers and shakers in America.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Robert Reich since Trump came on the national scene in ~2015. Reich has been the reason of sanity and reason, always providing a factual counterpoint to the lies spewed by DJT. He always has a deep history in U.S. Government and has studied government and history and been a college professor for many years. I enjoyed hearing the audiobook in his voice. Much of the book was a reminder of things I already knew, but there were also a lot of revelations. Though he has just retired from teaching at the age of 79, I hope he remains a strong voice of reason for years to come.

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful writing, and I agree with much of what he says. He is repetitive, however. I should have kept track of how often he said the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. While true, the repetition is annoying. Reminds me of when my Dad kept track of how many times Richard Nixon said "I want to make this perfectly clear"in a TV speech. Still I'm grateful for people like Robert Reich, who loves teaching. Teachers are so valuable to all of us. Bravo for being #1 on NYTimes best sellers list!

[Greg Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Reich is a master storyteller, able to make even the most mundane subjects interesting. Whats great about this book is how introspective it is. He traces back the current political climate to it's original source, greed, and how it is responsible for a shrinking working class. He shows how the government has failed to protect the middle class and takes blame for his inability to help more. But he is also hopeful and paints a path to a better future.

[Artimispopcorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have been looking at the current political landscape and asking yourself, "How the **** did we get here?". This is the book you need.
Robert Reich tells the story of post World War 2 America, as if you were sitting at your friend's house listening to their dad/grandfather.
I probably wouldn't have even heard of this book if it wasn't for my love of Dropout and Sam Reich by extension. But I'm glad it kinda fell in my lap

[Jimgosailing]

A main point that Reich makes is that Trump’s demagogic success is not just happenstance, but there are many (and many significant) factors which lead the way for someone like Trump to become what he is.

His discussion of the election of 1968, Bobby Kennedy’s assassination, the implosion of Eugene McCarthy m’s candidacy, brought back a flood of memories of these events being the awakening of my political consciousness.

[Scott Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reich has always been a very smart and level-headed individual. While I first thought this book would be a memoir (which it is for the most part) it gives a good deal of history of the US government and how we have gotten to the state we are in today with wealth inequality and how the American Dream that we all want and support has only panned out for the select few at the top of the food chain.

[Jim KABLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tallest Man

This is a must read if anyone is to properly understand where and how an the persons involved in the US going wrong, greedy, selfish and war mongering. Robert Reich was there. Present at the table! And he knows what truthful ethics is all about. And he was and is a teacher! (There can be no higher praise.)

[Christine Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent review of how we got to the current political mess. Trump and his fascist team are taking advantage of what started decades ago under Reagan and Gingrich. We need two (or more) political parties, but sadly the republican party is now the trump party, so not good for the rule of law. Highly recommend this book.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting life. I liked the running fighting bullies theme and the compact history of America's growth in wealth and income inequality following the Powell memo and the tilting of the government in favor of the wealth from Regan on. He also described how Clinton was forced to balance the budget instead of implementing the progressive programs campaigned on (and Reich advocated).

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taught it would be A Better America

Awesome read! I’m 80 years old; Educated in the basically free College system of California-
I relate to many of the experiences and changes Professor Reich warmly relates in his well told memoir; Easily five stars! I read /listened to digital editions of work. His clarion voice was a welcome addition to the audio format