Customer Reviews

Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life

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It is no secret that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is looking to run for the Democratic Presidential Nomination in 2008. When you read his memoir "Between Worlds: The Making of An American Life," you understand the drive, commitment and experience that makes this public servant a top contender for the nation's top job.

The book traces the journey of the son of an American father and Mexican mother, from his childhood in Mexico to Capitol Hill, the United Nations and the Governor's mansion. There probably hasn't been a more qualified Presidential candidate since George Bush the first.

The book is peppered with "Richardson's Rules" which are helpful points for negotiating. Who better to get advice from than someone who has negotiated with the likes of Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro--and came out on top?

This is a worthy read from a great American. Regardless of your political ideology you'll enjoy it!

I am a Hispanic on my mother's side, completely disdainful of both the Republican and the Democratic parties for having "sold out" to special interests and betrayed the public trust, and actively interested in "alternative candidates" that might make the leap from being a captive of the machine to being a true representative of the people.

Bill Richardson is undeniably attractive to both Hispanics and to Native Americans, and he moves easily and ably in the Anglo world of energy and environmental politics. As a former UN Ambassador and as a former Secretary of Energy I bought this book eagerly anticipating a "roadmap" for what the author calls the "New Progressivism."

This is not such a roadmap. While I respect the author very much, this book reads more like a dictated and then ghost-edited "formula" book. It communicates absolutely no sense of the over-all challenges facing America and the world, not even in the energy arena. "Peak Oil" is not mentioned in this book, and neither are alternative sources of energy. Global poverty and disease and water scarcity are not mentioned in this book.

While the author does discuss predatory lending in his own state, something he commendably seeks to stop, he seems to have no sense of the global impact of immoral predatory capitalism.

While the author is clearly an exceptional negotiator able to charm dictators, and he provides several admirable stories to support this view, he does not seem to grasp that our foreign policy is "gutted" by our continuing support for 44 dictators.

There are some gems in here, for instance when he notes that Madeline Albright slammed the door shut on the Iranians when they were seeking rapprochement with the US through UN channels.

While the author does not stress the point, he does seem to champion an end to the embargo on Cuba, and a re-opening of a full relationship that should inevitably profit both countries. Perhaps his Mexican heritage has ensured that he heard the Mexican President when he refused to duplicate the US embargo, with the famous words "if I were to say that Cuba was a threat to our national security, 40 million Mexicans would die laughing."

I have plenty of underlining throughout the book, and it was sufficient to warrant my full attention over two flights in and out of Tampa, but I put the book down thinking to myself that the book was a tease, not the main event.

The author says that he has produced over 30 major policy studies for his New Mexican governorship, and I believe it. I'd like to see a serious book by this man, one that addresses the key issues facing America across every Cabinet department, and ends with a chapter on ends and means. To his credit, he is a strong champion of a balance budget.

Nice guy--clearly a strong candidate for Secretary of State. It is not at all clear from this book that he is ready to run for President.

This is an intriguing autobiographical account of a charismatic politician of our times. The title is very cleverly chosen; it could well describe his super role as a negotiator par excellence that has taken him to countries that are worlds apart - Castro's Cuba, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, or Kim Jong II's North Korea, amongst others. It is also an introspective description of being caught between worlds in his own multicultural heritage. Born in Pasadena, California, of an American businessman father and a Mexican mother, he grew up in Mexico City, went to a private high school at Middlesex in Massachusetts followed by college at his father's alma mater: Tufts University, outside Boston.

As a child, he eventually triumphed over the struggle of being a gringo in Mexico City and a pancho in Middlesex with the power of his baseball talent. As an adult, he continues to triumph with the power of his personal charisma and political suaveness. Out of these remarkable experiences come the Richardson's rules of negotiations, and perhaps life, that are peppered in the narrative, and summarized again at the end of the book.

He has served as eight-term congressman for his adopted state of New Mexico, as our ambassador to the United Nations, and in cabinet posts in the Clinton administration (as Energy Secretary). His father was a Republican, a fan and a friend of President Eisenhower, but he himself has evolved to be a star in the Democratic Party. He currently serves as the popular (Democratic) Governor of New Mexico. Mexico has awarded him with the Aztec Eagle Award, the highest award given to a foreigner and he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times. Our global world village is rapidly shrinking but often still sadly warring, only sometimes with nuclear ramifications. We will increasingly need statesmen of this caliber and this vision, and the book leaves you with the impression that Richardson certainly has the intense desire, the committed passion, the tolerant stomach, the immense energy and the demonstrated talent to build these bridges, and decipher these different ideologies - across party lines, national boundaries or continental divides. Call it handshake or bear-hug diplomacy!

The book is extremely well written, and as it shuttles us across the globe on his different missions, it describes in adequate detail as to capture the purpose, the drama and the history of the event, without getting too technical or complicated.

Richardson carefully avoids addressing the question of his widely rumored bid (as of December 2005) for the Presidency in 2008, as the first Hispanic-American for that office. If he decides to run, the book will certainly be ready for more chapters. But the current version of Between Worlds is already very enjoyable reading. As it takes us behind some of the headline events of our times, it provides some interesting insight into the making and thinking of a rising, fascinating and super-charged American politician.

How very fortunate this country is at this time in our history to have someone of this magnitude and calibur seeking the Presidency. His experience and different way of thinking allow hope for a better tomorrow for the US and the world. Good luck to you, Sir. Good luck to us all that you lead us all into a brighter and more peaceful tomorrow.

I had been hearing good things about Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson, so I decided to pick up his autobiography. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of autobiographies or biographies for that matter. Especially, not ones with the sole intent of extolling the author's virtues. So that's why it gets a B-. And I'm just not a huge fan of the writing style that biographies employ. It just gets a little boring and tedious at times. But to be fair, the book gave me a better picture of Bill Richardson than I had before. About half-way through the book, I was seriously thinking about giving him some consideration with my vote. Although I know he'll never get past the big 3 of Edwards, Obama, and Clinton. He grew up in Mexico (born in US) where his mom is Mexican and his father American. He was a senator for the state of New Mexico, the ambassador to the UN that followed Albright, Secretary of Energy for Clinton's second term, and current 2nd term governor for the state of New Mexico. Needless to say, that makes him extremely qualified. And hands down the most qualified of all current presidential candidates. To his credit, he tells it like it is. And for a politician, it doesn't feel like he is full of BS. He has a record for giving his opinion even when it's controversial. And has offended both parties at times, despite being a staunch Democrat. But he's honest. Over and over again he gives examples where he spoke his mind and how it either paid off or got him in trouble. So that I respect. But ultimately, I feel like he's a politician. And a bit of an opportunist. I do believe he has a vision for this country that centers around a better energy policy. Which I totally jive with. Ultimately though, I just feel like he's a politician at heart. And I don't really want a politician in power. I want someone who is not definded as a politician. And I'm well aware of the rarity of that.

I have been interested in Bill Richardson as a potential presidential candidate for some time so I wanted to read his story to get some more information on what he might bring to the Democratic race. So should you read this book to learn about Richardson? Sure but you may be left wanting to know more as I did after finishing it.

This book, true to its subtitle "The Making of an American Life", chronicles Richardson's life, his childhood in Mexico, his high school and college years in the US and the major turning points in his life. The book is very good at this and more interesting than I thought but it does not have much detail of proposals to solve many of the national problems we are facing today. There was a list of highlighted important sayings called "Richardson's List". This I thought might be a list of what he thought would help steer the country to a better position in diplomacy, health care, environment, and the economy but was a synopsis of what he had learned in his career on how to be a successful politician, diplomat and negotiator. Hopefully if his campaign goes well we will have the opportunity to hear more from this very accomplished statesman.

The first part of this book was initially disappointing. The constant "I did this..." or I travelled to ..." sounded like so much puffery - what one might expect in a book by a Presidential candidate. The more I read, however, the more I realized that the "I" was essential to the entire focus of the book. The book brings history alive from the actual events and conversations in order to show that individuals can help make history or at least nudge it in a desirable direction. Historical events can not be viewed in a vaccum. They are most meaningfully understood in the context of the minor details of the events themselves. One that jumps out is Richardson's meeting with Saddam Hussein (regarding the release of two individuals who strayed into Iraq from Kuwait)when Richardson casually crossed his legs and inadvertently showed the soles of his shoes to Saddam. Saddam jumped up and left the room. It turns out that showing the soles of ones shoes to someone in that culture is a real sign of disrespect. The best part of the book is "Richardson's Rules" which he sets forth in anecdotal context throughout the book (with the list summarized at the end). The "Rules" are a great guide for dealing with not only high level political or diplomatic negotiations but also with everyday personal and business relationships. All in all a very enjoyable read for someone who overwhelmingly reads fiction - not non-fiction - and certainly not political books.

Very interesting book about a true american story...Those with multicultural backgrounds have something great to offer when it comes to writing. Bill Richardson has had an amazing and experienced life in politics from representative, energy secretary, to governor of New Mexico. Now he appears to be aiming for the Presidency or the VP spot...and he definately appears to have the experience for the job. Like Barack Obama, Richardson is a rising star in the Democratic Party.

Highly informative and well thought out and organized. This book is also easy-reading. The various subjects and Richardson's broad experience gave an insightful analysis to measure him as a Governor and possibly President of the U.S.

...and Bill Richardson is just such a leader.
This book is a terrific read. Wonderfully engaging, thoughtful, and insightful memoir from one of America's finest leaders and diplomats. Richardson is a wise, pragmatic, and visionary leader who may well become America's next President. A must-read.
Richardson for America ~ I Believe!