Straight from the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places [Paperback]

Ann Richards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1990

With he stirring keynote speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention, Ann Richards sprang to national prominence as one of the most dynamic and visible women in the Democratic party--and the inspiring path to that moment is chronicled in her frank, down-home Straight from the Heart. 8-page photo insert.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This autobiography tells of Texas state treasurer Richards's upbringing, her experience as a wife, mother and grandmother, and her success in the Democratic Party. PW called this campaign literature "beguilingly candid" and wrote that Richards "projects a folksy image flavored here with self-deprecating humor, which does not conceal an astute, disciplined mind, a resourceful politician."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 8 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone Books (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671725130
• ISBN-13: 978-0671725136
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fascinating Life of Ann Richards, September 14, 2001

By 

LEON L CZIKOWSKY (Harrisburg, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Straight from the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places (Hardcover)

This autobiography of former Texas Governor Ann Richards allows us to follow the political transformation of Texas and of our nation in the eyes of someone who participated in the changes. She grew up amidst segregation. She notes how racial prejudice arises from ignorance and unfamiliarity.
It was in college that one class changed the direction of Ann Richards's life: Speech class. It would mold the woman who decades later would utter the famous line before the Democratic Natioanl Convention that "Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaore did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."
Readers follow Ann Richards through her days with the Young Democrats in alliance with Lyndon Johnson. We learn how she led the North Dallas Democratic Women and how the FBI infiltrated its section that advocated integration. We feel the sadness of what it was like to be at the luncheon towards which John F. Kennedy was headed yet never reached due to his assassination.

Ann Richards show readers her personal side and struggles. She describes what it is like being epileptic. What it is like to fight alcoholism. What it is like to be a woman running for office in Texas. This is a great book from a former Governor.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must read for Texas lovers, March 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Straight from the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places (Paperback)

Mrs. Richards tells her story up through her two terms as Treasuerer of Texas with candor, common-sense and a clear love of Texas. The writing is not the best - she is prone to introducing people and then not saying why she introduced them - but her tale of accomplishing amazing things simply building on her love of politics, family and Texas is inspiring. I was left with the feeling that I too could be a player wherever I hung my hat. While the book may have been written in part to help her to the Governorship, Mrs. Richards is candid about her motivations, weaknesses and political evolution. This book made me glad I live in Texas and sorry that Mrs. Richards is no longer our Governor.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An honest, funny, this-is-me bio., February 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Straight from the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places (Hardcover)

Our beloved Ann Richards gives us an idea of where she came from, and how she got where she's going. Written for comprehension at any reading level, she is her usual witty self. Some of the text is slightly disjointed, sometimes jumping topics or leaving stories unfinished. She writes of obviously painful phases in her life with grace and humility, while still preserving her privacy and diginty. An enjoyable read, leaving me wishing to know the continuation of the story, and hopeful that she will consider extending her political career.