Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

A fascinating book about an interesting person. I really liked reading about Ann's early life, and her experiences as a female politician in a very male dominated state. I highly recommend it.

The book is very informative about the beginning of Ann Richards life and how she got into politics. She tells about her early life and what led her into politics and the impact she made toward women's rights. In the beginning she was a housewife and mother and supported her children through their formative years. When she campaigned for the state of Texas Treasurer, her children helped her. Good book.