Locked in the Cabinet (Paperback)

~ (Author) "They're sawing off my legs..." (more)
Key Phrases: suburban swing, deficit hawks, striker replacement, White House, United States, Wall Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On the face of it, here's an improbable book: a memoir of four years as Secretary of ... Labor. Well, in this case it works because the author is Robert B. Reich, a warm and lively writer who because of his 'Friend Of Bill' status and his strong positions on economic issues was inside virtually every political and ideological tussle of the Clinton administration's first term. What puts the book over the top though is that its author retains his humanity even after walking through the looking glass of official Washington. We experience, for instance, the angst of having to let his two sons and wife go back to the family home in Cambridge because he can't quite yet leave the struggle for such improvements as an increase in the minimum wage. Throughout it all, Reich keeps the sharp eye of the outsider. Witness for example this comment about Newt Gingrich: "His office is adorned with figurines of dinosaurs, as you might find in the bedrooms of little boys who dream of one day being huge and powerful." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Reich, the secretary of labor for President Clinton's first term, relates the successes, failures, and frustrations of being a liberal in a centrist administration. His diary brims with stories about successful programs for the poor, the rage of displaced workers, and the futility of trying to pass legislation on behalf of the most vulnerable members of society. Reich tried to use his office as "secretary of little people," fighting against corporate greed and the growing chasm between rich and poor by advocating retraining and education programs that would let workers remain productive in a global society. He knows how to laugh at himself and does not mince words about those he dislikes, notably Republican House leader Newt Gingrich and Dick Morris, the recently banished Clinton pollster. Reich's engaging style is similar to Leonard Garment's in his critically acclaimed Crazy Rhythm (LJ 2/1/97). Highly recommended for public libraries and a strong candidate for academic collections.?Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375700617
• ISBN-13: 978-0375700613
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #504,136 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Average Memoir, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

As someone in political science, I found Reich's book an endlessly fascinating read, for several reasons:

1) His wit and humor, which he was not afraid to aim at himself.

2) Seeing national policymaking from a Cabinet Secretarial perspective, which we almost never see in books. You literally see how and why the Clinton Administration struggled with its attempts to follow through on some of its significant policy reform promises of 1992. You also see through Reich's eyes the intense competition for just mere access to a President's ear, particularly between White House staffers and Cabinet Secretaries. Finally, he states clearly one main obstacle he and other Cabinet secretaries face in policymaking and implementing: the cross-pressuredness from organized labor and free-trade advocates and how they "keep talking past each other" without seeing the partial truth in each other's positions.

3) How Reich raises some serious macroeconomic policy questions regarding economic globalization, free trade, income equality, job security, and how they possibly relate to each other and to other non-economic issues facing the nation and the world. One criticism I do have with Reich's work is that he perhaps goes overboard in citing over and over again his arguments from "The Work of Nations" and other previous books.

Note: Reich also has admitted to exaggerating about experiences with conservatives (i.e. at the National Association of Manufacturers' meeting and before one House committee) where he wasn't as "roasted" by them as he claimed to be in the hardcover version. However, we are reminded that this is a book about his own personal experiences as Secretary of Labor, so naturally we'll be seeing everything through his eyes and his political & ideological points of view.

In short, this book works on many levels, especially in the sharper focus and perspective it puts upon the seemingly maddening and confusing dynamics of 1990s politics.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, April 20, 2001

By A Customer

I am a student of Robert Reich's at Brandeis Univeristy and have found him to be one of the most honest, kind, and insightful people I've met. Locked in the Cabinet is a well-crafted, honest, and humorous book by a brilliant man.

I happen to hold Reich's views, but even students here at Brandeis who completely disagree with him still read his books and take his courses because they respect the intelligence behind his writing and teaching style, the candidness with which he sets his ideas forth, and the respect he shows for those who disagree with his ideas. (He's also very funny, frank, and charming--attributes which come accross in this and all of his works.)

Reich talks about the world as it is, and isn't afraid to say how he thinks it should be.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Philosopher in a Whorehouse, January 5, 2002

By	Stuart B. Dunn (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This facinating book, by a man who really cares, tells it just how it is to try to get meaningful things done in the whorehouse which is Washington, D.C. The book is written in a humorous, self-deprecating style, but at it's heart it is a cry for help.

The book is more than easy reading, it is very hard to put down.

Anyone who aspires to a politcal position should read this book, and then decide whether he/she will be able to stand the process.It is a primer for those who wish to understand the Washington sceene and how things are done (or not done.) His description of the confirmation process is pure tragi-comedy.

Reich is a thinking man's liberal. He went to Washington with the hope that under Clinton some of the things he believed in could be accomplished. In the end he was largely frustrated.

He is a man I would like to invite to dinner. I can't say that about many others who have worked in government.