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Chargement... United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Goodpar Cory Booker
Chargement...
Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. I thought this would be theoretical book on how we could come together instead I found it a fascinating book by a man who walks the walk he talks, stepping out of the box to do so when needed. He moves into the rough Brick Towers neighborhood where crime and unemployment are rampant due to the severe economic downturn. Before he could begin anything he had to meet with and be interviewed by Ms. Virginia Jones, community activist and organizer for the Brick Towers. She had him re-adjust his outlook so he could see the potential that she saw, only then could he be useful. He takes you through his run for city council and the harassment that came with being the new kid on the block, full of ideas, in an old establishment. As mayor he had to bring the city into the 21st Century without spending money as Newark was well in the red. He's a politician for the people who will make the old boys in the D.C. cranky. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
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Biography & Autobiography.
Politics.
Sociology.
Nonfiction.
HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • United States Senator Cory Booker makes the case that the virtues of empathy, responsibility, and action must guide our nation toward a brighter future. Raised in northern New Jersey, Cory Booker went to Stanford University on a football scholarship, accepted a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, then studied at Yale Law School. Graduating from Yale, his options were limitless. He chose public service. He chose to move to a rough neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, where he worked as a tenants’ rights lawyer before winning a seat on the City Council. In 2006, he was elected mayor, and for more than seven years he was the public face of an American city that had gone decades with too little positive national attention and investment. In 2013, Booker became the first African American elected to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate. In United, Cory Booker draws on personal experience to issue a stirring call to reorient our nation and our politics around the principles of compassion and solidarity. He speaks of rising above despair to engage with hope, pursuing our shared mission, and embracing our common destiny. Here is his account of his own political education, the moments—some entertaining, some heartbreaking, all of them enlightening—that have shaped his civic vision. Here are the lessons Booker learned from the remarkable people who inspired him to serve, men and women whose example fueled his desire to create opportunities for others. Here also are his observations on the issues he cares about most deeply, from race and crime and the crisis of mass incarceration to economic and environmental justice. “Hope is the active conviction that despair will never have the last word,” Booker writes in this galvanizing book. In a world where we too easily lose touch with our neighbors, he argues, we must remember that we all rise or fall together—and that we must move beyond mere tolerance for one another toward a deeper connection: love. Praise for United “An exceedingly good book, and an important book, and a reminder of what makes Booker an important and, through it all, a promising public figure.”—PolitickerNJ “What sets Senator Booker’s work apart from that of similar political books is that it seeks to elevate discourse rather than bring down opponents of the opposite partisan persuasion. This is a refreshing take, one that is truly worthy of study and contemplation.”—The Huffington Post. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)328.73Social sciences Political Science The legislative process North America United StatesClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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But almost nothing is mentioned of Booker's campaign for Mayor, ​his opponents dirty-tricks, and his ultimate victory. Similarly, little is discussed of his becoming the junior U.S. Senator from the State of New Jersey. And he doesn't make a big deal of his choice to live among the people, in the crime infested streets of Newark, rather than living a comfortable life in a comfortable house in a comfortable neighborhood. Instead, the focus of the book is more of ​his vision for ​hope and change​ for the underprivileged​. The book is not quite chronological, but more focused on topics and circumstances, so there was some mixing of his time as a Councilman, as Mayor, or as Senator. But what is not mixed is his consistent attempts to help those that needed his help the most.
If this book was meant to improve his chances for being elected for higher office, I suspect it would have included much more about ​state and national ​tax policies, health, budget deficits, growing jobs and businesses, education, etc. That's not part of this book. Booker talks a lot of policies which hurt minorities in the inner cities, and specifically addresses reforms of the judicial ​system ​and sentencing reforms. In keeping with the theme of the book title "United", he talks of how effective policy can be crafted by working with individuals from ​all Political parties, such as he has been doing with Republican Senator Rand Paul in these areas. Unlike many politicians, including several running for President in 2016 who are pure ideologues with a winner take all philosophy, to whom compromise is a flaw and a dirty work, Booker seems intent on finding the best ideas from all, working together to build, unite, and improve our Country.
​He talks about his upbringing, his roots, his family, his work, and what formed his vision of society and the future for our Country. ​He quotes on old African proverb... "If you want to get somewhere fast, go alone. But if you want to go FAR, go with others. That seems to reflect his philosophy, one of inclusiveness. Working with a small group of like-minded ​individuals ​may allow some movement or progress, but he and we can go much further by working together.
Booker ​also ​talks about the dead-end​ future​ of many in the inner city. Failing schools, high crime rates, widespread drug use, economically challenged famil​ies and communit​ies, ​etc., ​puts inner city youth on a slippery slope to failure. And should a ​stupid mistake ​by an inner-city youth ​lead to criminal charges, the spiral continues ​through the rest of the individual's life ​due to ​essentially all ​job forms asking about any previous arrests. Even if falsely accused and never convicted, that question on a job application essentially ends employment prospects. With no job, no money, almost ​75% end up ​becoming ​involved in some sort of petty crime / illegal activity, continuing the spiral. Booker's point is that many deserving individuals are denied a second chance, and it's costlier for society as a whole to simply lock a segment of society away, with ​high ​prison costs, police costs. court costs, etc., than it is to provide some sort of training and job opportunities, allowing all to be productive members of society.
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He's one of a number of politicians trying to address this issue, and the effort seems to be making headway. Booker points out that the impact of a criminal record, even if only for a petty, non-violent crime as a youth, can have lifelong implications, ​beyond preventing people from being able to get a job​. Also, being able to obtain housing, higher education, to obtain credit, to vote, etc., ​are additional effects, ​effectively preventing these people from finding a useful place within society. In many cases, released prisoners find their way back to some criminal activity as their only option for making money. ​The efforts of Booker and others seem to be having an impact, and even the Justice Department has ​recently ​been pushing to rethink harsh sentences for nonviolent defendants and being "smart on crime".​ ​ ​ ( )