We're Better Than This

October 26, 2020
Cummings (1951–2019), the late Maryland Democratic congressman, recaps his struggle to overcome racism in politics and a contentious relationship with President Trump in this forceful valedictory. He, along with James Dale (The Power of Nice), recount Cummings’s rise from special-ed student to law school grad and 12-term congressman thanks to parents who, despite poverty and workplace discrimination, raised their seven children to have faith in God and fight for civil rights. (His mother’s dying words, Cummings recollects, were “Do not let anyone take our votes away.”) Cummings rehashes Trump’s misdeeds, including taking back promises to support Cummings’s drug pricing reforms, separating migrant families at the U.S. border, paying hush money to a porn star, instituting a Muslim ban, and firing off “bullying tweets,” including one disparaging Cummings’s Baltimore district as a “rodent infested mess.” The author’s religious and family values shine and are woven seamlessly throughout the narrative in spirited quotes—for example, “We were raised not just by two parents, but by two preachers” and “I often use the words of scripture. I look to God for guidance.” Cummings’s paeans to family, faith, and general idealism make this a moving tale worth reading.

Starred review from September 1, 2020

In this posthumous memoir, Cummings (D-MD) reflects on his final years in the U.S. House of Representatives before his death in October 2019. Beginning with a foreword by Nancy Pelosi, the narrative then moves on to recount how Cummings had hoped to work with the Trump administration in a bipartisan manner, which he later realized was not possible owing to obstruction. Although Cummings had a long political career, here he chooses to highlight his work during the Trump presidency, focusing on his time as Chair of the House Oversight Committee, which investigated prescription drug prices, family separation, and the Trump administration during his tenure. The politician includes lessons that he has learned throughout his life, including the importance of his faith, letting go of bitterness, and ensuring that people treated him with respect. Throughout, the congressman's dedication to civil service, desire to mentor younger generations, and admiration for his colleagues shines through. The book concludes as his widow, Maya, remembers his final days; also included are excerpts from eulogies given by prominent political figures. VERDICT Moving insight into a remarkable man, which remains a touching tribute to his accomplishments in the later years of his life. Recommended for political aficionados.--Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 15, 2020
Excellent political memoir by the late Democratic representative from Baltimore, one of the sitting president's most vocal opponents. The descendant of sharecroppers from the South who moved north in the Great Migration, Cummings (1951-2019) was the first of his family to go to college, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, went on to attend law school, and served 12 terms in Congress. This book is not a self-congratulatory recitation of accomplishments, however. The author often returns to a telling episode: Donald Trump promised Cummings that he would work on a long-standing pet project--to lower prescription drug prices--and then did absolutely nothing about it. "One of the lessons of the street is that your first encounter with a person can tell you all you need to know. If a guy is straight with you, he'll be okay. If he isn't, watch out," writes Cummings, who adds that Trump told the media that Cummings had told him, "You will go down as one of the great presidents in the history of our country." It was, notes the author, "a flagrant, shameless, bald-faced lie....One of thousands, it turns out." Trump's constant mendacity led directly to his impeachment, a process in which Cummings played a key role and was unfazed when Trump responded, as ever, with a lawsuit: "Sorry, but when it comes to intimidation with the hope of us backing off--he had the wrong guy, on the wrong issue." Cummings provides a pages-long list of Trump's manifold high crimes and misdemeanors, which resulted in, naturally, a bitter torrent of tweets attacking Cummings and his district, yielding a concise retort, among which was the line, "I know the constitution, Mr. President, even if you don't." The author closes with an account of his final moments by his wife, Maya, and a selection of abbreviated eulogies from leaders including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. A thoughtful and inspiring exhortation to do better by a much-missed leader.

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