All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life by Cuomo, Andrew M. (2014) Hardcover

by Andrew M. Cuomo

In this full and frank memoir--a personal story of duty, family, justice, politics and resilience--New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reflects on his rise, fall, and rise in politics, and recounts his defining personal and political moments and tough but necessary lessons he has learned along the way.With 16-page of black-and-white photos.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

There seems to be a trend lately: any mobster still alive in 2010 feels it is *de rigueur* to publish some sort of biography. I have only read a few, and this one is by far the most dishonest and the less assuming.

[Luisana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Andrew Cuomo. The book reminded me of a time when I was into NY Politics and made me want to even go at it again supporting these people. It was an easy and pleasant read, coming from an autobiography. Sometimes, autobiographies can be daunting. If you are familiar with Cuomo, like I started following his career when he was Attorney General. Back then, I would write to his office commending him and I used to have responses. I would save newspaper clippings and I guess I was a groupie.I was thrilled when he made it to the Governor's seat. Funny, because it's the first time I read an autobiography of someone I have followed so closely (for some time anyway). I got to know him a lot better. Still a fan. I would read it again. Next ones up are Joe Torre, Rudy Guiliani, and I wish Eliot Spitzer wrote a book.

[Jim Blessing · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read on the current New York governor and son of Mario Cuomo. It contained a lot of information about him that I was previously was unaware of.

[Nicole Marie Story · Rating 5 out of 5]

#CuomoCrush

Let it be known that President Trump is my hero. I dedicated my future best-selling book, "Donald Trump and My Eating Disorder: How the President Ended My War With Food" to President Trump. But, despite my adoration for the great President Trump, I want to marry Governor Andrew Cuomo! Oh my! His beautifully strong, steady, and compassionate daily briefings during the coronavirus pandemic caused me to swoon and piqued my interest on his book, "All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life." And, the book has caused me, a capitalist hard rock of a Republican, to want to stand by his side and to help the homeless. His book, to me, reveals that he is a fundamental conservative who deeply cares about humans. Governor Cuomo makes the reader respect and love his great late father. He makes the reader respect and love the sanctity of family. If he is extending invitations to attend Sunday spaghetti dinner, or if he wants a cute fishing partner, then please contact me. Excellent, poignant, often times hysterical book! He paints adventure into the most ordinary of stories such as shopping for dinnerware with his adolescent children post divorce, such as arriving dressed as a pretentious fashion snob (which he is not!) to meet his future in-laws, such as coaching Al Gore on his campaign speeches, such as restoring the castles built by his grandfather, such as cutting grass as his grandmother followed closely behind to ensure perfection. A divine book from cover to cover. I think that he will make a great president. He is the only man on Earth who can give President Trump a run for his money in 2020. Thank you for existing, Governor Cuomo! The world is a better place because of your existence.

[Ziyoda Mirsaidova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about Andrew Cuomo and became interested in him in April this year. He showed exceptional leadership during the coronavirus crisis, at the time when the country didn't have a clue. He embraced the challenge and showed us the way to behave correctly at the time of uncertainty and so much controversy. I decided to read this book to learn what makes outstanding leaders.

This book mainly describes his experiences in a political career. It is written in chronological order. His thinking process is simple. You can learn a lot about his way of looking at things and accomplishing things in government. He accurately describes all the challenges he faced during his career, and he also shares how he solved those problems. He stresses the importance of involving others to your cause, sharing successes with them, and being ready to take the heat if something goes wrong. He also emphasizes how the worst problems in society that need fundamental change can be done even if nobody believes it is actually possible.

There are some parts in the book which I find boring, and sometimes it overloads your mind with too many unnecessary details. At the same time, I wish that some events described in the book had more detail. I wish some people he described were given more empathy and attention. He talks about how he partially solved the homelessness problem in the early days of his career. I wish he elaborated more on this subject, especially I wanted to know what happened to those people who he described in the prior days of the HOPE project.

After reading this extensive biography, my conclusion is that some people are born to lead, and that's it. Some people are good at government (but not always) and maybe it is sometimes in their blood.

[Marianne Delwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like this book! And I'm actually not quite finished with it, truth be told, I keep checking it out from the local library. But I sort of wanted to weigh in on Andrew Cuomo at this particular juncture.

My husband, a Republican, and I (the other major party) watched him on "60 Minutes" when he described his techniques when Covid hit NY State as it did. We were impressed, so I picked up this book, and even had my son impersonate him in a little film, sort of a pandemic project.

I loved reading about his father Mario Cuomo, and how Andrew managed his campaign. I think Mario passed on a definite caring attitude and concept of being a public servant. It was interesting too to learn of how Andrew reformed HUD, and I agree with his assessment of Al Gore, who I think suffered a lot after his presidential defeat.

I still have a bit to read of this book, but I hope that Andrew will find himself rising again in public opinion. His current record may be besmirched, but there have been some other governors (former Governor Mark Sanford comes to mind, the guy who instead of going on the Appalachian Trail went to visit a mistress in Argentina) who have done far worse. We'll see if Andrew weathers the current storm.

[Joanne Kelleher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Cuomo and I are of the same era and we both grew up in Queens, so his stories about Queens politics brought me back to my high school/college years.
The uncompromising leader and dedicated family man that we see on his daily televised news conference is the same Cuomo that comes across in the book.
Throughout the book, in a variety of ways, he professes his love and commitment to the people of New York, and I so want to believe in him. His views and his style of governing are not always popular; as a retired teacher, reading his strong opinions on teacher evaluations reminded me of how controversial this reform was at the time it was implemented.
If you like Andrew Cuomo, you will like his account of his political and personal life.

[Aditi Silverstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not a best seller but as someone who admires Andrew Cuomo and is one of the thousands who listened to his briefings daily during Covid 19 pandemic, I appreciated learning more about what helped shape this man. It was a great lesson in history, politics and family.

[Margarita]

No rating, but I think it is a great really important book - learned a lot about the government in my state and its history. Many of the events described I lived through while living in NY as an expat, and now a citizen. Good read to get motivated before an election as important as this one.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Robin-lisa Rosenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this,pandemic Cuomo is the best

[Peggy E. Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done

A very interesting and insightful look into the workings of one of our country's leading political figures with much more to give his country.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting! It’s even written in his own voice; I can imagine him speaking this way. Recommended!

[Brandon Mclaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book, Cuomo is a good person with a bad reputation because of the press. He could have quit years ago.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned about this book while reading a New Yorker profile about Andrew Cuomo. It was a great story reveling how he dealt with the political games of the New York State Democratic establishment, his governing style and ambition. It roused my curiosity about Andrew Cuomo and I decided to give his own book a try. To my disappointment, his writing is far less enjoyable than the New Yorker article. I had to jump around just to stay interested and only read the most engaging parts related to his personal life and struggles. His depiction of the HUD experience and various campaigns was just too dull and narcissistic and I gave up mid way.

[Javier Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst political books I think I've read in a while. It's amazing considering the 'success' of this book that he was given the 'opportunity' to write another one. Given the enormous hindsight we've all been given with respect to this man, do yourself the favor and read another book instead of this like Corruption in America by Zephyr Teachout, or The Contender by Micheal Shnayerson. You'll thank me!