Between Worlds

October 3, 2005
A charismatic politician with a standout résumé, in 2008 Governor Richardson may become the first Hispanic-American on a presidential ticket—at least if he has anything to say about it. In this campaign pamphlet, er, autobiography, Richardson lays out the highlights of his professional career, documenting how, after gaining a taste for politics in college and finaglinghis way into the international affairs program at the Fletcher School, he worked his way up from Capitol Hill staffer to U.S. congressman, United Nations ambassador, head of the Department of Energy and now governor of New Mexico. Along the way, he developed a knack for negotiating the release of prisoners from some of the world's most notorious dictators, among them Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro, work that led him to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times. Richardson prefaces his account of these triumphs with a short chapter on his life in Mexico City, where he lived with his father, a prominent American businessman, and his mother, a Mexican secretary, until he was 12, but the focus of this book is his life in America. Though the autobiography is clearly designed as part of Richardson's long-term campaign for re-election in New Mexico and for national consideration by the DNC, it manages to provide a sense of his most famous characteristics: his blunt, disarming humor; his glad-handing chumminess; and his dogged ambition. "Some politicians say they feel uncomfortable talking about power, as if it's the nasty relation a family wants to keep hidden from public view," he writes. Richardson isn't one of those politicians, and it's his straight talk about how he got the power he has, and how he likes to flex it, that saves this book from being one long commercial. 16-page b&w photo insert not seen by PW
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January 2, 2006
Richardson's backslapping enthusiasm for public service comes through unfettered in this enjoyable audiobook. Richardson, current governor of New Mexico, has served in Congress, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and President Clinton's energy secretary. A four-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, he specializes in hostage-release negotiations with hostile governments and peace talks between warring factions. Richardson's style is blunt, and he's unafraid to paint dynamic pictures of his political accomplishments and entanglements. But his treatment of his Mexican-American background and personal life makes for the most compelling listening, especially the kidnapping of his sister in Mexico City. Richardson's diction is sometimes muffled—syllables swallowed, words rushed out on residual air, and on occasion critical words can be misheard ("vital" comes across as "vile"). But for the most part, this loose, unbridled quality adds a human touch to the narration.. Some listeners may argue this is less political memoir and more extended campaign commercial for a possible presidential run in 2008. But in either case, Richardson's in-your-face manner makes for an engaging listen. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 3).