“It is long overdue that a serious biographer appraises this very important and interesting man, as a political leader and administrator, too real for what the major parties today are willing to offer us. Eleanor Randolph, an authoritative, insightful and lively biographer introduces a man who, in a different political climate, might be headed for the White House.”—Gay Talese, author of The Kingdom and the Power
Description
This authoritative and anecdote-filled biography of Michael Bloomberg—2020 presidential candidate and one of the richest and famously private/public figures in the country—is a “masterful work…[and] an absolutely first-rate study of leadership in business, politics, and philanthropy” (Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author) from a veteran New York Times reporter.
Michael Bloomberg’s life sounds like an exaggerated version of The American Story, except his adventures are real.
From modest Jewish middle class (and Eagle Scout) to Harvard MBA to Salomon Brothers hot shot (where he gets “sent upstairs” and later fired) to creator of the Bloomberg terminal, a machine that would change Wall Street and the financial universe and make him a billionaire, to presidential candidate in 2020, Randolph’s account of Bloomberg’s life reads almost like a novel.
“A vivid, timely study of Bloomberg’s brand of plutocracy” (Publishers Weekly), this engaging and insightful biography recounts Mayor Bloomberg’s vigorous approach to New York City’s care—including his attempts at education reform, anti-smoking and anti-obesity campaigns, climate control, and new developments across the city.
After he engineered a surprising third term as Mayor, Bloomberg returned to his business and philanthropies that focused increasingly on cities. The chapter that describes this is one of the most revealing of his temperament and energy and vision as well as how he spends his “private” time that was virtually off-limits even when he was mayor.
Bloomberg promised to give away his money before he died, and his giving has focused on education, gun control, and a fighting climate change. He joined the 2020 presidential campaign as a moderate liberal and spent his millions focused on ousting President Donald Trump.
Reviews
“This masterful work not only paints a riveting portrait of a fascinating man; it is an absolutely first-rate study of leadership in business, politics and philanthropy.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Leadership
“Billionaire, New York city mayor, publisher—Michael Bloomberg has managed to be a towering figure in business, politics and journalism. How he navigated these often conflicting roles—with amazing success, even if the presidency eluded him—is a riveting tale, brought to vivid life by veteran journalist and Bloomberg observer Eleanor Randolph.—James B. Stewart, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Tangled Webs
“Only three Mayors merit being enshrined in a mayoral Hall of Fame -- Fiorello La Guardia, Ed Koch, and Michael Bloomberg. But none had a broader impact outside the city. Eleanor Randolph's vivid biography of Bloomberg traces the impact of his Bloomberg terminals on the stock market, his much copied innovative management, the spread of his smoke-free restaurants, his early environmental and parks innovations, his fierce championing of education reform, his once lonely assault on the NRA, the deployment of his fortune to help elect a Democratic Congress in 2018, and his generous and targeted worldwide philanthropy. Bloomberg is no saint, as Randolph makes clear. His vanity can be Trumpian. But nothing about Michael Bloomberg is fake. The former Mayor and his associates opened the vault to Eleanor Randolph, and readers of this anecdote-rich book are in for a treat.”—Ken Auletta, bestselling author and writer, The New Yorker