First published 2016
Joseph Bruno grew up as the son of immigrants in Depression-era Glens Falls, New York, where his father labored in the coal mines for modest wages. The young Bruno refuses to accept the limitations of his circumstances. He serves his country in the Korean War, then returns home with ambitions that stretch far beyond his small town origins. Bruno enters the rough world of New York politics, where he must navigate complex relationships with figures like Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton, Al D'Amato, Donald Trump, and Eliot Spitzer. As he climbs the ranks to become leader of the Senate Republicans, Bruno discovers that real power lies not in defeating opponents but in building unlikely coalitions. He learns to forge compromises between warring factions and bring together politicians who seem to hate each other. Bruno's fourteen years in the Senate transform him into one of the three most influential men in New York state. The story captures a politician who believes that after every heated battle, you must extend your hand to your adversary and find ways to govern together for the people you serve.
Genres: 20th-century, political-science, politics, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Glens Falls, New York
Period: Depression-era, Korean War
304 pages · Hardcover · Post Hill Press