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A Governor's Story: The Fight for Jobs and America's Economic Future
Jennifer Granholm was the two-term governor of Michigan, a state synonymous with manufacturing during a financial crisis that threatened to put all America's major car companies into bankruptcy. The immediate and knock-on effects were catastrophic. Granholm's grand plans for education reform, economic revitalization, clean energy, and infrastructure development were blitzed by a perfect economic storm. Granholm was a determined and undefeated governor, who enjoyed close access to the White House at critical moments (Granholm stood in for Sarah Palin during Joe Biden's debate preparation), and her account offers a front row seat on the effects of the crisis. Ultimately, her story is a model of hope. She hauls Michigan towards unprecedented private-public partnerships, forged in the chaos of financial freefall, built on new technologies that promise to revolutionize not only the century-old auto industry but Michigan's entire manufacturing base. They offer the potential for a remarkable recovery not just for her state, but for American industry nationwide.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 24, 2023
I always struggle with autobiographies because I never know if ppl are doing some retcon on their lives. I feel the same about this book, but I also have to say I admire Gov. Granholm for her resilience in leading Michigan through a very very tough period in its history.
November 4, 2011
Gov Granholm's book is an excellent companion to Fareed Zakaria's "The Post-American World, Release 2.0" - where Mr Zakaria describes Globalization, its effects and offers some strategies for the US to use to renew growth and competitiveness in the new global economy, Gov Granholm tells the story of being at the forefront of our economic crisis, and her real life experiences dealing with the transition from 20th Century thinking to 21st Century thinking. Gov Granholm shares an example of how economic theories work in the real world and points out the flaws in the old thinking. Rather than simply arguing ideology and theories, she is discussing actual events. She found that the old methods of tax cuts only and trying to lure back the manufacturing that had been in her state WILL NOT WORK! Those jobs are gone forever, and simply slashing government and taxes DOES NOT create jobs!! Instead, making processes more efficient, using targeted tax cuts and also raising some taxes DID WORK. Most importantly, we need to adapt our thinking to the new global market - to work together as a country and attract business from all over the world. We are no longer the largest, most advanced, fastest growing economy in the world - we have to compete now. Together we stand, divided we fall - how can our country expect to succeed in a global competition when our states are all competing against each other? Government will be an important component of this strategy.
February 20, 2021
As many can guess, this look back on Jennifer Granholm’s tenure as Governor includes a lot regarding the economic recession and the saving of the auto industry. However there are also other important moments of her time in office that she shares her thoughts about. I especially enjoyed the little snippets of life as a Governor that she included.
July 19, 2022
I was interested in reading this book since Jennifer Granholm is a Biden Administration cabinet member, serving as the current Secretary of Energy. Since I support the Department of Energy (specifically the Vehicle Technologies Office), I was interested in learning how then Governor Granholm transitioned to her current role.
This book, written by her and her husband, lays out how she dealt with the US’s automotive OEMs going out of business and the steps she and her team took to revitalize America’s manufacturing industry during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. I have no doubt that helping Michigan/major car companies come back from the brink of bankruptcy is what pushed Biden to lean on her to help solve today’s climate crisis.
One thing I admire about Sec Granholm- which is rare for present-day politicians- is that she’s stuck to her word throughout her political career; her message and actions have remained the same: focus on education reform through trade schools and apprenticeships, clean energy, infrastructure, and economic revitalization. I’m hoping to meet her one day at work so she can sign this book!
This book, written by her and her husband, lays out how she dealt with the US’s automotive OEMs going out of business and the steps she and her team took to revitalize America’s manufacturing industry during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. I have no doubt that helping Michigan/major car companies come back from the brink of bankruptcy is what pushed Biden to lean on her to help solve today’s climate crisis.
One thing I admire about Sec Granholm- which is rare for present-day politicians- is that she’s stuck to her word throughout her political career; her message and actions have remained the same: focus on education reform through trade schools and apprenticeships, clean energy, infrastructure, and economic revitalization. I’m hoping to meet her one day at work so she can sign this book!
November 16, 2011
I think this book is essential reading for all Michiganders, and for others who are looking to understand our jobs/economic crises better. Important points include that lowering taxes for business is not even close to a guarantee for economic stimulus, and more government intervention is needed to scoop us out of a quickly becoming irrelevant manufacturing base and into a new area of growth where we can have an edge in the global marketplace, where government intervention is commonplace. (It is here as well, but done so quietly and often corruptly).
This book was healing and scary for this Metro Detroiter. Personally, my family was very vulnerable at this time--everything we had known and planned for was swept out from under us (like investments disappearing), and we had to completely reformulate a new financial strategy--we were able to make it, and soon will be out from underwater in our home, but so many others were not so lucky. Our neighborhood faced foreclosure after foreclosure, and it was all anyone spoke of, as lay-offs were rampant. In addition to lay-offs, many of us faced periods where there would be no salaried paycheck, or a company would shut down for a month or two, which would mean no pay or reduced pay. There was no flexibility in being able to change your situation because homes were worth next to nothing, there were no jobs, and you couldn't even sell a car without a great loss. This caused many people to walk away from their homes to start over, which made the real estate market even worse. At the same time, cities were losing tax revenue and cutting services. Police service took a hit at a time when crime was rising. Our affluent neighborhood was not immune to garage robberies, car break-ins, attempted breaking and entering, vandalism, and we couldn't even put out nice holiday decorations because they would be broken or missing. Animal shelters were busting at the seams. Small businesses collapsed, as banks weren't loaning.
At a time when my husband was doing the job of four people at work and I was trying to support him, run my own business, and support friends and family who were struggling by offering an ear, I missed a lot of the politics that were involved in the crisis. I appreciate Jennifer Granholm chronicling what exactly was going on, and offering her unique perspective. I consider this book a living history, as it's still developing across the nation and the globe, and hope many people read it and learn from it.
The chapters are divided up nicely if you want to skip ones about the elections and such--although the re-election campaign with DeVos was very interesting. We really need campaign finance reform before we can get out from the shadow of corporations--that's what the Occupy movement should concern themselves with if they want big change, fast!
Please don't see this book as only for Democrats. We are all struggling with our own downsizing because of the global economy, and there's lots of great information in here for everyone, no matter where you sit on the spectrum. You might not like it all, but you'll be more aware of the complexities.
This book was healing and scary for this Metro Detroiter. Personally, my family was very vulnerable at this time--everything we had known and planned for was swept out from under us (like investments disappearing), and we had to completely reformulate a new financial strategy--we were able to make it, and soon will be out from underwater in our home, but so many others were not so lucky. Our neighborhood faced foreclosure after foreclosure, and it was all anyone spoke of, as lay-offs were rampant. In addition to lay-offs, many of us faced periods where there would be no salaried paycheck, or a company would shut down for a month or two, which would mean no pay or reduced pay. There was no flexibility in being able to change your situation because homes were worth next to nothing, there were no jobs, and you couldn't even sell a car without a great loss. This caused many people to walk away from their homes to start over, which made the real estate market even worse. At the same time, cities were losing tax revenue and cutting services. Police service took a hit at a time when crime was rising. Our affluent neighborhood was not immune to garage robberies, car break-ins, attempted breaking and entering, vandalism, and we couldn't even put out nice holiday decorations because they would be broken or missing. Animal shelters were busting at the seams. Small businesses collapsed, as banks weren't loaning.
At a time when my husband was doing the job of four people at work and I was trying to support him, run my own business, and support friends and family who were struggling by offering an ear, I missed a lot of the politics that were involved in the crisis. I appreciate Jennifer Granholm chronicling what exactly was going on, and offering her unique perspective. I consider this book a living history, as it's still developing across the nation and the globe, and hope many people read it and learn from it.
The chapters are divided up nicely if you want to skip ones about the elections and such--although the re-election campaign with DeVos was very interesting. We really need campaign finance reform before we can get out from the shadow of corporations--that's what the Occupy movement should concern themselves with if they want big change, fast!
Please don't see this book as only for Democrats. We are all struggling with our own downsizing because of the global economy, and there's lots of great information in here for everyone, no matter where you sit on the spectrum. You might not like it all, but you'll be more aware of the complexities.
November 13, 2023
While I wasn't of age to vote in either of Granholm's gubernatorial campaigns, I can vividly recall many of the crises she was forced to tackle during her tenure as Michigan's governor from 2003-2011. And, as she narrates and outlines in a chronological timeline, it really was crisis after crisis after crisis. The book, as the title suggests, focuses almost exclusively on the financial and economic hardships faced by Michigan (first) and then the rest of the country, subsequently. Little else of this eight-year timeframe is discussed. I thought it was nice that this book was a partnership between the former Governor and her husband, and I appreciated their takes on the gender-role reversals that accompanied Granholm as Michigan's first female Governor and Dan Mulhern as Michigan's (first) First Gentleman.
"Accept, adjust, advance."
"The reality unmasked the rhetoric: The loss of jobs in Michigan in the decade from 2000 to 2010 was directly related not to taxes but to globalization, productivity-boosting technological innovations, and the loss of market share by U.S. automakers...In the first six years of this new century, Michigan tried the standard laissez-faire prescription for growth: Cut taxes and cut government. Yet contrary to conventional theory, despite these cuts we lagged further and further behind the rest of the nation in job creation...Michigan's experiences, bad and good, should be a battle cry for America...Hands-off, laissez-faire, free-market economics will only ensure that other governments step into the void. America can either take action on behalf of its citizens or watch passively as our people and businesses lose to more determined foreign competitors. America needs to wake up."
"Businesses don't create jobs; people do! Jobs exist because of a salesperson with great character who offers superior service and wins a client for life; or a smart engineer who invents a better way, making life easier for customers and creating enormous value for the business owners; or a team of software developers that opens up a whole new market by designing an innovative game, a creative tool, or a useful mobile app. Business, especially twenty-first-century business, is fueled by knowledge, character, drive, initiative, honesty. And these elements of talent reside in people...Although businesses organize these people, there are three essential inputs for that human talent: genetics, upbringing, and education [and] the major input for knowledge workers is schools. And 90 percent of American students are in public schools. If we really want to create jobs, we need to create thinkers, creators, innovators, collaborators, sacrificers-great workers of every kind. And schools are the major place we create them. So even if government doesn't directly create most jobs, it does have the enormous responsibility-in a fiercely competitive, global, technology-driven world-to develop the talent to create jobs."
"Accept, adjust, advance."
"The reality unmasked the rhetoric: The loss of jobs in Michigan in the decade from 2000 to 2010 was directly related not to taxes but to globalization, productivity-boosting technological innovations, and the loss of market share by U.S. automakers...In the first six years of this new century, Michigan tried the standard laissez-faire prescription for growth: Cut taxes and cut government. Yet contrary to conventional theory, despite these cuts we lagged further and further behind the rest of the nation in job creation...Michigan's experiences, bad and good, should be a battle cry for America...Hands-off, laissez-faire, free-market economics will only ensure that other governments step into the void. America can either take action on behalf of its citizens or watch passively as our people and businesses lose to more determined foreign competitors. America needs to wake up."
"Businesses don't create jobs; people do! Jobs exist because of a salesperson with great character who offers superior service and wins a client for life; or a smart engineer who invents a better way, making life easier for customers and creating enormous value for the business owners; or a team of software developers that opens up a whole new market by designing an innovative game, a creative tool, or a useful mobile app. Business, especially twenty-first-century business, is fueled by knowledge, character, drive, initiative, honesty. And these elements of talent reside in people...Although businesses organize these people, there are three essential inputs for that human talent: genetics, upbringing, and education [and] the major input for knowledge workers is schools. And 90 percent of American students are in public schools. If we really want to create jobs, we need to create thinkers, creators, innovators, collaborators, sacrificers-great workers of every kind. And schools are the major place we create them. So even if government doesn't directly create most jobs, it does have the enormous responsibility-in a fiercely competitive, global, technology-driven world-to develop the talent to create jobs."
June 10, 2014
When I first saw this book I wondered why a Californian would want to read it? Of course there is the fact that I'm planning a vacation to Detroit in a few weeks (that's right, vacation-destination, Detroit) but other than that, why?
Turns out its a rather gripping read and offers some good national advice. It's also nice to see a politician seeming to truly have fought for the good of her state.
Interesting to learn that she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Then, who would have thought? after high school she headed to Los Angeles to break into the movies. She ends up at Harvard law school (after graduating from UC Berkeley) and arrives in Michigan only because she married a Michigander.
Was a little puzzled by the--twelve-- overseas trips she makes, including to Korea, Japan, Sweden, Germany and the Middle East. Yes the trips yield jobs for Michigan but was that truly the best way to get them, taking an already harried woman away from her important day job and husband-and-three-children-family, for weeks? Plus of course the cost of transporting a sitting American governor, and staff, around the world.
I got a bit stalled reading her prescription on how to create "American jobs in a global economy" and had to skim to finish. Though I agree with her point that the federal government needs to help companies so that they can compete with other countries where governments offer much help. When she mentions the suicides at Foxconn, however, and talks about workers who live eight to a dorm room and says "how can we compete" with that? The answer is: we can't compete and that's a scary thought. Current laissez-faire capitalism and government loggerheads are the road to pennies per hour wages in the US. This is because that is the only way America can compete with Foxconn and its not clear that reasonable infusions of federal capital--if by some miracle they happened--would be enough.
Finally, had to smile when she talks about how the government should pay to educate people but only in "useful" ways. THis thinking is scarier than the Foxconn threat--because it means the thought police are here now, in our own country. Don't be silly and think about majoring in French and Political Science, she is saying, (her majors) put your mind only on practical applications. No thought is given to what we might lose as a society if thinking about the elegance of the French, the thorny questions of political thought not to mention, art, history, music, literature are all buried beneath the study of that which is useful. But the saddest thing here is that Granholm does not see that it was a person schooled in French and political science--rather than something more "useful"--who became Governor of Michigan and accomplished all the impressive things she writes about as well as devised her thoughtful proposals for the future.
August 30, 2012
A fascinating insider's look at Michigan's economic crisis and how to deal with structural economic change. Granholm's first term co-incided with the time we lived in Michigan and in the backdrop of budget cuts in higher education, there were many tough budget choices that had to be made across the board. Coupled with dealing with budget deficits was also developing strategies to attract more jobs, retraining a manufacturing-based workforce and providing incentives so that firms could stay in business and not leave the state. Granholm is right in that we do need to pick industries and invest in them, find foreign firms willing to parter State-side to build their products (since we are still a nation of consumers) and fix unfair trade policies. Hearing about the frustrations and challenges of dealing with the auto industry bailout from the Michigan side was definitely intense, especially at a time when the state led the nation in unemployment.
November 6, 2011
What a great read. Should be on required reading lists somewhere! Having lived in Michigan during much of Gov. Granholm's time in office, I realized while reading her book that I didn't know and/or fully understand what was happening at the time. It's a great look into state/local and business politics, but I'm also just glad to have read it to understand the decade and severe recession we're currently (and slowly) coming out of. I finished the book feeling hopeful for my state of Michigan, definitely glad she ended on a positive note!
September 9, 2012
A hard book for me to read…I kept wanting to punish all companies that did to Michigan what Electrolux, Walmart and Delphi did. Granholm's prescriptions are inevitable if-and-only-if one concludes the jobs aren't coming back. Her perspective is useful when one includes that the work will return to the US if we exercise the political will to make it return. My viewpoint was challenged by Granholm's book and that was useful. This book is required reading for anyone determined not to be victimized by globalization, off-shoring, the private- equity paradigm, etc.
September 23, 2012
Just as I started to read this book I realized the author was going to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
Jennifer Granholm was governor of Michigan during the economic downturn and did an amazing job of turning the states economy around. She had help from the Obama government and she is an ardent supporter.
It's clear she is biased towards Obama, but she did a good job of trying to keep Michigan from falling prey to the auto industry's problems.
Jennifer Granholm was governor of Michigan during the economic downturn and did an amazing job of turning the states economy around. She had help from the Obama government and she is an ardent supporter.
It's clear she is biased towards Obama, but she did a good job of trying to keep Michigan from falling prey to the auto industry's problems.
September 28, 2011
This book is great. Former governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm (with Dan Mulhern), delineates how her state lost jobs (auto industry, mostly) and how she brought (clean energy) jobs back to Michigan. It's a book for anyone who is interested in the mess America is in right now. Granholm offers solutions, based upon her experience, for the country as a whole.
September 6, 2014
A spellbinding account of Michigan's economic plight and its ensuing recovery. Extremely well-written. No fluff here, unlike most political memoirs! Jennifer is truly a liberal icon whose unrelenting spirit helped save Michigan. Very inspiring - I can't wait to see which project she works on next :)
November 14, 2012
absolutely riveting. Granholm's own swift, no-clutter style leads you through the crisis years of 2007-'11. for anyone blindly blaming her for MI's woes, try the CEO who in '07 told her "we all have to move all the jobs to China." Granholm closely chronicles the resulting freefall, with Michigan at the epicenter. this book offers a fascinating first-hand account of that action-packed era.
November 2, 2011
I lived intimately with the times Jennifer Granholm discusses and remember many of the events. It was a painful time for Michigan and hard to relive. She provides ideas for the future, which are well worth reading.
October 19, 2011
She gives a good description of what it is to be governor and the heartaches of the office. She points out whats happening across the country, not only MI. Maybe I`m biased, because I met her a long time ago when she was a speaker at a dinner in Detroit and I felt her dynamic personality.
December 3, 2015
Being the governor of Michigan in the 1990s had its moments from reading this book. I found the last chapter most interesting where she lists what policies and stances government should take moving forward.
January 11, 2014
Since I grew up in Michigan and my dad worked in the auto industry, this book hits close to home. It's a great story and Jennifer Granholm's final chapter gives a great summary of recommendations based on her experiences.
September 21, 2011
I lived through a part of this story. Told with great insight.
Want to read
September 27, 2011She was on Daily show and was very impressive.
October 23, 2011
An interesting, behind the scenes, look at State and federal politics; and a crystal clear message: "Tax cuts alone are not the key to economic growth."
November 5, 2011
Interesting read. The author talks about alternatives to stimulating the economy instead of just tax cuts. She really did some things to turn Michigan around.
July 7, 2012
Ahhh.... Politics are so interesting, and (as has been said) so very local...
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews