We're Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of Our Democracy

by Elijah Cummings, James Dale Narrated by Nancy Pelosi, Laurence Fishburne, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

Overview

The audiobook contains beautiful memories of Representative Elijah Cummings narrated by Laurence Fishburne and Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, with a foreword written and read by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Included are the eulogies from his funeral delivered by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Harry Spikes, Kweisi Mfume, Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Jennifer Cummings, Adia Cummings, and James Cummings.

Baltimore Congressman Elijah Cummings was known for saying “We're better than this.”

He said it in Baltimore, a city on the verge of explosion over police treatment of citizens.* He said it in Congress when microphones were shut down, barring free speech.* He said it when the President flaunted his power and ignored the Constitution.* He said it when the President resorted to bullying, name-calling and feeding racial divisions. We are better than this. He continued to say it until his final days last October.* He said it because he believed we must call out what is wrong and call on our better selves to make things right.

In*We're Better Than This, Cummings details the formative moments in his life that prepared him to hold President Donald Trump accountable for his actions while in office. Cummings powerfully weaves together the urgent drama of modern-day politics and the defining stories from his past. He offers a unique perspective on how his upbringing as the son of sharecroppers in a South Baltimore neighborhood, rampant with racism and poverty, laid the foundation of a life spent fighting for justice.*

Cummings was known for his ability to referee contentious members of Congress and reach across the aisle for the sake of justice. Since his early days in politics, Cummings proved his abilities as a leader and legal mind who could operate at the highest levels of democracy, always working with - and for - the underserved.

Part memoir, part call-to-action, the book goes behind the scenes with the House Democratic leadership, offering an eye-opening account of the relentless and unprecedented obstructionism by both the President and GOP. Cummings' final words present a vital defense of how government oversight defines our collective trust and makes the case that, even in the face of our nation's most challenging times, we must remain rooted in the politics of optimism.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Laurence Fishburne serves as the lead narrator in this powerful tribute to long-serving Congressman Elijah Cummings, who died shortly before the book’s completion. Each chapter relates a story from Cummings’s past to a challenge he faced in working with President Trump and his administration. Fishburne’s animated and resonant voice is a perfect match to Cummings’s memorable public speaking style; it acts as a reflection rather than an attempt at imitation. In addition to Fishburne, the audiobook features a foreword written and delivered by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a final chapter narrated by Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the congressman’s widow. This unique and engaging audio production concludes with recordings of several eulogies from Cummings’s funeral. N.M. 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

10/26/2020

Cummings (1951–2019), the late Maryland Democratic congressman, recaps his struggle to overcome racism in politics and a contentious relationship with President Trump in this forceful valedictory. He, along with James Dale (The Power of Nice), recount Cummings’s rise from special-ed student to law school grad and 12-term congressman thanks to parents who, despite poverty and workplace discrimination, raised their seven children to have faith in God and fight for civil rights. (His mother’s dying words, Cummings recollects, were “Do not let anyone take our votes away.”) Cummings rehashes Trump’s misdeeds, including taking back promises to support Cummings’s drug pricing reforms, separating migrant families at the U.S. border, paying hush money to a porn star, instituting a Muslim ban, and firing off “bullying tweets,” including one disparaging Cummings’s Baltimore district as a “rodent infested mess.” The author’s religious and family values shine and are woven seamlessly throughout the narrative in spirited quotes—for example, “We were raised not just by two parents, but by two preachers” and “I often use the words of scripture. I look to God for guidance.” Cummings’s paeans to family, faith, and general idealism make this a moving tale worth reading. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

“In Congress, we miss his wisdom, his warm friendship, and his great humanity. In Baltimore, we miss our champion. God truly blessed the United States with the life and leadership of Elijah Cummings. What a blessing that, with this wonderful book, generations of Americans—our ‘living messengers’ to the future—will now be able to read his words and learn from his beautiful life!” — From the Foreword by Speaker Nancy Pelosi

"Impressive on multiple levels . . . an urgent call to action, imploring us to defend our democracy as it is assailed by threats internal and external. And, perhaps above all, it is a poignant reminder of just how much the nation lost with his death. . . . To read this book is to join the ranks of his admirers." — NPR

"Moving insight into a remarkable man, which remains a touching tribute to his accomplishments in the later years of his life." — Library Journal (starred review)

"A forceful valedictory. . . . Cummings’s paeans to family, faith, and general idealism make this a moving tale worth reading." — Publishers Weekly

"The legendary, late Baltimore congressman shares the stories of his past with an eye to the future in this apt-for-our-times memoir." — Newsweek

“Excellent political memoir by the late Democratic representative from Baltimore…A thoughtful and inspiring exhortation to do better by a much-missed leader.”  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“I absolutely love the late Rep. Elijah Cummings’ book ‘We’re Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of our Democracy.’ It was his last call to action before he passed away.” — Suzanne Malveaux, CNN National correspondent 

“This memoir serves as an urgent call to action for all Americans as we strive to live up to our nation’s pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all’ as only Elijah could deliver it. He and I often spoke of our shared backgrounds and experiences, probably the most significant of all was that we each grew up as the son of a preacher…He is missed, but his message lives on in this powerful testimony of how we can best move our country toward the promise of ‘a more perfect union.’” — Rep. James E. Clyburn, House Majority Whip (D-SC)

Rep. James E. Clyburn

This memoir serves as an urgent call to action for all Americans as we strive to live up to our nation’s pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all’ as only Elijah could deliver it. He and I often spoke of our shared backgrounds and experiences, probably the most significant of all was that we each grew up as the son of a preacher…He is missed, but his message lives on in this powerful testimony of how we can best move our country toward the promise of ‘a more perfect union.’

Newsweek

"The legendary, late Baltimore congressman shares the stories of his past with an eye to the future in this apt-for-our-times memoir."

Suzanne Malveaux

I absolutely love the late Rep. Elijah Cummings’ book ‘We’re Better Than This: My Fight for the Future of our Democracy.’ It was his last call to action before he passed away.

From the Foreword by Speaker Nancy Pelosi

In Congress, we miss his wisdom, his warm friendship, and his great humanity. In Baltimore, we miss our champion. God truly blessed the United States with the life and leadership of Elijah Cummings. What a blessing that, with this wonderful book, generations of Americans—our ‘living messengers’ to the future—will now be able to read his words and learn from his beautiful life!

NPR

"Impressive on multiple levels . . . an urgent call to action, imploring us to defend our democracy as it is assailed by threats internal and external. And, perhaps above all, it is a poignant reminder of just how much the nation lost with his death. . . . To read this book is to join the ranks of his admirers."

Newsweek

"The legendary, late Baltimore congressman shares the stories of his past with an eye to the future in this apt-for-our-times memoir."

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

There was no greater friend to the poor, to the lost, to the left out, and to the left behind. If you want to understand this great man, read his historic, important book and learn the lessons and values from his ‘moral voice crying in the wilderness’ on behalf of our American democracy.

Library Journal

★ 09/01/2020

In this posthumous memoir, Cummings (D-MD) reflects on his final years in the U.S. House of Representatives before his death in October 2019. Beginning with a foreword by Nancy Pelosi, the narrative then moves on to recount how Cummings had hoped to work with the Trump administration in a bipartisan manner, which he later realized was not possible owing to obstruction. Although Cummings had a long political career, here he chooses to highlight his work during the Trump presidency, focusing on his time as Chair of the House Oversight Committee, which investigated prescription drug prices, family separation, and the Trump administration during his tenure. The politician includes lessons that he has learned throughout his life, including the importance of his faith, letting go of bitterness, and ensuring that people treated him with respect. Throughout, the congressman's dedication to civil service, desire to mentor younger generations, and admiration for his colleagues shines through. The book concludes as his widow, Maya, remembers his final days; also included are excerpts from eulogies given by prominent political figures. VERDICT Moving insight into a remarkable man, which remains a touching tribute to his accomplishments in the later years of his life. Recommended for political aficionados.—Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Laurence Fishburne serves as the lead narrator in this powerful tribute to long-serving Congressman Elijah Cummings, who died shortly before the book’s completion. Each chapter relates a story from Cummings’s past to a challenge he faced in working with President Trump and his administration. Fishburne’s animated and resonant voice is a perfect match to Cummings’s memorable public speaking style; it acts as a reflection rather than an attempt at imitation. In addition to Fishburne, the audiobook features a foreword written and delivered by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a final chapter narrated by Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the congressman’s widow. This unique and engaging audio production concludes with recordings of several eulogies from Cummings’s funeral. N.M. 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2020-07-28
Excellent political memoir by the late Democratic representative from Baltimore, one of the sitting president’s most vocal opponents.

The descendant of sharecroppers from the South who moved north in the Great Migration, Cummings (1951-2019) was the first of his family to go to college, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, went on to attend law school, and served 12 terms in Congress. This book is not a self-congratulatory recitation of accomplishments, however. The author often returns to a telling episode: Donald Trump promised Cummings that he would work on a long-standing pet project—to lower prescription drug prices—and then did absolutely nothing about it. “One of the lessons of the street is that your first encounter with a person can tell you all you need to know. If a guy is straight with you, he’ll be okay. If he isn’t, watch out,” writes Cummings, who adds that Trump told the media that Cummings had told him, “You will go down as one of the great presidents in the history of our country.” It was, notes the author, “a flagrant, shameless, bald-faced lie….One of thousands, it turns out.” Trump’s constant mendacity led directly to his impeachment, a process in which Cummings played a key role and was unfazed when Trump responded, as ever, with a lawsuit: “Sorry, but when it comes to intimidation with the hope of us backing off—he had the wrong guy, on the wrong issue.” Cummings provides a pages-long list of Trump’s manifold high crimes and misdemeanors, which resulted in, naturally, a bitter torrent of tweets attacking Cummings and his district, yielding a concise retort, among which was the line, “I know the constitution, Mr. President, even if you don’t.” The author closes with an account of his final moments by his wife, Maya, and a selection of abbreviated eulogies from leaders including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

A thoughtful and inspiring exhortation to do better by a much-missed leader.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173827760
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/22/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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