A superb memoir that concludes with an exciting vision of what this country can be, Time Present, Time Past recounts a classic American journey. Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley speaks with affection about his small-town upbringing, traces the road he took through professional sports to public service, and vividly brings to life the world of a U.S. senator. In his wide-ranging memoir, Bradley examines many of the current issues confronting America, from the perspectives of his early upbringing in small-town Missouri, his experiences as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford and as a professional basketball star, and his 17 years as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. At times his observations are movingly personal, and he also uses examples of people he has met to demonstrate the difficulties middle-class Americans face in adjusting to downsized work forces and stagnant wages. Bradley gives clear and concise historical background for the issues as he discusses them, and his writing is engaging and highly readable. Topics range from campaign finance and tax reform to water and land use to racism and multiculturalism. Bradley offers intelligent and creative solutions for many of the issues he focuses on. Strongly recommended for public and academic libraries. -?Jill Ortner, SILS, SUNY-Buffalo Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. In this impressive memoir, Bradley, the senator from New Jersey and former basketball star, pulls off quite a coup. He uses his memories of life on and off the court, and on and off the Senate floor, as a starting point for discussions of race, immigration, campaign financing, and political integrity. Often when this kind of thing is attempted, the author's stroll down memory lane captures the readers' attention; then the analysis of the larger issues tires them out. Through skillful writing, a wealth of experiences to draw on, and a genuine and abiding interest in the well-being of this country, Bradley manages to avoid these pitfalls. Whether discussing his boyhood in Crystal City, Missouri, where the bigger world both beckoned and intimidated, or tackling the information explosion and the question of how it will impact the social and economic lives of Americans, Bradley is highly readable, thought provoking, and refreshingly honest. He pulls no punches when it comes to discussing his own shortcomings or those of his colleagues. Not that this book is in any way mean-spirited. Even Bradley's political foes should be disappointed by his afterword, in which he reiterates his recent announcement that he will not run again for the Senate. There aren't too many politicians that elevate the level of political debate. Bradley is one of them. Ilene Cooper PRAISE FOR Time Present, Time Past : "Strikingly reflects the realities of modern politics, what it looks like, feels like, from the inside."-- The New York Times Book Review "Intelligent, surprisingly candid and exceptionally well written. A love letter to America [by] someone shrewd and knowledgeable about the country."-- Vanity Fair "In this impressive memoir, Bradley...uses his memories of life on and off the court, and on and off the Senate floor, as a starting point for discussions of race, immigration, campaign financing, and political integrity.... Bradley is highly readable, thought provoking, and refreshingly honest."-- Booklist From the Trade Paperback edition. oir that concludes with an exciting vision of what this country can be, Time Present, Time Past recounts a classic American journey. Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley speaks with affection about his small-town upbringing, traces the road he took through professional sports to public service, and vividly brings to life the world of a U.S. senator.