Governor Deval Patrick was the governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was born in Chicago in 1956. After junior high school, he received a scholarship to attend Milton Academy in Massachusetts, and from there he graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He has worked as an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was later appointed, by President Clinton, as the assistant attorney general for civil rights. Governor Patrick has also been general counsel at Texaco and Coca-Cola.
“Governor Patrick’s compelling story is a reminder that no matter
how unlikely a child’s future chances might seem on paper,
sometimes access to the right opportunities is all it takes to
allow the enormous talent and potential that is already there to
thrive. A Reason to Believe is rich with the lessons
Deval Patrick has learned along his journey.”—Marian Wright
Edelman, president, Children’s Defense Fund
“This remarkable, uplifting memoir is powerful evidence that the
American dream still exists. Patrick tells his extraordinary life
story with eloquence, grace, and humor, moving skillfully from
start to finish between a child’s tender voice and an adult’s
perspective.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize–winning
historian and author of Team of Rivals
“This fascinating story represents a testament against the
self-fulfilling cynicism that increasingly infects the American
view of American politics—a testament against stupidity, a
testament for honorable public service.”—Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer
Prize–winning author of Strength in What Remains and Mountains
Beyond Mountains
“As the first black governor of Massachusetts, and as only the
second African American to be elected governor in the United
States, Deval Patrick is a history-making, pathbreaking figure in
our state and national life. With a tremendous record of
accomplishment personally, professionally, and politically, he has
reason to be immodest! But what we hear instead in this moving
account of this good man’s life is a voice of reason and
moderation. In these turbulent times, Patrick provides us with a
model of public service and a public spirit. He is an inspiration
to all of us, on both sides of the aisle.”—Henry Louis Gates Jr.,
Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
“There is no more inspiring story—or more compelling storyteller—in
American politics today than Deval Patrick. And in this moving
memoir, he shares the lesson of a life well lived: Hope for the
best, and work for it.”—David Axelrod
“I met Deval Patrick in the Spring of 1980 at Harvard Law School. I
realized quickly that he was a remarkable person—confident,
compassionate, and a wonderful listener. He combined a youthful
energy with a sense of wisdom and balance that belied his youth. A
Reason to Believe describes the unique set of experiences—both
difficult and uplifting—that have forged this important and
historic public servant. Governor Patrick’s book offers hope to
anyone that adversity can be overcome and pain turned into
perspective. It also provides a clear-eyed defense of idealism that
is rooted in a basic value—everyone has something important to
offer the world and the responsibility to do so.”—Tim Kaine
“Patrick shows himself here to be a gifted writer. . . .
Recommended to readers of memoir and to all keeping an eye on our
country’s past and future.”—Library Journal
“Patrick gives powerful voice to the reflective inner man who has a
keen eye for things that really matter. . . . A welcome celebration
of idealism in a cynical time.”—Kirkus Reviews
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