Time Present, Time Past: A Memoir

Time Present, Time Past offers an intimate portrait of the day-to-day workings of the Senate: how legislation gets passed and sometimes thwarted; how money is raised and at what cost. But Bradley also writes about deeper questions: What does it mean to be an American in an age of dwindling opportunities and increasing inequality? How much can we expect from our public servants? What do we owe our fellow citizens? The result is a genuinely revelatory book, informed by intelligence, compassion, and unprecedented candor.

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.

During his terms in the U.S. Senate, Bill Bradley won a national reputation for thoughtfulness, decency, and a willingness to take controversial positions on issues ranging from tax reform to the rights of Native Americans. All these qualities inform this best-selling memoir, in which Bradley assesses his political career and the experiences that shaped his convictions, and looks beyond them to consider the state of the American union on the eve of the 21st century. Time Present, Time Past offers an intimate portrait of the day-to-day working of the Senate: how legislation gets passed and sometimes thwarted; how money is raised and at what cost. But Bradley also writes about deeper questions: What does it means to be an American in an ago of dwindling opportunities and increasing inequality? How much can we expect from our public servants? What do we owe our fellow citizens? The result is a genuinely revelatory book, informed by intelligence, compassion, and unprecedented candor.

"Strikingly reflects the realities of modern politics, what it looks like, feels like, from the inside."--New York Times Book Review

Publishers Weekly

The political autobiography of the former New Jersey senator and former New York Knick, an eight-week PW bestseller, features a new afterword by the author.

Bill Bradley has been a three-time basketball All-American at Princeton, an Olympic gold medalist, a Rhodes scholar, and a professional player for ten years with the New York Knicks.  Elected to the Senate from New Jersey in 1978, 1984, and 1990, he has authored extensive legislation, including the Tax Reform Act of 1986.  Bradley has written two previous books, Life on the Run and The Fair Tax. He is married and has one daughter.