Pataki: An Autobiography

The most engaging part of this lackluster autobiography by the Republican governor of New York, assisted by freelance writer Paisner, deals with Pataki's childhood in Peekskill, N.Y. The son of a mail carrier, he lived with his brother and his parents on a farm owned by his grandfather, who sold produce at a farm stand. The governor credits his grandfather, a Hungarian immigrant, with teaching him the importance of hard work and honesty. He describes the joys of rural life and remembers with obvious pleasure such family gatherings as the yearly bacon barbecue. Interwoven with these reminiscences is a self-promoting narrative of Pataki's career as mayor of Peekskill and as state assemblyman, and details of the 1994 gubernatorial election, when he defeated Democratic incumbent Mario Cuomo. Pataki believes voters favored his conservative stance on crime and welfare, which he restates here as well as sharply attacking Cuomo's liberalism. He also discusses the infamous 1949 Peekskill riots (which occurred when singer Paul Robeson, a leftist black political activist, arrived to give a concert) and his father's participation in the protest against Robeson's appearance. (June)