American Crisis by Andrew M. Cuomo Summary
Overview of American Crisis
In "American Crisis," NY Governor Cuomo delivers a riveting, bestselling account of leadership during COVID-19's darkest hours. How did his controversial decisions shape America's pandemic response? The Washington Post called it "an impressive road map" for facing unprecedented national emergencies.
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When the Call Came That Changed Everything
Picture a Sunday evening in early March 2020. Your phone rings with news that will reshape millions of lives. For Governor Andrew Cuomo, that call announced New York's first confirmed COVID-19 case-and the beginning of a battle that would test every assumption about leadership, government, and what Americans could accomplish together. Within days, the federal response crumbled. Testing bottlenecked through a single CDC lab producing faulty results. The administration's focus remained fixed on Asia while the real threat silently circulated from Europe through JFK and Newark airports. This wasn't just a policy failure-it was America's Pearl Harbor moment, an intelligence catastrophe that would ultimately claim ten times more American lives than that infamous 1941 attack. New York stood alone at the epicenter, forced to build an entire pandemic response system from scratch while the nation watched. When crisis strikes, people don't need sugar-coating-they need honesty. Cuomo's daily briefings became appointment viewing not through political theater but through relentless factual transparency. The challenge was communicating terrifying data while maintaining public confidence. His daughter Mariah captured it perfectly: "Don't tell me to relax; tell me why I should be relaxed." New Yorkers are famously skeptical-nothing feels real until it happens in their backyard. That changed with New Rochelle, where lawyer Lawrence Garbuz became "patient zero," unknowingly spreading the virus through a Bat Mitzvah, a funeral, his law office, and public transportation before anyone understood what was happening. If COVID could explode in suburban New Rochelle, nowhere was safe. The briefings evolved into something unprecedented: government officials presenting complex epidemiological data that ordinary citizens actually wanted to watch, building a relationship between leadership and community that would prove essential for survival.
Building the Infrastructure of Survival
The Federal Failure and Ventilator War
The Human Currency of Crisis Leadership
Defying Predictions Through Collective Discipline
Building a Science-Based Roadmap Forward
What We Learned About Ourselves and Our Future
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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