What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis

(Paperback)

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From the frontlines of the COVID crisis to the real events behind the meteoric rise and unfathomable fall of Governor Andrew Cuomo, one of the most powerful women in New York State government history shares her gripping and candid storynow in paperback with a new chapter.

When COVID hit the United States, New York governor Andrew Cuomo was thrust onto the national stage, hailed around the globe for his leadership. Alongside him every step of the way, Melissa DeRosa quickly became a household name. In her riveting memoirnow in paperback with updated material addedDeRosa details her journey as a young woman rising to the highest levels of government, writing with raw honesty and vulnerability about the personal challenges she faceda failing marriage, infertility, death threats, misogynywhile navigating unprecedented professional landmines along the way. DeRosa gives readers a front-row seat to the white-knuckle ride from the epicenter of the deadliest pandemic in US history to the never-before-told story behind the #MeToo scandal that rocked a nation and brought down a governor.

Reviews

"A vivid read ... DeRosa's memoir is pocked with scenes of a marriage gone south, of trying to cope with Covid-19 and of general governmental strife. She punches hard. Her anger is white hot. Her book is deliberate and focused."

--The Guardian

"This inside look at politics from the Cuomo admin is a detailed view of the chaotic times in the Cuomo governor's office around Covid, the press, the dog eat dog politics and the toll dedication can take on personal life. DeRosa shows life behind the curtain of what we read and hear. You don't have to be a political junkie to enjoy this one."

--Lee Woodruff

"A page turner."

--Bill Maher

"A juicy new memoir... packed with scandal [and] political intrigue... [from the] headline-making right hand to one of the most powerful figures in New York."

--Extra

"DeRosa has written a critically acclaimed thrilling page-turner that you may well find yourself reading in a single sitting. It's a book that's hard to put down as you feel you're in the center of non-stop, high-stakes action."

--Campaigns and Elections

"DeRosa, who served as communications director and chief of staff for Andrew Cuomo, recounts her tenure, revealing in eye-opening detail the insidious forces that impelled him to resign. . . . [A] raw, and briskly told memoir."

--Kirkus Reviews

"DeRosa has written a scorching memoir, What's Left Unsaid, that is loaded with insider detail and throws punches at President Joe Biden, New York governor Kathy Hochul, New York attorney general Letitia James, and TheNew York Times, among others."

--Vanity Fair

"This insider's view of the political storm that led to Cuomo's forced resignation raises serious questions about the roles played by power politics, a compliant media, and an attorney general who wished to be governor, in orchestrating the forced resignation of a duly elected governor. . . . At the end of her book, DeRosa signals, much like a prize fighter, that she is ready to step into the ring again. She will surely fight another day as a fierce partisan who passionately believes in her causes. But in this moment, she shines a bright light on some important questions."

--New York Law Journal

Author Bio

Melissa DeRosa served as communications director, chief of staff, and secretary to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the first woman to ever serve in the role. She chaired the New York State Council on Women and Girls and served on then President-elect Biden's transition committee, advising the incoming administration's COVID response. DeRosa previously served as deputy chief of staff to the New York attorney general and as New York State director of Organizing for America (OFA), President Obama's political action organization. She lives in New York City.