Ellen Florian Kratz

March 7, 2024

Talk about good timing. Just as Richard Bradley's new book Harvard Rules hit the shelves, its subject, Larry Summers, touched off his biggest controversy to date. The tempest started with remarks Summers made about women's aptitude for science but by late February had widened into serious questions about his presidency.

Although the book was written before this latest dustup and Summers didn't cooperate, Bradley, a former George magazine editor, does a worthy job of getting an inside look at his bumpy tenure. From the fight with African-American studies professor Cornel West to the time Summers instructed a Boston Globe reporter to bring him a Diet Coke, Summers' gaffes are abundant.

Still, the former Treasury Secretary comes across as a force to be reckoned with. Summers' legacy includes centralizing more power in his office, promoting science initiatives like stem-cell research, and planning a new campus across the Charles River. As Bradley concludes, there's no question Summers will leave Harvard "bigger, richer, and more powerful." The only issue? "Whether he would leave it better."