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Worth the Fighting For
The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him
1 of 2 copies available
After five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, naval aviator John McCain returned home a changed man. Regaining his health and flight-eligibility status, he resumed his military career, commanding carrier pilots and serving as the navy’s liaison to what is sometimes ironically called the world’s most exclusive club, the United States Senate. Accompanying Senators John Tower and Henry “Scoop” Jackson on international trips, McCain began his political education in the company of two masters, leaders whose standards he would strive to maintain upon his election to the U.S. Congress. There, he learned valuable lessons in cooperation from a good-humored congressman from the other party, Morris Udall. In 1986, McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate, inheriting the seat of another role model, Barry Goldwater.
During his time in public office, McCain has seen acts of principle and acts of craven self-interest. He describes both extremes in these pages, with his characteristic straight talk and humor. He writes honestly of the lowest point in his career, the Keating Five savings and loan debacle, as well as his triumphant moments—his return to Vietnam and his efforts to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments; his fight for campaign finance reform; and his galvanizing bid for the presidency in 2000.
Writes McCain: “A rebel without a cause is just a punk. Whatever you’re called—rebel, unorthodox, nonconformist, radical—it’s all self-indulgence without a good cause to give your life meaning.” This is the story of McCain’s causes, the people who made him do it, and the meaning he found. Worth the Fighting For reminds us of what’s best in America, and in ourselves.
Praise for Worth the Fighting For
“When [John] McCain writes of people and patriotism, his pages shine with a devotion, a loving awe, that makes Worth the Fighting For worth the shelling out for. . . . McCain the man remains one of the most inspiring public figures of his generation.”—Jonathan Raunch, The Washington Post
“[An] unpredictable, outspoken memoir . . . a testimonial to heroism from someone who has first-hand knowledge of what it takes.”—The New York Times
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 5, 2002 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415947784
- File size: 533233 KB
- Duration: 18:30:54
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Dan Cashman sounds cheerful and enthusiastic as he speaks the senator's memories of many famous people--Scoop Jackson, John Tower, and Admiral Rickover. The portraits McCain paints of others are much clearer than the one he provides of himself, in which he dismisses an unsuccessful marriage in a few words. Although the trip through time seems roundabout, it's fun to follow, with Cashman sounding almost like the famous writer. The stereotype of a pilot or a senator doesn't include "author," so finding that McCain is such an entertaining storyteller shows that his talent, with due credit to his coauthor, goes far beyond winning elections and flying faster than sound. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine -
John McCain has spent his career cultivating a reputation as a no-nonsense straight-shooter who isn't always politically correct and doesn't always follow conventional wisdom. In his autobiography, McCain discusses the triumphs and failures of his personal and political life. The book focuses primarily on McCain's political life, not his years as a POW in Vietnam. Whether discussing his ascension to power in Congress, his role in the savings & loan scandal, or his failure to be more candid on the presidential campaign trail, McCain sounds genuine. His reading is smooth and well paced, exuding a sincerity frequently missing when someone other than the author reads a political memoir. Unfortunately, economics seem to dictate that McCain's autobiography, like similar books, be abridged when an unabridged version would be welcome. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
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Starred review from September 23, 2002
McCain, with help from his administrative assistant Salter, picks up where the bestselling Faith of My Fathers
left off, after his release from a North Vietnamese POW prison. After two decades in Congress, he has plenty of stories to tell, beginning with his first experiences on Capitol Hill as a navy liaison to the Senate, where he became friends with men like Henry "Scoop" Jackson and John Tower. (The latter friendship plays a crucial role in McCain's account of the battle over Tower's 1989 nomination for defense secretary.) He revisits the "Keating Five" affair that nearly wrecked his career in the early '90s, pointedly observing how the investigating Senate committee left him dangling for political reasons long after he'd been cleared of wrongdoing. There's much less on his 2000 presidential campaign than one might expect; a single chapter lingers on a self-lacerating analysis of how he lost the South Carolina primary. (He admits, "I doubt I shall have reason or opportunity to try again" for the White House, and may even consider retiring from the Senate.) Self-criticism is a recurring motif, as the senator berates himself for speaking recklessly or letting his temper get the best of him. He nevertheless takes pride in his status as a maverick and pays tribute to inspirational figures like Theodore Roosevelt, Ted Williams and Robert Jordan, the fictional protagonist of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. Luckily for McCain, he's such an engaging storyteller most readers will readily accept these digressions from his own remarkable history. (Sept. 24)Forecast:Though McCain is less in the national eye now, the respect he's earned should mean bestseller status again for him.
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