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This lively self-deprecating memoir traces the author's 45 year evolution from being an idealist, pure and simple, to being what he describes (borrowing a phrase from JFK) as an "idealist without illusions". He learns the hard way, from experience in a wide variety of governmental and party positions, that "politics ain't beanbag", as Finley Peter Dunne's Mr. Dooley once remarked. The stakes are high, and most of the actors are motivated chiefly by self-interest. To expect otherwise is naive. But, Pittenger says, his is not a counsel of despair; an "idealist without illusions" can have at least a marginal impact on public life if he or she understands the rules of the game.   At the same time, Pittenger's memoir is a celebration of the satisfactions to be derived from a commitment to public life. His is a plea for young people, especially, to test the political waters. At a time of widespread disenchantment with the American political scene, he offers guarded encouragement to those who would follow in his footsteps, be they Democrats (as he is) or Reublicans.