Worth the Fighting For: A Memoir
by John S. McCain, Mark Salter
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In 1999, John McCain wrote one of the most acclaimed and bestselling memoirs of the decade, Faith of my fathers. That book ended in 1972, with McCain's release from imprisonment in Vietnam. This is the rest of his story, about his great American journey from the U.S. Navy to his electrifying run for the presidency, interwoven with heartfelt portraits of the mavericks who have inspired him through the years--Ted Williams, Theodore Roosevelt, visionary aviation proponent Billy Mitchell, Marlon show more Brando in Viva Zapata!, and, most indelibly, Robert Jordan. It was Jordan, Hemingway's protagonist in For whom the bell tolls, who showed McCain the ideals of heroism and sacrifice, stoicism and redemption, and why certain causes, despite the costs, are ... Worth the fighting for. After five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, naval aviator John McCain returned home a changed man. show lessTags
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As an apolitical observer of the American political scene, John McCain used to fascinate me, to the point that when I saw his book at a library sale a few years ago, I snatched it up, wanting to learn more about the "maverick" of the U.S. Senate. I think I may have been looking for his first memoir [b:Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir|99965|Faith of My Fathers A Family Memoir|John McCain|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348755680s/99965.jpg|390110], but this one also sufficed. While describing his life since his return to the States after being a Vietnam War POW, McCain takes the reader through his political education, including the Keating Savings & Loan disaster (bad) and his brokering of efforts to improve the relationship between show more Vietnam and the United States (good).
Since I've never quite figured out how the radical Republican Party of Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens became the Tea Party of today (can't even connect the dots), McCain always seemed as though he would somehow be the difference maker, until his submission to the extreme right in his efforts to secure the Presidency made him just another politician from a conservative state. Actually, McCain reminds me most of Cato from the Roman Republic. It's clear he believes in his American Republic and wants others to uphold the same values (not 100% certain what they are, but Americans do have values). I must say I also can't figure out the Democrats, which may explain why I'm apolitical.
In reading this memoir, one thought did strike me quite clearly...how the Americans always seem to come up with leaders who change the world (not McCain, just saying he made me think this). Washington, Lincoln, two Roosevelts, Truman...even Reagan. Is it in their blood? Fascinating country and a decent read.
Book Season = Winter (because that seems to be the Republicans' discontent) show less
Since I've never quite figured out how the radical Republican Party of Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens became the Tea Party of today (can't even connect the dots), McCain always seemed as though he would somehow be the difference maker, until his submission to the extreme right in his efforts to secure the Presidency made him just another politician from a conservative state. Actually, McCain reminds me most of Cato from the Roman Republic. It's clear he believes in his American Republic and wants others to uphold the same values (not 100% certain what they are, but Americans do have values). I must say I also can't figure out the Democrats, which may explain why I'm apolitical.
In reading this memoir, one thought did strike me quite clearly...how the Americans always seem to come up with leaders who change the world (not McCain, just saying he made me think this). Washington, Lincoln, two Roosevelts, Truman...even Reagan. Is it in their blood? Fascinating country and a decent read.
Book Season = Winter (because that seems to be the Republicans' discontent) show less
The three-star rating is supposed to mean "I Liked It". In this case, it means I liked half of it - the first half. After that it got a bit repetitive and lingered on points that I didn't find compelling. If McCain gets elected President today, I'd recommend you read this book (and probably his other for more of his biographical background). If not, then don't worry about it, because he'll just be the maverick senator from Arizona again.
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20+ Works 3,004 Members
John Sidney McCain III was born in the Panama Canal Zone at Coco Solo Naval Air Station on August 29, 1936. In 1954, he entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He fought in the Vietnam War as a naval aviator and was a prisoner of war (POW) beginning on October 26, 1967. In March 1968, he was put into solitary confinement, where he show more would remain for two years. He was a POW for five and a half years before being released on March 14, 1973. He retired from the Navy as a Captain in 1981. He moved to Arizona and began a career in politics. He won two terms in the U. S. House of Representatives, from 1983 to 1987, followed by six terms in the U. S. Senate. He was the Republican presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election. In 2015, he became chairman of the Armed Services Committee. He wrote numerous books with his aide Mark Salter including Worth the Fighting For; Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life; Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember; Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them; 13 Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War; Faith of My Fathers; and The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations. He died from brain cancer on August 25, 2018 at the age of 81. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
3+ Works 818 Members
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- Genres
- Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Politics and Government, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 328.73 — Society, Government, and Culture Political science U.S. Congress - Legislation & Legislative Process North America United States
- LCC
- E840.8 .M467 .A3 — History of the United States United States Later twentieth century, 1961-2000 Biography (General)
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- 286
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- 112,228
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- English
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 5
