Every Day Is Extra
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Ltd
Published:5th Sep '19
Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date
The Observer Book of the Year
‘The war hero, senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate has plenty to write about – and to be right about’ The Guardian
'Frank, thoughtful and clearly written … What lingers are not the parts but the whole; not the life, but the man' New York Times
'Draws back the curtain on a life you thought you knew, but turns out to be a bit different … surprisingly personal’ Washington Post
Every Day Is Extra is John Kerry’s personal story. The title comes from a saying he and his buddies had in Vietnam. A child of privilege, Kerry went to private schools and Yale, then enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He commanded river patrols – swift boats – and was highly decorated, but he discovered that the truth about what was happening in Vietnam was different from what the government was reporting. He returned home disillusioned, became active against the war, and testified in Congress as a 27-year-old veteran who opposed the war.
Kerry served as a prosecutor in Massachusetts, then as Massachusetts lieutenant governor, and was elected to the Senate in 1984. His friendship with the Kennedy family gave him valuable contacts, but he earned his victory by campaigning hard. He would be re-elected four times.
Kerry’s service in the Senate was distinguished. Unlike most senators, who travel on foreign junkets for "fact-finding missions," Kerry travelled to the Philippines and based on what he learned, helped to orchestrate the peaceful transition from Ferdinand Marcos to the duly elected Corazon Aquino government. He played an active role in the BCCI and Iran-Contra matters. In 2004 he ran for president against the incumbent, George W. Bush and came within one state – Ohio – of winning. In Every Day Is Extra he explains why he chose not to contest widespread voting irregularities in Ohio, fearing that after the 2000 election went to the U.S. Supreme Court, another challenge would undermine confidence in the voting system.
Kerry returned to the Senate, endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008, and when Clinton resigned in 2012 to run for the presidency, Kerry was confirmed as Secretary of State. In...
'Every Day Is Extra offers a detailed record of an important life . . . it is frank, thoughtful and clearly written . . . What lingers are not the parts but the whole; not the life, but the man. . . A bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders.' -- Gideon Rose * The New York Times Book Review *
'In these pages Kerry shows remarkable honesty, depth, even spirituality . . . There is remarkable poignancy — not the usual currency of the career politician and the country’s top diplomat.' -- David M. Shribman * The Boston Globe *
'The strength of Kerry’s memoir is that it draws back the curtain on a life you thought you knew, but turns out to be a bit different . . . A surprisingly personal book.' -- David Ignatius * The Washington Post *
'The difference between memoir and autobiography can be fuzzy, but Every Day Is Extra . . . has both the reflective candor of the former and the painstaking, chronological detail of the latter.' * The New Yorker *
'Fine reading for politics junkies, especially those with an interest in how policy is made . . . A smart look at not just [Kerry's] life, but also our times.' * Kirkus Reviews *
'[A] fine memoir . . . This book reveals a man of quiet, passionate patriotism, immense intelligence, and thoughtfulness.' * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
'The war hero, senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate has plenty to write about– and to be right about.' * The Guardian *
‘Kerry saw US power much as he saw his own privilege: as a call to service. His memoir gives a comprehensive and, in places, moving account of his response to that call. People disagree over the wisdom and effectiveness of US foreign policy in the Kerry years, but there can be no serious dispute about the integrity and patriotism that Kerry brought to the job.’ * Foreign Affairs *
ISBN: 9781471177361
Dimensions: 198mm x 130mm x 40mm
Weight: unknown
640 pages