vanirajkumar's review against another edition
4.0
I surprisingly felt inspired by the last chapter of this. Definitely not the most well written political biography but in my attempt to read more works from across the aisle it gave me a lot to think about.
annemariewellswriter's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting reading this book when I vehemently despised this man circa 2008 (aside from the moment he corrected the woman who called Obama an "arab." That was an impressive moment.) I loved the history lessons and his frank tone of voice.
mariahhanley's review against another edition
4.0
I have the utmost respect for Senator McCain, and his death is a loss for America. I really enjoyed much of this book, although I did find it somewhat grating at times, dry at times, and I was extremely irritated that he went all-in on Benghazi. Although we did not share almost any political views, I enjoyed hearing his thought process for some of his more major accomplishments and attempts over the years, especially the Obamacare vote (although, it saddened me to know that his goal was not to save Obamacare), and his strong, strong views on torture (with good reason).
sfletcher26's review against another edition
4.0
Where to start? Well with a number of disclaimers I suppose.
1. I'm not an American.
2. Were I an American I would probably ally myself with the Democrats.
3. I find the hawkish, jingoistic political rhetoric difficult to take.
4. I never really knew who Senator McCain was other than the bloke who Obama beat when he became President. So it's only in the past year, with his high profile run-ins with Trump and his sudden death that McCain has really come to my attention.
Watching all of the footage of him on the TV and Internet he seemed to be a man of principle in a world (the US Senate) that at times has seemed completely unprincipled and massively partisan.
Many will already know the story of McCain, the son and grandson of Admirals, Naval fighter pilot, tortured Vietnam POW, US Senator and Presidential candidate. And whilst I was aware of some of this there was so much about him of which I was unaware and so much about him to admire.
In this memoir McCain begins by looking back at his Presidential campaign and it's highs and lows. He talks candidly about his mistakes and is honest about them and doesn't try to deflect them on to others.
He then goes onto look at his time in the Senate and what he sought to achieve in that time, outlining his vision of what US foreign policy should be. He is critical throughout of not just Trump but of the social Milieu that has given rise to him including Putin's Russia. There are times when this does stray into US triumphalism which is a shame but in some senses it is what it is.
My one gripe about the book is that he never looked at the issue of gun control and the continued spate of school shootings. It has been such a huge issue in the US in resent years that it feels a bit of a cop out not to have looked at it.
Whilst I don't think I would ever find myself agreeing with everything McCain believes in and supports I do feel I now understand where he was coming from and what he was hoping to achieve.
1. I'm not an American.
2. Were I an American I would probably ally myself with the Democrats.
3. I find the hawkish, jingoistic political rhetoric difficult to take.
4. I never really knew who Senator McCain was other than the bloke who Obama beat when he became President. So it's only in the past year, with his high profile run-ins with Trump and his sudden death that McCain has really come to my attention.
Watching all of the footage of him on the TV and Internet he seemed to be a man of principle in a world (the US Senate) that at times has seemed completely unprincipled and massively partisan.
Many will already know the story of McCain, the son and grandson of Admirals, Naval fighter pilot, tortured Vietnam POW, US Senator and Presidential candidate. And whilst I was aware of some of this there was so much about him of which I was unaware and so much about him to admire.
In this memoir McCain begins by looking back at his Presidential campaign and it's highs and lows. He talks candidly about his mistakes and is honest about them and doesn't try to deflect them on to others.
He then goes onto look at his time in the Senate and what he sought to achieve in that time, outlining his vision of what US foreign policy should be. He is critical throughout of not just Trump but of the social Milieu that has given rise to him including Putin's Russia. There are times when this does stray into US triumphalism which is a shame but in some senses it is what it is.
My one gripe about the book is that he never looked at the issue of gun control and the continued spate of school shootings. It has been such a huge issue in the US in resent years that it feels a bit of a cop out not to have looked at it.
Whilst I don't think I would ever find myself agreeing with everything McCain believes in and supports I do feel I now understand where he was coming from and what he was hoping to achieve.
weasel8109's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful last treatment of a Maverick with integrity.
barkylee15's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first political biography I've ever read. I'm not a political person, and usually this type of thing would bore me, but John McCain was a man that I think anyone on the political spectrum could respect. He was a true American politician, and I wish that all politicians would behave in the way in which he did. He was a man who knew his beliefs, would stick to them, but also could apologize for things he got wrong. He was a true champion of human rights, and he fought for them for his whole life.
My favorite chapter was the final chapter before the epilogue. Everyone, democrat or republican, should read it. It describes the way in which our political system should work instead of the intensely polarizing system it is today.
The epilogue was bittersweet as there are few times when someone writes an autobiography knowing that they will be dying soon. I may have shed a tear. Rest in Peace, John McCain.
Overall, it was an easy listen and I do recommend it to anyone.
My favorite chapter was the final chapter before the epilogue. Everyone, democrat or republican, should read it. It describes the way in which our political system should work instead of the intensely polarizing system it is today.
The epilogue was bittersweet as there are few times when someone writes an autobiography knowing that they will be dying soon. I may have shed a tear. Rest in Peace, John McCain.
Overall, it was an easy listen and I do recommend it to anyone.
__karen__'s review against another edition
4.0
I didn't always agree with McCain's politics, but have always respected his service to the U.S. Interesting read.
mcsnide's review against another edition
4.0
While Sen. McCain's politics were very different from my own, I have always respected him for his service to our country, his willingness to put country above politics, and his dogged determination to pursue what he believed to be the right path. In this final book written with his longtime collaborator Mark Salter, he made a forceful case for his vision of America.
He viewed America as deriving our moral force from our ideals and our willingness to hold ourselves and others accountable to those ideals. He believed whole-heartedly in liberal democracy. He despised autocracy in all its forms, and believed that we best serve our ideals when we champion freedom for all. This certainly comes across as naive at times, as he never really engages with critics of the Arab spring who point out that the Arab street is no fan of religious liberty, pluralism, or other virtues that are vital to western democracy.
That said, he had no qualms about calling out Americans who fail to live up to his high standards. He castigated President Bush's failures in Iraq, including on the moral issue of detention and torture. He took President Obama to task for what he viewed as a wrongheaded retreat from American leadership of the world. He saved his harshest rhetoric for President Trump and his constant divisive rhetoric, his embrace of dictators, his unwillingness to confront the racist elements of the right, and his coarsening of American civic life.
If I had to pick one quotation from the book that best sums up Sen. McCain's approach to life and politics, it would be this:
“You can fail to tell the truth. But the truth cannot be a failure even if it’s ignored or rejected."
Our politics are much poorer from the loss of Sen. McCain.
He viewed America as deriving our moral force from our ideals and our willingness to hold ourselves and others accountable to those ideals. He believed whole-heartedly in liberal democracy. He despised autocracy in all its forms, and believed that we best serve our ideals when we champion freedom for all. This certainly comes across as naive at times, as he never really engages with critics of the Arab spring who point out that the Arab street is no fan of religious liberty, pluralism, or other virtues that are vital to western democracy.
That said, he had no qualms about calling out Americans who fail to live up to his high standards. He castigated President Bush's failures in Iraq, including on the moral issue of detention and torture. He took President Obama to task for what he viewed as a wrongheaded retreat from American leadership of the world. He saved his harshest rhetoric for President Trump and his constant divisive rhetoric, his embrace of dictators, his unwillingness to confront the racist elements of the right, and his coarsening of American civic life.
If I had to pick one quotation from the book that best sums up Sen. McCain's approach to life and politics, it would be this:
“You can fail to tell the truth. But the truth cannot be a failure even if it’s ignored or rejected."
Our politics are much poorer from the loss of Sen. McCain.