Every Day Is Extra Hardcover – September 4, 2018
by John Kerry (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars 3 customer reviews
Audible Audiobook from $13.741
Hardcover $22.48
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Publisher's Summary
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 US 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 reelected 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 US Supreme Court, another challenge would undermine confidence in the voting system.
Kerry returned to the Senate and 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 that position he tried - and, like all his predecessors, failed - to find peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (he is critical of both sides but especially Prime Minister Netanyahu); dealt with the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS; negotiated the Iran nuclear deal; and signed the Paris climate accord.
This is a personal audiobook, sometimes angry, sometimes funny, always moving. Secretary Kerry will describe some of the remarkable events of his life, such as discovering that his paternal grandfather committed suicide - something his father never told him - and that this grandfather was Jewish, not Irish (he changed his name to Kerry from Kohn and also converted to Catholicism). His account of his experiences in Vietnam is riveting. His failed first marriage left a wound that never completely healed, but his second marriage, to Teresa Heinz, widow of a Senate colleague, has been an anchor in his life. He tells wonderful stories about the Kennedys and especially about Senate colleagues Ted Kennedy and John McCain. His story of his first real meeting with John McCain, another Vietnam veteran, is one of the most moving stories in the book; his respect for McCain is genuine and inspiring. Every Day Is Extra shows readers how arduous it is to run for president and how demanding the role of secretary of state is.
Listeners of this audiobook, whatever their political persuasion, will come away grateful that we have public servants who are prepared to spend their lives in service to their country. They will also come away with a new appreciation of John Kerry, a man often portrayed as aloof and stiff but, as this audiobook reveals, funny, warm and dedicated.
©2018 John Kerry (P)2018 Simon & Schuster Audio UK
Editorial Reviews
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 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 (US))
About the Author
John Forbes Kerry is a former Secretary of State and five-term US Senator. Kerry is the author of Every Day Is Extra, A Call to Service: My Vision for a Better America, The New War, and the best-selling This Moment on Earth. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University as well as the inaugural Visiting Distinguished Statesman for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, have two daughters, three sons, and seven grandchildren.
Product details
Hardcover: 640 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 4, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1501178954
ISBN-13: 978-1501178955
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#1 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Diplomacy
#2 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Political Science
#3 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Political
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Top customer reviews
Brent Budowsky
5.0 out of 5 starsAn excellent and important book about American politics and the worldSeptember 5, 2018
Format: Audible Audiobook
This is an excellent and important book, a great read for anyone concerned about modern American history, America’s role in the world, the great issues that arose throughout John Kerry’s career, which is far from done. The chapters that discuss Kerry’s friendship and work with John McCain are timely, especially his discussion about when he and McCain talked about McCain possibly being Kerry’s running mate during his campaign for the presidency in 2004. Kerry’s discussion about his quest for a two-state solution to reach peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a fascinating read, profound because of the nobility of Kerry’s vision for peace, which will someday come true because their is no other way, except endless conflict. Kerry’s discussion about his work to combat climate change and environmental degradation has great historical value and timeless environmental value, especially with the current American president who sadly aligns with polluters. Kerry’s portrait of many famous and historically important figures, American and international, is quite interesting and deeper than what is usually offered in shorter form news stories. The lessons Kerry learned from his heroic service in Vietnam to his diligent and effective service as Secretary of State are valuable to all professionals in all fields, and to students of all ages, and tell the story of a far better America and far nobler country than what the world is enduring under Trump. This book is a must read for those who care about history, politics and the future of the world!
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Matthew Means
5.0 out of 5 starsIntegrity RulesSeptember 4, 2018
Format: Audible Audiobook
I bought the Audible version and couldn't stop listening. Kerry is one of our country's greatest leaders and I hope he continues in public service. Phenomenal book!
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