Chances of a Lifetime [Large Print]

By Warren Christopher

Book Overview

An engaging insider's account of some of the most fascinating domestic and international episodes in contemporary American history, from the highly respected former secretary of state who remains a Democratic elder statesman. Warren Christopher is that rarest of Washington personalities: a wise and witty public servant once described by the Washington Post as the antithesis of the glitz-hungry, self-aggrandizing, corner-cutting political figures who dominate Washington today. In this memoir, the man whose sage counsel and sometimes parodied discretion brought him to the right hand of mayors, governors, and presidents shares his personal recollections and impressions of leaders and events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century. Writing in tightly crafted, often self-effacing prose, Christopher chronicles how he left the privacy of life at a premier law firm to heed calls to public service from Supreme Court justice William O. Douglas, Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, and California governor Edmund Pat Brown -- as well as presidents Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. Throughout his career, Christopher faced diverse challenges: He advised a president on whether to dispatch federal troops to quell civil disturbances; led negotiations to free American hostages in Iran; investigated a major city's police force gone awry; and helped cope with Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. From Starting from Scranton and The Johnson Treatment to Middle East: Antipodes and Yesterday a War, Today a Country, each chapter is a compelling story on its own. Together, they offer the first clear picture of the impact of this quiet North Dakotan on modern Americanhistory.

• Format: Hardcover
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743213696
• ISBN13: 9780743213691
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Excellent memoir

Christopher's book is highly readable. . .until he reached the point in his tale of becoming Secretary of State I found it difficult to put down. Chris was instrumental in handling and reporting (and in the aftermath dealing) with many of the urban riots in 1960s after the assassinations of King & RFK, and the urban riots surrounding the political conventions in Chicago. As undersecretary of state under Carter he was the key U.S. player in the Iranian hostage release, warmly adding how a restaurant applauded him at dinner shortly after coming home from those negotiations. Once he reaches Sec of State status in his book, the tale is less engaging but still informative, giving us a sharp and clear inside look at Chris' view of his job, and the policies and outlook of the U.S. government he represented for four years.

Solid, Positive and Truthful

If you are looking for a kiss and tell book full of gossip or new and exciting state secrets this is not the book for you. The author may be the last true nice guy in politics and his book echo's his character. The book spends about 30% of its time on his boyhood, working with the LBJ administration and working on different riots in he country. To be honest, this was not what I really was interested in. The rest of the book deals with his work in the Carter and Clinton administrations, which I felt was the most interesting sections of the book. Christopher spends a good deal of time on his involvement in the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and 1980 and on the Middle East peace process during his Clinton years. Both areas are well written and interesting, he brings a sense of a true gentleman to his writing - always taking the civil high road in his descriptions. I also found the sections on the personal security given to the Secretary of State and how he travels around the world new and interesting. Overall the author does a good job in this memoir; it is well written and understated. You understand why the author is so well respected; he goes out of his way not to include snide little comments and back- handed attacks that fill so many memoirs.

More Politicians Should be Like "Chris"

Warren Christopher gives his personal history the most cursory of treatments before plunging into exposition of his interactions with some of modern history's greater figures. At first I found this self-effacement irritating--I wanted to understand what would propel someone to work so tirelessly for his nation, under such trying circumstances as the widespread civil unrest of the late '60s and the hostage crisis at the end of Carter's term in office. Then I realized that Christopher's approach to his memoirs reflects his approach to public service: it's not about _him_, not at all. It becomes very clear as the book progresses that Christopher's modesty, discretion and unrelenting focus on the task at hand have made him the epitome of the gentleman statesman and a model to which other politicians should aspire. Sure, other ex-Cabinet members might write juicier memoirs. But they very likely are not be as widely-respected, or as consistently in demand over decades of American political life, as Christopher. "Chances of a Lifetime" is a worthwhile read for that lesson alone.