Worth the Fighting for: A Memoir

Product Description:
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 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. Regaining his health and flight-eligibility status, he resumed his military career, commanding carrier pilots and serving as the navy’s liaison to what is sometimes ironically called the world’s most exclusive club, the United States Senate. Accompanying Senators John Tower and Henry “Scoop” Jackson on international trips, McCain began his political education in the company of two masters, leaders whose standards he would strive to maintain upon his election to the U.S. Congress. There, he learned valuable lessons in cooperation from a good-humored congressman from the other party, Morris Udall. In 1986, McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate, inheriting the seat of another role model, Barry Goldwater.
During his time in public office, McCain has seen acts of principle and acts of craven self-interest. He describes both ex-tremes in these pages, with his characteristic straight talk and humor. He writes honestly of the lowest point in his career, the Keating Five savings and loan debacle, as well as his triumphant moments—his return to Vietnam and his efforts to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments; his fight for campaign finance reform; and his galvanizing bid for the presidency in 2000.
Writes McCain: “A rebel without a cause is just a punk. Whatever you’re called—rebel, unorthodox, nonconformist, radical—it’s all self-indulgence without a good cause to give your life meaning.” This is the story of McCain’s causes, the people who made him do it, and the meaning he found. Worth the Fighting For reminds us of what’s best in America, and in ourselves.

Browse for similar items by category:

• Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Bargain Books » Nonfiction » Politics
• Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Bargain Books » Biography » Arts & Literature
• Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Bargain Books » Biography » Leaders & Notable People
• Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Bargain Books » Biography » General
• Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » Bargain Books » Biography » General AAS

Customer Reviews

Rating: - John McCain: hero, father, self-professed diety,
John McCain's memoir "Worth Fighting For" is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a great American. Whether it's gardening in the nude at his Arizona ranch, or threatening Arlen Specter with bodily harm, McCain isn't afraid to back down or change his hard-set ways. What I found especially interesting is McCain's often heated arguments with God, over things as important as the SALT treaty, or as trivial as some missing sprinkles on his pudding.Fact is, John McCain doesn't take any b---s--- from ... Read More
Rating: - The Real John MCain?
I found the book missing in some critical information about Mr. McCain such as:
John McCain has pledged that, if he and Ms. Palin are elected, he would end the revolving-door practice of administration officials leaving office for lucrative lobbying jobsObama has also pledged to stop the revolving door if elected. He has also declined to take donations from lobbyists; McCain has not.

Still, during McCain's nearly 25 years in Congress, the revolving door has remained open.
... Read More
Rating: - Dissapointing
Unfortunately this book which I hoped to be a biographical "chapter 2" to his personal journey after his Viet Nam stint, as covered so well in "Faith of My Fathers," this book offers only a sloppy mish-mash of this and that, which causes it to never commit to be any specific type of book.It tries to be part "Profiles in Courage" (which later McCain books "Courage Matters," and "Hard Call" commit to), part "Leaders" (by Nixon), and part autobiography, but sits as an uncommitted, uneven, unsatisfactory ... Read More
Rating: - Worth The Fighting For by John McCain
This is a great book by a great man.John McCain's humor, style, and love of life are inspiring in this read.His honor, patriotism, and his words of those who have inspired him, make him one of the most inspiring public figures of his generation.He has a loving awe of what is best in America, and in ourselves.
Rating: - Great historical, political, autobiographical and insightful read
When the 2008 GOP primary began, I was not a fan of McCain.I didn't dislike him.I just had a different preference.I'd always wanted to read Faith of My Fathers and read that one first.It took the reader from McCain's grandfather, to his father, and finally to McCain himself and his experience in Vietnam, where it concluded with his homecoming.

This book picks up with John McCain's return home.He is atypically candid for a politician and presidential candidate.He admits faults where ... Read More