John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography By The Boston Globe Reporters Who Know Him Best - Softcover

Kranish, Michael; Mooney, Brian; Easton, Nina J.

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9781586482732: John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography By The Boston Globe Reporters Who Know Him Best

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1586482734 ISBN 13: 9781586482732

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2004

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On Jan. 27, 2004, Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts accomplished one of the most spectacular turnarounds in modern American politics when he capped a surprise win in the Iowa caucus with a victory in the New Hampshire primary. The 2004 Democratic presidential nomination is now (in the words of Robert Novak) "John Kerry's to lose." Who is the man leading in the race to become the Democratic Party's nominee for president in 2004? And what kind of political leader is he?

The outlines of John Kerry's life are familiar: A decorated Vietnam veteran who became an influential, if unlikely, anti-war protester. A lanky 60-year-old who quenches his thirst for danger with high-speed kiteboarding, windsurfing, piloting, motorcycling, and, in some cases, driving. A senator with a reputation as an investigator and foreign policy expert. A man married to one of the richest women in America. But beyond this broad picture, Kerry is something of a mystery to the public, largely because of a complex yet riveting personal and professional history outlined in this book.

John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography, the first full and in-depth book about the candidate's life, is based on a highly regarded series on Kerry published in the Boston Globe, plus years of additional reporting. It will explore his background, his service in the military (including significant experiences omitted from Douglas Brinkley's bestselling Tour of Duty), his early legal and political career, his legislative record and the remarkable turnaround in his political fortunes during the 2004 election cycle. This incisive, frank look at Kerry's life, and at his strengths and liabilities, is important reading for anyone interested in the presidential campaign.

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About the Author:

Michael Kranish, has worked for The Boston Globe for 20 years, including the last 16 in the newspaper's Washington Bureau. He was the White House reporter during the last two years of the presidency of George H.W. Bush and the first two years of Bill Clinton. He was the paper's national political reporter during the 1996 and 2000 campaigns. During the 2004 cycle, his work included a series of biographical stories about the candidates, including one on the life of Senator John F. Kerry. His other assignments with the Globe have included congressional reporter, New England reporter, and business writer. He previously worked for The Miami Herald and The Lakeland Ledger. A graduate of Syracuse University, he lives in Silver Spring, Md., with his wife, Sylvia, and two daughters, Jessica and Laura.

Brian C. Mooney has been a reporter for newspapers in and around Boston for the past thirty-one years, the last sixteen at The Boston Globe. Prior to that, he wrote for The Boston Herald, The Sun of Lowell, and The Medford Daily Mercury. At the Globe, he has been city hall bureau chief, a member of the newspaper's award-winning Spotlight Team, and a political columnist. A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, he resides with his wife, Rosemary Lappin, a local television news producer, in Andover, Mass., with their daughter.

Nina J. Easton, deputy chief of the Boston Globe's Washington bureau, is author of the critically acclaimed Gang of Five: Leaders at the Center of the Conservative Ascendancy, which chronicles the rise to power of today's conservative movement. The Washington Post praised the book for telling the story of post-Reagan conservatism "more inventively, exhaustively, and entertainingly than anyone else." Easton's career also includes a decade at the Los Angeles Times, where her Sunday Magazine stories on issues ranging from poverty to politics earned a number of national awards. In addition, she is co-author of the 1982 best-selling book Reagan's Ruling Class: Portraits of the President's Top 100 Officials.

From Publishers Weekly:

Last year, Boston Globe reporters working on a multipart series uncovered the stunning news that John Kerry's paternal grandfather was Jewish. This book, an expansion of that series, doesn't find any smoking guns about the presumptive Democratic candidate for president. But it does offer a detailed and at times critical biography of the Massachusetts senator. Relying on years of reporting, the authors trace Kerry's itinerant boyhood as the son of a Foreign Service officer and his later years at prestigious St. Paul's, where early on he demonstrated intellectual seriousness and ambition. This ambition is one of the themes of Kerry's life as presented here. The biography shows Kerry's somewhat bumpy ride as a politician and his strength more as an investigator-on Iran-Contra-than as a legislator. The book, written in the lucid, straightforward prose one expects from a newspaper writing team, is especially strong on Kerry's college and Vietnam years, detailing the sense of service felt by Kerry and his fellow Skull-and-Bonesmen at Yale, and Kerry's doubts about the Vietnam War even before he went over to serve. The authors take critical issues head-on: they explore questions over Kerry's first Purple Heart and his leaving Vietnam before his service was over, as well as the Nixon administration's targeting him as an enemy. Kerry supporters may find the tone a bit harsh, but all who are interested in the 2004 election will benefit from this major serious examination of a man who would be president. 27 photos.
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