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This country : my life in politics and history / Chris Matthews.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster, 2021Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover editionDescription: xi, 336 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781982134846
  • 1982134844
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Introduction -- Irish enough -- God's country -- A trip to Washington -- Were were the kids who hid under our desks -- Catholic school back then -- Kennedy vs. Nixon -- La Salle -- Holy Cross -- Chapel Hill -- Montreal -- Swaziland -- African mysteries -- Capitol Hill -- US Capitol police officer -- Senate legislative assistant -- Miami -- First campaign -- Freelance -- Brooklyn -- Running anyway -- Back to Washington -- Jimmy Carter -- Kathleen -- Presidential speechwriter -- Scramble -- Tip O'Neill -- Writer -- San Francisco -- White House dinner -- Hungary -- Berlin wall -- A boomer as president -- A farewell in North Cambridge -- Bringing down apartheid -- Television -- Mom -- Clinton redux -- Good Friday -- Millennial -- Attack on a September morning -- A war of our choosing -- Barack Obama -- Duel -- A funeral in Rome -- Thrill -- Kathleen Matthews for Congress -- Trump -- Hardball -- This country.
Summary: The former host of MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" offers a panoramic portrait of post-World War II American politics through the story of his extraordinary life and careerSummary: Matthews offers a panoramic portrait of post-World War II America through the lens of his life and career. Raised in a large Irish-Catholic family in Philadelphia, he became a Peace Corps graduate, moved to DC and began knocking on doors on Capitol Hill. There his eyes were opened to the game of big-league politics. As a speechwriter for President Carter, Matthews witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of that administration. As chief of staff to Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, he received an on-the-job PhD in American politics during the Reagan years. He pioneered cable news with Hardball with Chris Matthews, which became a political institution for twenty years. -- adapted from jacket
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Biography MATTHEWS C. M438 Available 33111010535801
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A "quintessentially American" ( Policy Magazine ) memoir of politics and history from Chris Matthews, New York Times bestselling author and long-time host of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews .

In This Country , Chris Matthews "has written a love letter to his country" (Joy Reid, host of The ReidOut and author of The Man Who Sold America ), offering a panoramic portrait of post-World War II America through the story of his remarkable life and career. It is a story of risk and adventure, of self-reliance and service, of loyalty and friendship. It is a story driven by an abiding faith in our country.

Raised in a large Irish-Catholic family in Philadelphia at a time when kids hid under their desks in atomic war drills, Chris's life etched a pattern: take a leap, live an adventure, then learn what it means. As a young Peace Corps graduate, Chris moved to DC and began knocking on doors on Capitol Hill. With dreams of becoming what Ted Sorensen had been for Jack Kennedy, Chris landed as a staffer to Utah Senator Frank Moss, where his eyes were opened to the game of big-league politics.

In the 1970s, Matthews mounted a campaign for Congress as a Democratic maverick running against Philadelphia's old political machine. He didn't win the most votes, but his grit put him on the path to a top job in the White House. As a speechwriter for President Carter, Matthews witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of that administration; from the diplomatic brilliance of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty to the disaster of the Iran hostage crisis. After Carter's defeat, Chris became chief of staff to legendary Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, a perch that gave him an on-the-job PhD in American politics during the Reagan years.

Chris than leapt to the other side of the political matrix as a columnist and reporter. For the San Francisco Examiner , he covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first all-races election in South Africa, the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, and every American presidency from Reagan to George W. Bush. Chris would go on to pioneer cable news with a fast-paced, no-nonsense television program. His show, Hardball with Chris Matthews , would become a political institution for twenty years.

As Chris charts his political odyssey, he paints an animated picture of a nation searching for its soul. He reflects with grace and wisdom, showcasing the grand arc of the American story through one life dedicated to its politics.

Introduction -- Irish enough -- God's country -- A trip to Washington -- Were were the kids who hid under our desks -- Catholic school back then -- Kennedy vs. Nixon -- La Salle -- Holy Cross -- Chapel Hill -- Montreal -- Swaziland -- African mysteries -- Capitol Hill -- US Capitol police officer -- Senate legislative assistant -- Miami -- First campaign -- Freelance -- Brooklyn -- Running anyway -- Back to Washington -- Jimmy Carter -- Kathleen -- Presidential speechwriter -- Scramble -- Tip O'Neill -- Writer -- San Francisco -- White House dinner -- Hungary -- Berlin wall -- A boomer as president -- A farewell in North Cambridge -- Bringing down apartheid -- Television -- Mom -- Clinton redux -- Good Friday -- Millennial -- Attack on a September morning -- A war of our choosing -- Barack Obama -- Duel -- A funeral in Rome -- Thrill -- Kathleen Matthews for Congress -- Trump -- Hardball -- This country.

The former host of MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" offers a panoramic portrait of post-World War II American politics through the story of his extraordinary life and career

Includes index.

Matthews offers a panoramic portrait of post-World War II America through the lens of his life and career. Raised in a large Irish-Catholic family in Philadelphia, he became a Peace Corps graduate, moved to DC and began knocking on doors on Capitol Hill. There his eyes were opened to the game of big-league politics. As a speechwriter for President Carter, Matthews witnessed the triumphs and tragedies of that administration. As chief of staff to Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, he received an on-the-job PhD in American politics during the Reagan years. He pioneered cable news with Hardball with Chris Matthews, which became a political institution for twenty years. -- adapted from jacket

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