Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 920 PRO | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In the spirit of John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage , 13 essays honoring modern-day political heroes, penned by a collection of stellar authors
Nearly half a century after then-Senator John F. Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage , his masterful portrait of American heroes, the words "politician" and "courage" are rarely uttered in the same breath. But, as this celebration of modern political bravery amply demonstrates, there are countless examples of heroism among today's elected officials. Profiles in Courage for Our Time pays tribute to 13 such heroes, each a recipient of the prestigious Profile in Courage award. The essays' authors are as noteworthy as their subjects: Anna Quindlen writes about Governor James Florio's passing of the strictest gun control law in the nation; Al Hunt details Russell Feingold and John McCain's efforts to reform political financing; Bob Woodward writes on former President Gerald Ford's controversial decision of conscience to pardon former President Richard Nixon.
"The Profiles in Courage Award seeks to honor those whose lives of service prove that politics can be a noble profession. We hope that Americans realize that there are men and women serving at all levels of our government who are legends of our time." -- Caroline Kennedy
Renowned authors and award-winners featured in Profiles in Courage for Our Time :
Michael Beschloss on Carl Elliot, Sr. Bill Kovach on Charles Weltner E. J. Dionne on Lowell Weicker, Jr. Anna Quindlen on James Florio Pete Hamill on Henry Gonzalez Steve Roberts on Michael Synar Marian Wright Edelman on Corkin Cherubini Maryanne Vollers on Charles Price Ron Suskind on Nickolas C. Murnion Michael Daly on Irish Peace Makers Anthony Walton on Hilda Solis Al Hunt on Russell Feingold and John McCain Teresa Carpenter on John Lewis Bob Woodward on Gerald Ford
Author Notes
Caroline Bouvier Kennedy was born in New York City on born November 27, 1957 to John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. She received an A.B. from Radcliffe College in 1979 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1988. She is the author and editor of several books on constitutional law, American history, politics, and poetry including In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action, The Right to Privacy, The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Profiles in Courage for Our Time, A Patriot's Handbook, A Family Christmas, and She Walks in Beauty - A Woman's Journey through Poems. She has also compiled the interview tapes and written the forward for Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In 1957, then-senator John F. Kennedy won a Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage. In 1990, the Kennedy family resurrected the concept and established the Profiles in Courage Award for selfless public service. Now, in this expertly packaged anthology, Caroline Kennedy and over a dozen prominent writers bring the sacrifices of those award winners to life. Some essays address famous leaders like the Good Friday peacemakers in Ireland and campaign-finance-reform stalwarts John McCain and Russell Feingold. Others hail lesser-known local officials, like school superintendent Corkin Cherubini, who braved a firestorm to end race-based tracking in Georgia. All the winners acted with a rare breed of selfless courage but sometimes this courage came at a terrible cost. U.S. Representative Carl Elliot Sr. was chased out of office in 1964 because he fought segregation in Alabama; by the time he won the first Profile in Courage Award, he was living alone in a ramshackle house, confined to a wheelchair by diabetes and hounded by creditors. Kennedy has assembled an impressive roster of writers to compose these mostly inspirational stories: Michael Beschloss, Anna Quindlen, Albert R. Hunt. The most audacious essay in the collection belongs to Bob Woodward, who reverses 25 years of conventional wisdom in arguing that former president Gerald Ford should be applauded for his pardon of Richard Nixon after Watergate. Of course, not all of the essays have the same level of distinction, but all share the same Kennedy spirit. Unabashedly liberal and pro-government, this collection is a stirring look at people who rarely thought about what they could do for themselves, but always about what they could do for their country. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Character sketches of 14 men and women who have won the Profiles in Courage Award, which recognizes elected officials who "stood fast for the ideals of America." Gratifyingly, this is not just another collection of eulogies; some of the winners have blots on their political escutcheons that are duly noted. Nor will all readers agree on the worthiness of each recipient, as the obvious case of Gerald Ford attests. Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon "was the only way of ending the public and media obsession with his predecessor's future," Bob Woodward unconvincingly claims, begging the point that the obsession arose from concern over the consequences of illegal acts in high office and the impeccable standards to which citizens (we hope) hold those who hold office. Other winners are more obviously laudable, such as Texas Representative Henry B. Gonzalez, who fought Jim Crow laws in his home state and "totally resisted the prevailing slickness that was debasing our politics," as Pete Hamill puts it. Corkin Cherubini, captured by Marion Wright Edelman, fought race-based tracking ("a kind of educational apartheid") as superintendent of Georgia's public schools. California Senator Hilda Solis, profiled by Anthony Walton, constructed legal guidelines that identified and mitigated "the negative environmental and health effects of pollution and waste-disposal facilities on low-income and minority populations." An example of a fence-straddler is Carl Elliott Sr., congressman from Alabama. As Michael Beschloss writes, much can be said for Elliott's "aid-to-education bill," which sought to bring equality to the Alabama school system. Yet he also signed the notorious "Southern Manifesto" and truckled to George Wallace's racist politics. By and large, a refreshing sampling of political legacies cleaving to the notion of equality and justice on behalf of the weak and exploited.
Booklist Review
Inspired by her father's late-1950s best-seller, Caroline Kennedy compiles 14 essays lauding political courage. Contributors include Michael Beschloss, E. J. Dionne, Bob Woodward, Anna Quindlen, and Pete Hamill, among others. Each of the 14 essay subjects was a recipient of the Profiles in Courage Award, created by the Kennedy family a decade ago. The virtue of courage ordinarily involves some risk to one's life. With exceptions, such as civil rights leader John Lewis, the virtue as lauded in this volume involves inveighing against some powerful interest. Another attribute sought is the championship of liberal causes: the editor chose Republicans for about one-fourth of the profiles, and of that group, two for their liberal positions on issues (John McCain's crusade against political financing; Lowell Weicker's imposition of an income tax on Connecticut residents). Other essay subjects include Gerald Ford's controversial decision to pardon Richard Nixon and James Fioro's passing of the strictest gun-control law in the nation. The high-profile names of the editor and writers will attract wide interest. Gilbert Taylor.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Carl Elliott, Sr. | p. 9 |
| Charles Longstreet Weltner | p. 31 |
| Lowell Weicker, Jr. | p. 53 |
| James Florio | p. 69 |
| Henry B. Gonzalez | p. 89 |
| Michael L. Synar | p. 109 |
| Corkin Cherubini | p. 141 |
| Charles Price | p. 157 |
| Nickolas C. Murnion | p. 175 |
| The Irish Peacemakers | p. 206 |
| John McCain and Russell Feingold | p. 249 |
| Hilda Solis | p. 269 |
| Gerald R. Ford | p. 293 |
| John Lewis | p. 319 |
| Profile in Courage Award 2002: Heroes of September 11 Dean Koldenhoven Kofi Annan | p. 345 |
