The 'maverick', John McCain died too early. 81 years is a long time, but this world would have benefited greatly with more time with this fighter. We need more politicians like him. We need more people in the world like him.
Yes, he was a republican (I lean to the left), but that's just a label.
He spent his life fighting this political divide. He didn't
automatically agree with people from his party. He supported many bipartisan
policies. He worked to bring people together for common interests. He
was a fighter, a humble hero, and a man I deeply respect.
The book's intro/outro was read by McCain himself, but the
bulk of the book was read by actor Beau Bridges (older brother of actor Jeff
Bridges (True Grit), son of Lloyd Bridges (Airplane)). While there voices are fairly different, they are similar
enough that I sometimes forgot McCain was not the one speaking. Beau did a
great job with this.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this memoir. He's written several books before this one, but this
was the last one he wrote just before his passing. At the time of writing he likely knew he didn't have much time left, so he was
unhindered in his speech. He is naturally an honest person, but with little time
left, he was free to say what he wanted with no fear of backlash. For the most
part, I was expecting him to open up about American politics and
his honest views on it - and that is mostly what I got. It is very refreshing
to have an insider's view like this. There's only so much you can learn from headline news and Twitter posts.
He went into depth on his foreign policies and his political
travels abroad - while very important, didn't really grab my attention. A good
chunk of the book was devoted this this because I think foreign policy was his
thing. Being a veteran and a Vietnam prisoner of war, this makes a
lot of sense. I know next to nothing about foreign policy, so I can't say I
agree or disagree with his opinions.
One thing I love about John is great effort to unite people with apposing views. One of
his best friends was Joe Lieberman, a democratic/independent senator from
Connecticut. Funny enough, they never voted for the same candidate for
president. He touches on this topic many times in the book. spending time
to understand people with different opinions can be very beneficial. The
political climate today is extremely polarized. This is why we need more John
McCains.
Let's not forget this wonderful person. Here's some additional material in support of my respect.
An epic John McCain moment when he defends Barack Obama
during his presidential campaign.
John's funeral/eulogy by Barack: (Trump was not invited to
his funeral while Barack was asked personally by John himself to give a speech)
Time article:
"If you haven't gotten the book, it is really worth
getting. You don't need to agree politically, but as an American and as a human
being, I think this is a book everybody should read." —Whoopi Goldberg
“It is clear McCain wants this book—sure to be his last—to
be a guide for standing up for oppressed people around the globe, as he has
done for decades.” —CNN
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