This country : my life in politics and history / Chris Matthews.
Material type: TextPublisher: 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
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781982134846
- 1982134844
- Matthews, Chris, 1945-
- Matthews, Chris, 1945-
- 1900-2099
- Television journalists -- United States -- Biography
- BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political
- HISTORY / United States / 20th Century
- POLITICAL SCIENCE / Commentary & Opinion
- Politics and government
- Television journalists
- United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century
- United States -- Politics and government -- 21st century
- United States
- 070.92 B 23
Item type | Current library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book | Phillipsburg Free Public Library | Adult Non-Fiction | New Books | 070.92 MAT | Available | 36748002523506 |
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.
Includes index.
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 -- Milennial -- 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.
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.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Introduction (p. 1)
- Book I
- Chapter 1 Irish Enough (p. 13)
- Chapter 2 God's Country (p. 19)
- Chapter 3 A Trip to Washington (p. 23)
- Chapter 4 We Were the Kids Who Hid Under Our Desks (p. 25)
- Chapter 5 Catholic School Back Then (p. 27)
- Chapter 6 Kennedy vs. Nixon (p. 31)
- Chapter 7 La Salle (p. 37)
- Chapter 8 Holy Cross (p. 41)
- Chapter 9 Chapel Hill (p. 47)
- Chapter 10 Montreal (p. 53)
- Chapter 11 Swaziland (p. 59)
- Chapter 12 African Mysteries (p. 67)
- Book II
- Chapter 13 Capitol Hill (p. 75)
- Chapter 14 Us Capitol Police Officer (p. 83)
- Chapter 15 Senate Legislative Assistant (p. 89)
- Chapter 16 Miami (p. 97)
- Chapter 17 First Campaign (p. 103)
- Chapter 18 Freelance (p. 109)
- Chapter 19 Brooklyn (p. 119)
- Chapter 20 Running Anyway (p. 127)
- Chapter 21 Back To Washington (p. 139)
- Chapter 22 Jimmy Carter (p. 147)
- Chapter 23 Kathleen (p. 155)
- Chapter 24 Presidential Speechwriter (p. 157)
- Chapter 25 Scramble (p. 169)
- Chapter 26 Tip O'Neill (p. 177)
- Book III
- Chapter 27 Writer (p. 189)
- Chapter 28 San Francisco (p. 197)
- Chapter 29 White House Dinner (p. 209)
- Chapter 30 Hungary (p. 213)
- Chapter 31 Berlin Wall (p. 217)
- Chapter 32 A Boomer as President (p. 225)
- Chapter 33 A Farewell in North Cambridge (p. 235)
- Chapter 34 Bringing Down Apartheid (p. 237)
- Chapter 35 Television (p. 243)
- Chapter 36 Mom (p. 247)
- Chapter 37 Clinton Redux (p. 251)
- Chapter 38 Good Friday (p. 257)
- Chapter 39 Millennial (p. 261)
- Chapter 40 Attack on a September Morning (p. 269)
- Chapter 41 A War of Our Choosing (p. 273)
- Chapter 42 Barack Obama (p. 277)
- Chapter 43 Duel (p. 281)
- Chapter 44 A Funeral in Rome (p. 287)
- Chapter 45 Thrill (p. 291)
- Chapter 46 Kathleen Matthews for Congress (p. 297)
- Chapter 47 Trump (p. 299)
- Chapter 48 Hardball (p. 305)
- Chapter 49 This Country (p. 311)
- Acknowledgments (p. 319)
- Index (p. 323)