An Amazing Adventure: Joe and Hadassah's Personal Notes on the 2000 Campaign [Paperback]

Joseph I. Lieberman (Author), Hadassah Lieberman (Author), Sarah Crichton (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2007

An Amazing Adventure is a groundbreaking memoir, the personal recollections of Senator Joe Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, of their 2000 vice presidential campaign. There has never been such a frank account of the American way of running for national office. The Liebermans' voices alternate throughout the book as they describe the excitement, their sense of the honor of being chosen, the extraordinary and sometimes exhausting demands, and the satisfactions and joys of the hard-fought campaign they waged as a team.

From the second they find out that Joe has been chosen by Al Gore as his running mate, the Liebermans' lives are drastically changed -- privacy vanishes as political handlers take over. Joe and Hadassah recount the excruciating vetting process, the exhilaration of the Democratic National Convention, the tension of the debates, and finally, the drama of Election Day and of the contentious weeks that followed.

Thrilled to be running in a national campaign that they regarded as immensely important to the national purpose, and profoundly moved by the audiences that came to see and hear them, the Liebermans nevertheless admit that it was a complicated and demanding experience. They describe its ups and downs in personal, frank, and witty ways.

Woven throughout this inspirational but cautionary tale are the Liebermans' opinions, including their take on Joe's being the first Jewish vice presidential candidate and on Hadassah's debut to a national public as a first-generation American and child of Holocaust survivors.

An honest, high-spirited, revealing, and ultimately optimistic book from the candidate and his wife.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers expecting political insights, in-depth policy analysis or entertaining and gossipy insider information about the 2000 presidential election will have to look elsewhere than this diary-like account. Instead, the former Democratic vice-presidential candidate and his wife avoid any risk of controversy and offer a politically safe recounting of the campaign that does double duty as a preview of the centerpiece themes of a potential 2004 Lieberman run at the presidency. The narrative begins when Senator Lieberman learns he is on the short list of candidates and continues through the wrenching loss of Florida's electoral votes. The Liebermans alternate impressions, sometimes describing the same event. Suffice it to say there is no Rashomon-style disconnect, but rather unabashed and uninformative praise by each for the other. Hadassah Lieberman's view is the more novel, as she describes how the scrutiny that follows elevation to the national stage takes over her wardrobe, her personal routines and her natural voice as she is encouraged and cajoled by her campaign staff to "stay on message." The Liebermans are observant Jews, and their discussions on the role of religion in their lives and in American politics are thoughtful. But in the end this is a frustrating effort, as the Liebermans skate the surface of issues, content to wrap what could have been an interesting and dramatic insider story in a surfeit of praise for each other, Al Gore, their staffs, the Secret Service and all things American. Photos.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When active national politicians publish books, it is usually a telltale sign that they want the presidency. John F. Kennedy began the modern precedent with Profiles in Courage, assisted by speechwriter Theodore Sorenson. Here, Senator Lieberman, the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate, and wife Hadassah, a first-generation American and child of Holocaust survivors, offer a joint memoir of the 2000 campaign, in which Lieberman's ticket captured the popular vote but lost the electoral vote in Florida's surreal voter count and recount. It is apparent that Al Gore tapped Lieberman, the first Democratic senator to condemn Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky affair, as damage control; an observant Jew, Lieberman daily offered a sharp contrast to Clinton's looseness. As with most campaign memoirs, this work offers few deep insights, though the reader captures a flavor of the modern campaign organization. Still, political buffs and Lieberman supporters will enjoy this memoir, which throws the senator's hat into the 2004 ring. Recommended.
--William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416575189
• ISBN-13: 978-1416575184
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,400,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly 2004 Campaign Ad, April 28, 2003

By 

Steve Bennett "stevebenett" (VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Amazing Adventure: Joe and Hadassah's Personal Notes on the 2000 Campaign (Hardcover)

It's a light, quick, fluff read. If you liked Gore/Lieberman in 2000 you'll like the book. Lieberman falls all over himself emphasizing his religion while feigning shock that it could be an issue. He also sidesteps any criticism from fellow Jews that his positions are decidedly unorthodox. He emphasizes that everywhere his wife ever went and everyone she ever spoke to always loved her. If something went wrong in the campaign, it was because he didn't follow through with his instincts. He even quoted an editorial where someone said that Lieberman can make an attack not feel like an attack. Hardball politico, but with a smile.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book down., August 12, 2006

By 

MAMO - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Amazing Adventure: Joe and Hadassah's Personal Notes on the 2000 Campaign (Hardcover)

One cannot possibly read this book and not develop a greater appreciation for the sacrifices, courage, determination and faith that the Liebermans made throughout the campaign and throughout their lives.

Not only is this a "biography" but it is also an excellent book on the political process, namely the campaign process. Throughout the book, the reader becomes acutely aware of the amount of work, energy and choregraphing a national campaign requires.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book helps clarify Leiberman's split personality, November 25, 2008

By 

gsundar (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Amazing Adventure: Joe and Hadassah's Personal Notes on the 2000 Campaign (Paperback)

The millions of voters on both sides who have watched in bewilderment as Lieberman inexplicably swung wildly from left to right over the last decade will discover in this book what drives this old die-hard political opportunist. Lieberman openly discusses how his blind ambition and utter lack of principals led him to grab on to the coat-tails of Gore in 2000 and to heap insincere praise on Barack Obama at the 2004 convention when he incorrectly calculated that the Democrats would beat Bush.

After witnessing the impressive efforts of Carl Rove and the Bush team in both elections, Lieberman then incorrectly concluded that the Republicans would remain in power forever. He felt he had a sure shot at a cabinet position in 2008 if he just put on a big show of patriotism by expressing unequivocal support for the war. He describes how his lack of any real loyalty to either party allows him to praise Obama and the Democrats in one campaign, and then denounce them in the next campaign while hailing McCain and the Republicans.

The people of Connecticut are fortunate to have a Senator whose core beliefs are so flexible and who is open to change everything he stands for every four years.