18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just A Memoir, April 14, 2004
This is a terrific memoir. More than that though, it enables the reader to see an insider's view of Washington from 1961 through the nineties.
Mr. Califano starts with his personal history through 16 years of Catholic education, then Harvard Law, the Navy and a brief stint in big firm NYC law practive. From there the book takes off with his life in the nations's capital.
Hired by Cy Vance, he moves on to McNamara and then becomes Johnson's deputy for domestic affairs. After the Johnson administration he went into private practice where he represented the Democratic Party through the McGovern debacle/convention and then the Washington Post through Watergate. Thence on to be the last Secretary of HEW. After his firing by Carter he returns to law and then to his own foundation/think tank to combat addictions of all types.
In addition to the professional bio he balances enough personal history to understand the man without violating his own and his family's privacy. To leave it as an autobiography would be a great disservice to this book.
Oftentimes when we seek to understand our government we go back into history - to Jefferson, Hamilton or either Roosevelt. One of the most meritorious aspects of this memoir is that it helps us to understand the workings of our government through the much more relevant history of the past three and a half decades. Because Mr. Califano was in close to the major domestic issues of this time period (he happily had nothing to do with Viet Nam), the reader can see and understand the inner workings of the government. When Johnson powered through his domestic agenda of civil rights and the Great Society, Califano was one of his prime engineers. It was easy to see, and Califano shapes this point well, that the government was a smaller more intimate, less partisan institution back then run by powerful men (almost exclusively) who were not reliant on special interest money.
The book is a dense 494 pages with not a wasted word or page. It would be too cumbersome to go through each and every interesting topic covered in this book. As interesting as the topics covered is the viewpoint of the author.
Mr. Califano is a conservative Catholic with liberal politics. As liberal as he is and as religious as he is - both by his own admission - there was no agenda to this memoir.
There are lessons, however. One of the lessons he learned best from his Jesuit upbringing and he passes to the reader is the burden we all should share of social service. He obviously sees social service as a higher calling. Even when he was minting money in private practice of law he found the most satisfying cases those with social impact. He also made friend on both sides of politics. One would not expect such a liberal to count as a best friend Al Haig, but he does. The philosophy of doing battle during the day and remaining cordial and gentlemanly also came through loud and clear.
Mr. Califano could well have come off preachy or holier than thou, yet he did not at all. He espoused his philosophies without being demagogic and was never reluctant to admit his mistakes, short-comings and foibles.
This is a terrific book about an interesting man who lived through the most interesting domestic events of the 60's, 70's and 80's (most of the book centered on the 90's was more personal than historic). It is well-told and captivating. I consider myself politically conservative and I enjoyed every page of it. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys autobiographies and is interested in the seminal domestic events of the sixties to nineties.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Close but not quite there yet., September 7, 2004
I heard Mr. Califano on the radio plugging his book and eagerly sought it out. To me, a disappointment. The merits of his accomplishment - and they are many - aside, the book struck me as just a bit too self serving. It may be my frame of reference - I tend to be more middle of the road, he a bit more liberal. And as in the commercial, "Where's the beef" I'm not certain that all the programs he initiated and helped found have stood the test of time. The Great Society, for example, is far from achieving the wonderfully lofty goals it proclaimed. But perhaps I quibble.
Of very great concern to me, however is his profession of faith and how he sensed that it "guided" him so often in his career and personal life. His explanation of his annulment in the Catholic church and how it could not be considered a "Catholic divorce" left me more than a little puzzled. Words have a way of shaping reality and if nothing else, Mr. Califano is a master at that.
His is, I believe, very good view from a participant in history - the Nixon section was to my way of thinking fair and balance. But overall, the book to me was a let down.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book, April 17, 2004
I share some things with Califano, the same potical beliefs, faith and concern for this country's drug abuse problems. Califano brings his experiences in governmant to life, particularly his interaction with heros like Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara. He is fair with Jimmy Carter, who fired the author as Secratary of HEW. Interesting people like Edward Bennett Williams, Art Buchwald, Bill Paley (his father in law) and Mario Cuomo (not to best advantage) also appear; Califano knows them all. He also discusses his childhood and education, with emphasis on pride in being an Irish-Italian Catholic.
About two thirds through the book, I concluded that Califano
was telling to like it was -- but always with the skill of a great lawyer and bureaucrat. In other word, you are hearing his side of the story. Califano spends a chapter discussing his reluctance to seek an annulment from his first marriage. It is a wonderful chapter, touching on all aspects of a very difficult decision. Wonderfully told and moving, until you realize that Califano merely states, without explaining, that all three of his children from the first marriage did not attend his church wedding to his second wife (they had been married in a civil ceremony 7 years earlier).
I would still recommend the book; it's tough to put down because you never know what's coming next. Califano, at age 60, is advised by Lady Bird Johnson to work and play hard for the next 15 years because energy starts to flag after that -- great advice that Califano follows despite bouts of cancer. (Califano does not mention Lady Bird's recent victory over the history channel in geeting the channel to retract a program on LBJ's part in the JFK assassination - one wonders if he was partly responsible for the victory.)
getting
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
