Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think [Paperback]

Chris Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2002

A PATRIOT PLAYS HARDBALL

Chris Matthews has been playing "hardball" since the day he was born. From his first political run-in in the first grade to his years working as presidential speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, Matthews grew up loving his country and dreaming of his chance to protect it. In Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, Chris Matthews is at his brilliant, blunt, bulldogged best.

From the Cold War to the Clinton years, Matthews gives the straight-up account of what it means to be an American. Matthews tells us about his "God and Country" Catholic school education in Philadelphia, complete with Cold War air-raid drills, and his early enthusiasm for politics. He shares with us his life's adventures -- two years in Africa with the Peace Corps, the challenge of running for Congress in his twenties, and his three decades deep in the "belly of the beast" of American politics -- using his own experiences to give us an irreverent look at who we are and whom we trust to lead us.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chris Matthews (Kennedy and Nixon) was a speechwriter for President Carter before he became the interrupting and opinionated host of Hardball with Chris Matthews. In Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, his third book, the author does just that. It's "what you'd get if you were sitting across the table from me," Matthews writes meaning, of course, a lot of stories about politics and politicians, a few meandering personal reflections and an energetic, forceful push toward getting everything all out. For those who would skim, the author provides section summaries under the heading "Here's What I Really Think." But when revelations can be as banal as "in order to win the game, you first need a seat at the table," one suspects Matthews hasn't written down all his secrets yet.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Here is another celebrity journalist who believes that the public needs to know more about his opinions on current events. Matthews (Hardball), host of the MSNBC and CNBC weeknight program, Hardball with Chris Matthews, also serves as a substitute weekend news anchor for NBC, offers commentary for the Today show, and is a nationally syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. In this engaging account, he explores his personal history, including his middle-class Republican Catholic upbringing and his two years of Peace Corps service, to analyze his current political positions on contemporary culture. Although his experiences as a presidential speechwriter for Jimmy Carter and top aide to House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill gave him an insider's view of politics, Matthews sees himself as a spokesperson for the ordinary citizen. The opening segment on George Bush was rewritten at the last minute to portray the President's leadership style positively in light of the events of September 11. Those interested in Matthews's views will enjoy his appealing writing style, and public libraries where works by journalists circulate well should consider ordering. Judy Solberg, George Washington Univ. Lib., Washington, DC
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (August 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684862352
• ISBN-13: 978-0684862354
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,272,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Matthews' best, March 11, 2002

By 

Carl A. Redman (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (Hardcover)

Why should I care what Chris Matthews' really thinks? The purpose of this one is to tell people how he feels about certain issues, to show people whether he is a conservative or a liberal. But I found that although the book was interesting at times, it lacked the true opinions of Matthews' on huge issues and focused more on his path to his current status instead. Pages at a time were spent on Matthews' opinion on political leaders like Nixon, Kennedy, and Reagan. True, Matthews really did say what he thought of these men, but who cares? I wanted to hear the dirt -- the real issues that affect Americans' daily lives like Social Security, taxes, etc. Matthews oftentimes appears as a fence rider, especially in his commentary on current politicos like Clinton, Bush, and Gore.

Published soon after the attacks on the World Trade Center, it often seemed that Matthews rushed this book to the presses with a few obvious grammatical errors that editors missed. In short, this book seems like a weak attempt to make a buck for Matthews. The book is listed by publishers as 256 pages, but it only goes to page 215, and the first chapter doesn't start until page 19! Additionally, a title page between each chapter knocks an another 20 pages off the book. In the end, the actual 175-page (or less) book lacks substance and appears more like fluff.

My favorite two parts of the book actually were quotes/commentary of other men.
1) "All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did." T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom
2) Matthews on Winston Churchill: "Churchill took charge of his own destiny. He placed himself at the center of the action." Placing oneself in the center of action is key.

Looking over the notes that I took for each chapter, it is very apparent that this is not Matthews' best attempt at a book. "Hardball" is a wonderful insight to politics and I highly recommend it, but "Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think" leaves the reader with little to reflect on and much to be desired.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anyone could have figured this out for themselves., November 25, 2001

By 

Gary Brown (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (Hardcover)

You do not have to read certain books to be enlightened or taught. You don't need to be lectured especially about our USA politics to be able to figure it out. But sometimes we need to be brought to the general awareness of certain subjects which allows us to expand on our thoughts and knowledge, and that is what this book does. You can go on, on your own and say, now this is what I really think. I don't know if that is what Chris Matthews had in mind, but its all to obvious to me. Read a book that will do both, inform and cause thinking, Read Karl Maddox.

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris Matthews writes an open letter to his fans, October 25, 2001

By 

David W. Glover "guein" (Mason, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think (Hardcover)

I must confess at the start that it is hard for me to be objective about Chris Matthews. I have regularly watched his CNBC show HARDBALL for over three years. In this open letter to his fans, we learn a little more about how his strong opinions were formed and why it seems he enjoys what he does so much. Being part autobiography and part political opinion, the book is a quick read. Containing opinions on JFK, Nixon, Reagan, and his former bosses, Jimmy Carter and Tip O'Neill, to name a few, much of what Chris has to say will sound familiar to his fans. Some of it, especially his opinions on Nixon, will surprise us. For those who already know Chris, this book will be a pleasure to read. For those who don't, it will provide a glimpse of what his show is like: fast paced and refreshingly honest.