Profiles in Courage For Our Time [Hardcover]

Caroline Kennedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

In the spirit of John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage, 13 essays honoring modern-day political heroes, penned by a collection of stellar authors.

Nearly half a century after then-Senator John F. Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage, his masterful portrait of American heroes, the words "politician" and "courage" are rarely uttered in the same breath. But, as this celebration of modern political bravery amply demonstrates, there are countless examples of heroism among today's elected officials. Profiles in Courage for Our Time pays tribute to 13 such heroes, each a recipient of the prestigious Profile in Courage award. The essays' authors are as noteworthy as their subjects: Anna Quindlen writes about Governor James Florio's passing of the strictest gun control law in the nation; Al Hunt details Russell Feingold and John McCain's efforts to reform political financing; Bob Woodward writes on former President Gerald Ford's controversial decision of conscience to pardon former President Richard Nixon.

"The Profiles in Courage Award seeks to honor those whose lives of service prove that politics can be a noble profession. We hope that Americans realize that there are men and women serving at all levels of our government who are legends of our time." --Caroline Kennedy

Renowned authors and award-winners featured in Profiles in Courage for Our Time:

--Michael Beschloss on Carl Elliot, Sr.
--Bill Kovach on Charles Weltner
--E. J. Dionne on Lowell Weicker, Jr.
--Anna Quindlen on James Florio
--Pete Hamill on Henry Gonzalez
--Steve Roberts on Michael Synar
--Marian Wright Edelman on Corkin Cherubini
--Maryanne Vollers on Charles Price
--Ron Suskind on Nickolas C. Murnion
--Michael Daly on Irish Peace Makers
--Anthony Walton on Hilda Solis
--Al Hunt on Russell Feingold and John McCain
--Teresa Carpenter on John Lewis
--Bob Woodward on Gerald Ford

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1957, then-senator John F. Kennedy won a Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage. In 1990, the Kennedy family resurrected the concept and established the Profiles in Courage Award for selfless public service. Now, in this expertly packaged anthology, Caroline Kennedy and over a dozen prominent writers bring the sacrifices of those award winners to life. Some essays address famous leaders like the Good Friday peacemakers in Ireland and campaign-finance-reform stalwarts John McCain and Russell Feingold. Others hail lesser-known local officials, like school superintendent Corkin Cherubini, who braved a firestorm to end race-based tracking in Georgia. All the winners acted with a rare breed of selfless courage but sometimes this courage came at a terrible cost. U.S. Representative Carl Elliot Sr. was chased out of office in 1964 because he fought segregation in Alabama; by the time he won the first Profile in Courage Award, he was living alone in a ramshackle house, confined to a wheelchair by diabetes and hounded by creditors. Kennedy has assembled an impressive roster of writers to compose these mostly inspirational stories: Michael Beschloss, Anna Quindlen, Albert R. Hunt. The most audacious essay in the collection belongs to Bob Woodward, who reverses 25 years of conventional wisdom in arguing that former president Gerald Ford should be applauded for his pardon of Richard Nixon after Watergate. Of course, not all of the essays have the same level of distinction, but all share the same Kennedy spirit. Unabashedly liberal and pro-government, this collection is a stirring look at people who rarely thought about what they could do for themselves, but always about what they could do for their country.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Inspired by her father's late-1950s best-seller, Caroline Kennedy compiles 14 essays lauding political courage. Contributors include Michael Beschloss, E. J. Dionne, Bob Woodward, Anna Quindlen, and Pete Hamill, among others. Each of the 14 essay subjects was a recipient of the Profiles in Courage Award, created by the Kennedy family a decade ago. The virtue of courage ordinarily involves some risk to one's life. With exceptions, such as civil rights leader John Lewis, the virtue as lauded in this volume involves inveighing against some powerful interest. Another attribute sought is the championship of liberal causes: the editor chose Republicans for about one-fourth of the profiles, and of that group, two for their liberal positions on issues (John McCain's crusade against political financing; Lowell Weicker's imposition of an income tax on Connecticut residents). Other essay subjects include Gerald Ford's controversial decision to pardon Richard Nixon and James Fioro's passing of the strictest gun-control law in the nation. The high-profile names of the editor and writers will attract wide interest. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786867930
• ISBN-13: 978-0786867936
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, May 18, 2003

By 

John D. Cofield - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Profiles In Courage For Our Time (Paperback)

This book is a compilation of short biographies of the winners of the Profile in Courage Award. It is a group effort, being the work of numerous historians and writers. I found these stories inspiring because many of them illuminate political leaders who took actions they knew would be detrimental to their careers. Yes, most of the award winners have been on the liberal side, but personally I find that a healthy antidote to the sort of "leadership" the mainstream media prefers to applaud these days. And don't forget good old Gerald Ford, whose biography (by Bob Woodward, no less) eloquently makes his case for his pardoning of Richard Nixon. Many readers will disagree with some of the choices for the awards and with some of the conclusions of the authors of these biographies. Nevertheless Profiles in Courage For Our Time is an inspiring effort meant to remind us of the highest qualities we should expect from our leadership.

24 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars These are the most courageous people they could find?, July 4, 2002

By 

Andrea McMakin (Richland, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Profiles in Courage For Our Time (Hardcover)

I picked up this book hoping to be inspired by leaders who showed selfless sacrifice. Instead, I found myself reading about people who lacked character and caved in to political pressure. Like Carl Elliott, an Alabama legislator who signed a manifesto declaring that segregation was against the Southern way of life, joined the racist George Wallace on a campaign platform, and spent himself into poverty by buying TV ads with his Congressional pension while running for governor of Alabama. This is a man of courage? Then there's Judge Charles Price, whose crowing achievement seems to have been ruling that another judge could not display a plaque of the ten commandments in his courtroom. Lowell Weicker was lauded for pushing a state income tax through after his election, though he had opposed such a tax as a candidate. Oklahoma legislator Michael Synar, when faced with an audience of doctors questioning him about the Clinton health care plan, told them to go to hell and stormed out of the room. When I got to the part about the "courage" of Ford pardoning Nixon for Watergate, I gave up reading in disgust. Caroline Kennedy needs a new selection committee, one with a less liberal bias. Here are a few candidates the committee might want to consider for the next awards: Anwar Sadat, for tirelessly seeking Middle East peace and being martyred for it ... Bishop Desmond Tutu, a true moral leader who presided over South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission ... Winston Churchill, who sacrificed his political reputation to fight the policy of appeasement and to call for the shoring up of Britain's defenses against the Nazis' rising power ... and Dietrich Bonhoffer, the German theologian who was martyred for his resistance to Hitler. If you want to read an incisive and well-researched book on character, I highly recommend Os Guinness's book, "When No One Sees: The Important of Character in an Age of Image."

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unsung heroes, May 8, 2002

By 

Bonnie E. Powell "Book lover" (Missoula, MT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Profiles in Courage For Our Time (Hardcover)

Featured in this book are people who made the tough decisions -
the right ones for the situation and often at the cost of their
careers. An example is Gerald Ford who pardoned Nixon so that
the country would not be mired in the Nixon mess for years and
could move on. He knew it would cost him re-election and it
did. Right or wrong, he did what he thought was right.
Courage of convictions - how many of us have it - the unsung
heroes in this book deserve the spotlight this book gives

them -