An impassioned, informed rejection of ideological division told through the lens of a political memoir.
A noted Democratic strategist reflects on his lifelong quest for bipartisan civility in this hybrid of memoir and political commentary.
An early supporter of Bill Clinton’s “Third Way” political strategy, which sought to reconcile right- and left-wing politics, Davis describes the moderate philosophy as one built on “decency and respect for other opinions and finding common ground” with one’s political opponents. More than two decades later, in a political climate defined by hyperpartisanship and ideological division, he argues in this ode to civility that Third Way politics are more needed than ever to preserve democracy itself. The book’s preface recalls Davis’ years at Yale University (both as an undergraduate and law student) from 1963-1971. As he rattles off a laundry list of classmates he considers friends—from frat brother George W. Bush to Bill Clinton, whom Davis would later serve under as special counsel to the president—what stands out most is the bipartisanship that existed on the Ivy League campus during a time in the 1960s often remembered for its civic unrest. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, which blends personal vignettes with an emphasis on bipartisan compromise and respectful disagreement. Written chronologically, the book limns Davis’ upbringing in a staunchly Democratic Jewish household (his father forbade him from rooting for the Yankees because their elitism reminded him of Republicans) through his legal career as a Democratic campaigner and lobbyist. He devotes entire chapters to politicians and close friends from his Yale days, like former U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman, who embraced “Purple Politics” as a rejection of the dichotomy between red and blue states. Modern, partisan readers on both sides of the aisle may not agree with the book’s conciliatory approach, and readers from the left may especially disagree with its derision of “identity politics” and suggestion that Democrats “win over” supporters of Donald Trump. What stands out most here is a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at the early careers of some of the most important politicians of the 1990s and 2000s.
An impassioned, informed rejection of ideological division told through the lens of a political memoir.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9798891383357
Page Count: 432
Publisher: RealClear Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A hopeful civic sermon favoring inspiration over concrete prescriptions.
A New Jersey senator’s moral manifesto.
Booker situates his narrative in the wake of his 2025 record-breaking 25-hour stand on the Senate floor, an act of physical endurance and moral insistence that serves as its animating example. Though not framed as memoir, the episode implicitly positions Booker himself as a model of the virtues he argues are essential to democratic life. Organized around 10 qualities, including agency, vulnerability, truth, perseverance, and grace, the book advances a clear thesis. “In this book, I argue that many Americans who came before us, and many among us today, have consistently proven that virtues are practical: They expand our power, deepen our sense of belonging, and equip us to endure and ultimately prevail.” Booker illustrates this claim through figures such as the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, whose willingness to endure sacrifice for principle anchors the book’s moral lineage, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose composure under public scrutiny is presented as an example of dignity as civic strength. These portraits reinforce Booker’s belief that character, sustained over time, can shape public life, even when political outcomes remain uncertain or incomplete. He supplements these examples with personal stories drawn from family, faith, and community, delivered with emotional conviction and a tone that remains affirming and carefully calibrated. Much of the narrative reads like an expansive commencement address, earnest and reassuring, offering moral affirmation at moments when readers might reasonably expect sharper confrontation. That rhetorical choice ultimately defines the book’s limits. Booker acknowledges political conflict and compromise, but rarely examines them in depth, and while urging leaders to take moral risks, he avoids sustained reflection on how some of his own political decisions have tested the virtues he promotes. The result is a principled but self-conscious work that affirms shared values while offering little guidance for navigating power and accountability.
A hopeful civic sermon favoring inspiration over concrete prescriptions.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250436733
Page Count: 272
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
PERSPECTIVES
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