Edwards, a Goldwater campaign veteran and professor of politics at the Catholic University of America, offers an anecdote- rich portrait of the intellectual and practical godfather of modern American conservatism. Barry Goldwater is perhaps best known for proclaiming, ``Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.'' Edwards details Goldwater's beginnings as an executive in his family's Arizona- based chain of department stores, portraying a man who succeeded early in Arizona politics because, as he recalled, ``I can call ten thousand people in this state by their first name.'' The author chronicles Goldwater's rise to national prominence as an exponent of a limited federal government that does not attempt to legislate morality, a stance that would put him at odds with the Christian Right late in his career. Of special value is Edwards's detailed account of the 1964 presidential campaign, which was famous for disinformation and mudslinging (Goldwater himself remarked, ``If I didn't know Goldwater in 1964 and had to depend on the press, I'd have voted against the son of a bitch myself''). Edwards shows how Goldwater's landslide loss galvanized conservatives to move the Republican Party rightward to field the successful candidates Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, but the author is too quick to attribute such dubious later experiments as supply-side economics to the more fiscally sensible Arizonan. Happily, Edwards captures something of Goldwater the man, a feisty character unafraid to speak his piecethe Goldwater who dismissed fellow conservative Ronald Reagan as ``just an actor'' and invited a former-supporter- turned-antiwar-activist to come see him despite the protestations of his congressional aides, saying, ``Piss on them. You're my friend.'' Required reading for Goldwater aficionados, and useful for students of contemporary American politics of whatever stripe. (8 pages b&w photos)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-89526-471-4
Page Count: 576
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1995
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
