- Paperback: 784 pages
- Publisher: Back Bay Books UK (Aug 27 2002)
- ISBN-10: 0316185701
- ASIN: B000FVHJ4Y
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 14.2 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 703 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,794,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Boston Globe reporter Farrell's biography of Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill (1912-1994) is much like the subject himself: large, rambling, sentimental and thoroughly fascinating. Farrell, a winner of a George Polk Award, traces O'Neill's career from its beginning in the 1930s in the rough-and-tumble world of Boston politics to his ascendancy to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1977. O'Neill was often seen as a genial bear of a man, and Farrell shows that beneath this surface lay a complex personality built of equal parts insecurities and a sharp, pragmatic intellect. Yet O'Neill never wavered in his beliefs that "all politics is local" and that New Deal-style government programs could help the folks back in the district live better lives. O'Neill's career is, then, intertwined with the once basic Democratic ideal of activist government. Greatness came late in O'Neill's life, when as Speaker, he faced off against another genial Irish politician, Ronald Reagan. If Reagan sought to bring to a close the New Deal legacy, O'Neill sought to save it. And if the Reagan Revolution won, O'Neill, contends Farrell, softened its effects, made it less severe and more humane, and made himself a folk hero in the process. With wonderful detailDfrom describing ward politics in Boston to deal making in CongressDO'Neill's story is also the story of America in the past half-century, and the tale is thoroughly mesmerizing. Illus. not seen by PW. (Mar. 21) Forecast: While this tome is hefty, Farrell's highly accessible writing style and a continued fascination among the public with O'Neill should garner a large audience for this book, especially but not only in his home state of Massachusetts (the late congressman's 1987 memoir sold 360,000 copies).
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
While politicians have been characterized as mere horse traders, there are occasional statesmen like Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, an era of dramatic reform. Reacting to the Watergate scandal, liberals shaped the House into the most democratic political institution in the chamber's history, curbing the speaker's powers in the process. O'Neill, the Boston politician who had replaced Jack Kennedy when the latter moved to the Senate, climbed the leadership ladder like many others. But unlike other speakers, O'Neill also became a national leader. Farrell, an award-winning White House correspondent for the Boston Globe, manages not only to capture O'Neill's inner motivations but also to convey the intricate environment of the unwieldy modern House. Beautifully written, lively, and highly informative, this book excels not only as the best available biography of O'Neill but also as the most readable book for those who want to understand modern Congress. Political junkies will savor it, the public will learn from it, and academics will want to use it in their classrooms, especially when it becomes available in paperback.DWilliam D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
IN THE EARLY PART of the nineteenth century, an intrepid couple named Daniel and Catherine Quinlan O'Connell took their brood of children from Ireland to North America. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
IN THE EARLY PART of the nineteenth century, an intrepid couple named Daniel and Catherine Quinlan O'Connell took their brood of children from Ireland to North America. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Massachusetts Icon,
By
This review is from: Tip O' Neill: And The Democratic Century (Hardcover)
This is a great read for all interested in the political process and how it works. The Speaker, from my state was one of a last breed of statesmen that one typically cannot see or find in our political dashboard today.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Last Democratic Titan,
By
This review is from: Tip O'Neill And The Democratic Century (Paperback)
John Farrell's biography of Tip O'Neill will stand as the definative book on the legendary Speaker of the House for years to come. The Tip O'Neill that emerges from these pages is a very complex man. Farrell does not needlessly canonize O'Neill or portray him as the caricature that many of his fans and detractors have painted him as. Instead, Farrell let's O'Neill's words and actions speak for themselves - and what a narrative it is! The striking thing about Tip O'Neill that comes through in the book is how authentic he was to himself, to others, and to his principles. In one of the Democratic Party's darkest hours - the beginning of the Reagan Revolution - Tip O'Neill stood as the last Democratic titan, one who was willing to take on the slings and arrows of his critics in order to preserve all that he, and his party, worked and stood for. Regardless of your political persuasion, O'Neill's courage and loyalty are worthy of admiration. Unfortunately, they simply don't make leaders like that anymore. As a fan of political biogrpahies, I found 'Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century' to be fair, balanced, highly readable, entertaining, inspiring, and compelling. This book is the best political biography I have read in years and I highly recommend it to all.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Manual for Political Wannabes,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tip O' Neill: And The Democratic Century (Hardcover)
This book is an excellent resource for all who aspire to be politicians and wish to learn the the way the political process really works in our nation. John Farrell does an excellent job in profiling Tip O'Neill and putting O'Neill's actions and principles in the context of the issues of his day (i.e. the New Deal, the Vietnam War, Watergate and other issues). When doing this, Farrell uses the phrase " it was in this backdrop.... When writing a biography, it is crucial to explain the currrent events that impacted the world of those being profiled. Farrell mastered this principle of biography writing. O'Neill is a fascinating individual to study, i was especially taken back at how prevalent is the belief that machnine politics is always corrupt and the politicians that it produces are inept. This is not true. O'Neill was typecasted as a corrupt machine politician by some, in my view, because of his down to earth personality and some of his political tactics. The Kennedy's also used this "machine" to their advantage but they were never viewed by anyone as machine politicians. Although I am not Irish, there was clearly some anti-Irish prejudice in the attitudes of some who disliked O'Neill.This book gave me a very clear picture of Irish American history and the role politics played in its history. Farrell also touches on the ideological rift in the Democratic party. I highly recommend this book and i hope this review was useful.Andres J. Ledesma, New York City
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