A Book A Week

John McCain has been a fixture of American politics for over thirty years. He is a respected Senator from Arizona, a two-time presidential candidate, and a decorated veteran. At the age of 81, McCain was already entering into the twilight of his political career. A diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, the same kind that took the life of his friend and colleague Edward Kennedy, has put a more immediate threat on that long career. McCain has always been a fighter and has vowed to fight this cancer with everything he has. He knows his prognosis isn't great, so his latest and most likely final memoir gives him a chance to "...talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may."

The Restless Wave is pretty standard as far as memoirs go. McCain hits upon the highlights of his life with the hindsight and introspection of a man who is at peace with coming to the end of his life. He replays moments from his history with detail and commentary that gives the reader a glimpse into his frame of mind during those times. With each recollection, I was struck by the way McCain seems to use his military background and family as the moral compass that guides each decision. Yes, there were times when he strayed from that path for political purposes, but each time he ended up returning to the center that guided him.

There are long stretches of the book spent detailing specifics of foreign policy and war strategies that got too dense for me. It was clear that McCain is passionate about his role in these situations, but the down and dirty details were simply too much to hold my attention. Readers with an interest in military history and strategy may glean more from these portions, but the casual reader may find themselves skimming over these sections.

At his core, John McCain is a man whose patriotism can't be denied. I don't doubt that he mostly acted in ways he thought would be best for the country he loves. He admits to and owns the mistakes he made, especially his disastrous 2008 presidential campaign, with class and grace. Despite the recent surge of divisiveness and misinformation in American politics, a shift he has witnessed firsthand, McCain remains optimistic for the future of the country. He is an old-school politician in the best sense of the word, the kind who knows how to buckle down and work with the other side of the aisle to get things done. Although our politicians seem to have lost that spirit of cooperation and compromise, they only need to look back at the extraordinary life of John McCain to be reminded of the things that unite us all.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2018, 30)