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And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since
Rangel, Charles B.
Wynter, Leon E.
Hardcover
$16.22 + $1.99 USPS S/H
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BOOK SUMMARY
In this inspiring and often humorous memoir, the outspoken Democratic congressman from Harlemnow the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committeetells about his early years on Lenox Avenue, being awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for wou

BOOK SYNOPSIS
In this inspiring and often humorous memoir, the outspoken Democratic congressman from Harlemnow the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committeetells about his early years on Lenox Avenue, being awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in a horrific Korean War battle (the last bad day of his life, he says), and his many years in Congress.
     A charming, natural storyteller, Rangel recalls growing up in Harlem, where from the age of nine he always had at least one job, including selling the legendary Adam Clayton Powells newspaper; his group of streetwise sophisticates who called themselves Les Garçons; and his time in law schoola decision made as much to win his grandfathers approval as to establish a career. He recounts as well his life in New York politics during the 1960s and the grueling civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery.
     With New York street smarts, Rangel is a tough liberal and an independent thinker, but also a collegial legislator respected by Democrats and Republicans alike who knows and honors the Houses traditions. First elected to Congress in 1970, Rangel served on the House Judiciary Committee during the hearings on the articles of impeachment of President Nixon, helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, and led the fight in Congress to pressure U.S. corporations to divest from apartheid South Africa.
     Best of all, this is a political memoir with heart, the story of a life filled with friends, humor, and accomplishments. Charles Rangel is one of a kind, and this is the story of how he became the celebrated person and politician he is today.
     He opens his memoir with a preface about the 2006 elections and an outline of his goals as chairman of Ways and Means. From day one he wants to put the public first so that more Americans can say they havent had a bad day since.

AUTHOR BIO
Charles B. Rangel is an 18-term Democratic congressman representing New Yorks Fightin 15th District (incl. Harlem and the Upper West Side). He is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rangel is the principal author of the $5 billion Federal Empowerment Zone demonstration project to revitalize urban neighborhoods across the U.S., and in the 1980s anti-apartheid movement he led the fight in Congress to pressure U.S. corporations to divest from South Africa. He served in the U.S. Army from 1948 to 1952, and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for service in Korea. Rangel is a frequent guest on Meet the Press and other TV programs.

BOOK EXCERPTS
As I arrived at the funeral of a young Dominican soldier in my district. . . . I saw a dead soldier who was about twenty years old. He had on the same brown uniform . . . that I had worn with such swagger over fifty years ago. When I saw how much he looked like me when I was his age, my knees buckled. . . . The sight of that young Dominican put me right back to my beginnings as cannon fodder in a questionable war. from chapter 10, Political Epilogue

BOOK REVIEWS
Brims with brio. . . . [A] remarkable life story, irresistibly told. . . . The congressmans character portraits, of the famous and not-so-famous, are sympathetically drawn and in many cases wonderfully constructed. . . . Oh, the stories . . . there are plenty from which to choose. . . . As a politician/raconteur with a hell of a tale to tell, he sure has my vote. Eric Alterman, New York Times Book Review Charlies memoir recounts his extraordinary life as only he could, with sparkling wit, outspoken candor, and remarkable insight. . . . While his heart and his voice are from Harlem, his story will inspire all Americans who believe hard work and conviction make dreams come true.  President Bill Clinton 
 
 
[Charlie Rangel] possesses many qualities that have made him the able legislator and national leader he is today, but the most important of these are the qualities most in evidence in this fine memoirhis compassion, confidence and patriotism, the qualities of a first-rate American. Senator John McCain

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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0312372523
ISBN(13-digit): 9780312372521
Dewey Decimal: 328.73092
Library of Congress: 2006053094
Book Publisher: St Martins Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 320

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