Every Day Is Extra

So great to read a well written book about an honorable person with integrity. Kerry comes across as knowledgeable, diplomatic, tough but compassionate in preventing conflict, protecting the environment and advocating for youth with programs like YouthBuild.
Kerry gives detailed accounts of his numerous negotiations with world leaders and behind the scene set up talks during his time in the Senate and State Department. His negotiating skills and knowing leaders resulted in peaceful solutions that saved lives.
He put enormous hours and efforts, as he did with other projects, into getting an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, but the leaders were entrenched. My time in Israel, the West Bank, Jordan and Syria, makes me wonder if he would have been more successful if he held out the approximately $ 3 billion in military aid the US gives Israel each year?
With his hard work, Former Secretary of State Kerry made a difference and formulated numerous agreements. We taxpayers got our money’s worth with him. He continues to work and speak out on the issues he cares about whether it is at environmental conferences, teaching or media interviews. The book ends on an optimistic note and reminds us we have gone through hard times before and our problems “can be solved by man.”

I read this to look for something I had witnessed which the author only briefly recounts: when the dictator Marcos called unwittingly for his own doom with a Snap Election—contested and won by the widow of the man he had assassinated—and the official election tabulators (all women) walked out of the vote count in full view of TV cameras local and international and were spirited away by soldiers in the dark outside. Mark Brown and I were there expecting the worst and it seemed to have happened before our eyes. We chased the cars taking them away (I tackled one soldier with his arm around a woman tabulator in the dark and ripped off his name badge). Chased them to the holiest church in Philippine Christendom and there stood tall John Kerry in front of the altar behind which the tabulators were hiding. He said, "That's as far as anyone goes." Imperious. In the back pews in deep shadow and under arches, presidential security lurked but dared not move. But all he saw of himself was just a man just trying to protect those women like any gentleman would do. Surprised he never used it in his presidential run. When Americans stand tall they really stand out. Never lose that image of the best America can be. Later, at the presidential palace where had I moved in with the newly installed president and her Cab inet, we met with the right wing officers who had joined the people power revolution and the Catholic Church that toppled the dictator and sent him into Hawaiian exile. One of them smiled, "I think you have my name badge." It was in my pocket and I sheepishly returned it to Captain Kapunan who had gone to the vote count knowing his wife and her companions would walk out if the cheating continued and helped spirit them all away in that church to be shielded by Senator Kerry.

Recently, Kerry breached the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires individuals representing foreign governments in a “political or quasi-political capacity” disclose their activities to the U.S. government. The Obama-era official violated the Logan Act, which “criminalizes negotiation” by unsanctioned individuals with foreign governments hostile towards the U.S.

A must read. John Kerry a great leader and peacemaker respected around the world. America is so blessed to have had John Kerry's wisdom and understanding and diplomacy on behalf of the American people. Insight into this good, fair and compassionate and brilliant man who loves his country and who worked so hard behind the scenes to give a voice to the voiceless and who sacrificed so much to make the world a safer place for all. An excellent book! He would make an excellent president.

Was it his writing style- possibly. Or did I just have a bad time on the day I tried to read it? Not impossible either. But I gave it my best. A great book, though, for those Kerry fanatics out there, along with some great pictures with the former Senator and JFK taken on the Honey Fitz in 1963. Celebrates a great career.

If you are a political junkie like me, you will enjoy this book and learn a lot. If you are a liberal, you will enjoy it even more and wish to God that Kerry had been elected when he ran a few years ago, or - better yet - had run against Trump in 2016, so we could have some sanity, great progress, international agreements, and not endless dishonesty and chaos with corruption as we now have with the Trump disaster that astonishingly most Republicans think is just fine!

This is an excellent autobiography of an amazing public servant. John Kerry was a child of privilege, but unlike many others dedicated himself to making our country and the world a better place. His unique skills, work ethic, adherence to science and history and vision have affected millions of people including Americans for the better. He would have been a wonderful president.
I am a big fan of Dwight Garner of the NY Times, but I seriously disagree with his conclusion that this book is “reassuringly dull for long stretches” and that the second half of the book may require the propping of eyelids for non-wonks. It is precisely when Secretary Kerry enters the Senate, joins the Foreign Relations Committee and then becomes Secretary of State that the book takes off. For the first time he shifts to an issue by issue history as opposed to a chronological tale and then his work and results are immense. His ability to meet, know, understand and entice world leaders is astounding fueled by his sense of history, the brilliant people he engages for help and his understanding of the limitations of the leaders’ countries or supporters. His long relationship with Netanyahu, his meetings and interactions with al-Sisi, Bahar Al-Assad, al Saud, Putin, Ban Ki-moon, Xi Jinping and others are amazing. To name just a few accomplishments, his hard work led to the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal, work on Ocean conservation as well as dealing with the fight against ISIS by Iraq, the removal of much of Syria’s illegal gases, the Ukrainian crisis caused by lying Russia, aid to civilians in Gaza, complex negotiations with Congress especially on the Paris treaty, renewed relations with Cuba, the successful negotiation of elections and power sharing in Afghanistan, negotiations for electoral honesty in Brazil, Venezuela, among other issues. He readily acknowledges not all of his efforts have been successful such as the Israeli/Palestinian peace accord, but from my perspective it was not for lack of trying and given the opportunity to change the previous dynamics, as with China’s cooperation with the Paris Climate Accord, Secretary Kerry’s instincts were revolutionary and often astoundingly successful.
This is a wonderful book and in Audible is read by Secretary Kerry with his occasional wonderful Bostonian accent (pahk for park). Yes, he is not detailed about his children, grandchildren and wives, but that is for a good reasons and does not diminish his astounding public life. He is an excellent writer with an amazing story to tell.

Although it was a book, I felt as though he was actually speaking. It was a good balance between his early life and his life in politics.

Was surprised and delighted at how “readable” this book is. Senator Kerry writes a detailed memoir with lots of information about his early life as well as the origins of his commitment to service on so many levels.

Was surprised and delighted at how “readable” this book is. Senator Kerry writes a detailed memoir with lots of information about his early life as well as the origins of his commitment to service on so many levels.