Worth the Fighting For
Encyclopedia
Worth the Fighting For is a 2002 book by United States Senator
John McCain
with Mark Salter
. Published by Random House
, it is part autobiography, part mini-biographies of others.
The book picks up where McCain's first memoir, Faith of My Fathers
, left off, with his return to the United States following his release as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam
. The first part briefly covers the balance of his final years in the Navy
until his 1981 retirement. The second part covers in more detail of his congressional career, first in the House of Representatives
and later in the Senate
. It concludes with his unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign
and some mentions of the September 11, 2001 attacks
.
Interspersed with the autobiographical content are extended vignettes of various figures whom McCain has been inspired by, with treatments sometimes up to ten or more pages in length. These subjects range from historical presences such as Theodore Roosevelt
, to more contemporaneous politicians such as Barry Goldwater
, Scoop Jackson and Mo Udall
, to people in other fields such as Billy Mitchell and Ted Williams
. A few fictional creations, such as Marlon Brando
's performance in Viva Zapata!
and Robert Jordan, the protagonist of Ernest Hemingway
's For Whom the Bell Tolls
, are included as well.
Janet Maslin
's review of Worth the Fighting For in The New York Times
called the interspersed format "curious" and said there was a lot of McCain "shooting from the hip ... in this unpredictable, outspoken memoir." She noted that McCain's treatment of himself frequently adopted a "confessional, self-flagellating tone" and that McCain was wistfully frank about the ambition behind his failed presidential bid.
The book was not the commercial success Faith of My Fathers had been, but did appear on the New York Times Best Seller list
for one week in October 2002. Royalties from the book were donated to charity.
Worth the Fighting For was published in paperback
by Random House Trade Paperbacks on September 9, 2003 (ISBN 081296974X). This edition added a subtitle of sorts, The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him, as well as a new afterward from McCain in which he discussed developments of the year since original publication, including the early stages of the Iraq War.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
with Mark Salter
Mark Salter
Mark Salter is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches....
. Published by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, it is part autobiography, part mini-biographies of others.
The book picks up where McCain's first memoir, Faith of My Fathers
Faith of My Fathers
-See also:* Early life and military career of John McCain* Character Is Destiny* My Dad, John McCain...
, left off, with his return to the United States following his release as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. The first part briefly covers the balance of his final years in the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
until his 1981 retirement. The second part covers in more detail of his congressional career, first in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and later in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. It concludes with his unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign
John McCain presidential campaign, 2000
John McCain, the United States Senator from Arizona, launched his first candidacy for the presidency of the United States in the 2000 presidential election....
and some mentions of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
.
Interspersed with the autobiographical content are extended vignettes of various figures whom McCain has been inspired by, with treatments sometimes up to ten or more pages in length. These subjects range from historical presences such as Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, to more contemporaneous politicians such as Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
, Scoop Jackson and Mo Udall
Mo Udall
Morris King "Mo" Udall was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961 to May 4, 1991...
, to people in other fields such as Billy Mitchell and Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
. A few fictional creations, such as Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
's performance in Viva Zapata!
Viva Zapata!
Viva Zapata! is a 1952 fictional-biographical film directed by Elia Kazan. The screenplay was written by John Steinbeck, using as a guide Edgcomb Pinchon's book, 'Zapata the Unconquerable', a fact that is not credited in the titles of the film...
and Robert Jordan, the protagonist of Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
's For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to a republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As an expert in the use of explosives, he is assigned to blow up a...
, are included as well.
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
's review of Worth the Fighting For in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the interspersed format "curious" and said there was a lot of McCain "shooting from the hip ... in this unpredictable, outspoken memoir." She noted that McCain's treatment of himself frequently adopted a "confessional, self-flagellating tone" and that McCain was wistfully frank about the ambition behind his failed presidential bid.
The book was not the commercial success Faith of My Fathers had been, but did appear on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for one week in October 2002. Royalties from the book were donated to charity.
Worth the Fighting For was published in paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
by Random House Trade Paperbacks on September 9, 2003 (ISBN 081296974X). This edition added a subtitle of sorts, The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him, as well as a new afterward from McCain in which he discussed developments of the year since original publication, including the early stages of the Iraq War.