The Restless Wave (book)

Last updated

The Restless Wave
The Restless Wave.jpg
First edition
Author John McCain and Mark Salter
Subject Leadership, diplomacy
GenreMemoir
PublishedApril 17, 2018
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, e-book, audiobook
Pages402
ISBN 978-1-5011-7800-9 (hardcover)
Preceded by Thirteen Soldiers  

The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations is a 2018 book by American politician John McCain and his frequent collaborator and former staff member Mark Salter. It is a personal memoir looking at McCain's last ten years or so in the Senate, and his 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama. [1] As such it is the final volume of an autobiographical trilogy that also comprises Faith of My Fathers (1999) and Worth the Fighting For (2002). [2] It also covers his work on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. [1] [3] [4] [5] The work's title comes from the second line of the naval hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save", [1] reflecting McCain's career as a naval aviator. It contains 10 chapters including Arab Spring and Regular order.

Contents

Contents

The full list of chapters are:

Making reference to one of the subjects of the book, McCain writes of President Donald Trump:

His lack of empathy for refugees, innocent, persecuted, desperate men, women, and children, is disturbing. The way he speaks about them is appalling, as if welfare or terrorism were the only purposes they could have in coming to our country. He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones. The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values. The world expects us to be concerned with the condition of humanity. We should be proud of that reputation. I'm not sure the president understands that. [5]

About his own political philosophy, McCain writes,

Last but not least, I was [at the time of entering Congress] a Republican, a Reagan Republican. Still am. Not a Tea Party Republican. Not a Breitbart Republican. Not a talk radio or Fox News Republican. Not an isolationist, protectionist, immigrant-bashing, scapegoating, get-nothing-useful-done Republican. Not, as I am often dismissed by self-declared 'real' conservatives, a RINO, Republican in Name Only. I'm a Reagan Republican, a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism. [2]

Background

The book was begun as a collaboration between McCain and Salter regarding foreign policy and national security. [6] Agreement with the publisher was reached in February 2017 but no public announcement was made. [7] The tentative title was It's Always Darkest Before It's Totally Black, one of McCain's trademark sardonicisms. [7]

But McCain's July 2017 diagnosis of glioblastoma changed that, and it became more of a reflective, contemplative, personal memoir. [6] [7] [8] As Salter said, "He wanted it to be more personal, and to convey just how fortunate he believed he was for being able to serve this country for 60 years. What America means to him and what he thinks America means to the world, and what he hopes it will continue to mean to the world after he's gone." Salter traveled to McCain's ranch outside Sedona, Arizona to work on a memorable speech McCain gave forth unto the Senate floor, as well as the book. [8]

The audiobook version, which runs 14 hours 15 minutes, [9] is mostly read by actor Beau Bridges, [10] with McCain only strong enough to record the introduction and conclusion. [6] Due to his illness McCain did no publicity for the book, [8] but co-author Salter did do some interviews. [1] [6]

On his final page, McCain returns to the model of the Ernest Hemingway character he calls his hero, Robert Jordan of For Whom the Bell Tolls . That novel ends with Jordan lying wounded on open ground, armed to fight one last battle that he knows will end with his death. "The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for," Jordan says to himself, "and I hate very much to leave it." To this, McCain adds his own response: "And I do too. I hate to leave it. But I don't have a complaint. Not one. It's been quite a ride. ... I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times." [6]

Commercial reception

The book sold over 33,000 copies in its first week of availability. [11] It debuted atop The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers of 2018 for the week of June 10. [12] It spent four weeks on the list itself. [13] The audiobook also appeared on the appropriate New York Times list. [9]

Following McCain's August 25 passing in 2018, there was a renewed interest in his life and the book re-entered the New York Times list in the top spot. [14] It then moved to number five and then number three over the following two weeks. [15]

Critical response

According to The New York Times , "One of the striking aspects of this new book is how often McCain—who says his dire medical prognosis leaves him 'freer' to speak his mind and vote his conscience 'without worry'—insists on playing it safe. The six-term senator from Arizona slips in a few careful mentions of Donald J. Trump, and expresses concern about the rancor that has overtaken the country, but he generally stops short of calling out the president or his cabinet, issuing just a brief eyeroll at the 'thoughtless America First ideology' now ascendant in the White House." [3]

In contrast, ABC News declared that "In his memoir, McCain has blistering criticisms of Donald Trump's presidency, from his lack of empathy for immigrants and refugees to his praise for 'some of the world's worst tyrants.'" [5]

In his review for The Guardian , Lloyd Green stated that "McCain is dying of cancer but he won't leave this earth without one more fight." It is skeptical regarding some of McCain's conclusions regarding the Iraq War, stating "Turning to the Middle East, McCain is ever the warrior, romantic and proponent of regime change—a volatile brew." [16]

Industry stalwart Publishers Weekly opined, "Despite flashes of the 'straight talk' for which McCain has become known, this book meanders into navel-gazing detail and sometimes skirts meaningful examination. McCain lists President Trump's moral and political failings, but hedges ... Rather than a response to extraordinary times, this fine memoir reads more like a requiem of a long, patriotic life." [17]

Kirkus Reviews characterized the work as "sometimes rueful, sometimes defiant, always affecting. Even McCain's political opponents should admire the fiery grace with which he's exiting the world." [18]

Jason Hamill of The American Community Journals localized chain concluded, " All said the book reads as the man's final chance to set the record straight on a myriad of tough political decisions over the last several decades of his incredible career. His no-nonsense demeanor comes across in the pages as a refreshing counter-balance to most of the politick one hears on a daily basis and is most certainly recommended." [19]

Terri Schlichenmeyer of The Pantagraph of Illinois wrote, "Like nearly every political biography ever released, there's a lot of chest-thumping and assertions of correctness inside The Restless Wave, and astute readers will note more than just a little repetition. Moreover, though, this book fairly rings with a sense of leave-taking that, despite what we know, imparts an oddly-faint feeling of surprised disbelief not unlike losing a distant relative you barely knew." [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McCain</span> American politician and military officer (1936–2018)

John Sidney McCain III was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a U.S. senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Levin</span> American lawyer, radio and television personality

Mark Reed Levin is an American broadcast news analyst, columnist, lawyer, political commentator, radio personality, and writer. He is the host of syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show, as well as Life, Liberty & Levin on Fox News. Levin worked in the administration of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese. He is the former president of the Landmark Legal Foundation, an author of seven books, and contributor to media outlets such as National Review Online. Since 2015, Levin has been editor-in-chief of the Conservative Review and is known for his incendiary commentary.

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. Salter also served as McCain's chief of staff for a while, although he had left that position by 2008. Salter has often been referred to as McCain's "alter ego".

<i>Faith of My Fathers</i>

Faith of My Fathers is a 1999 bestselling non-fiction book by United States Senator John McCain with Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is part autobiography, part family memoir. It traces the story of McCain's life growing up, during his time in the United States Naval Academy, and his military service as a naval aviator before and during the Vietnam War. His story is interwoven with those of his father John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr. and his grandfather John S. "Slew" McCain, Sr., both four-star admirals in the Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public image of John McCain</span>

Senator John McCain's personal character has dominated the image and perception of him. His family's military heritage, his rebellious nature as a youth, his endurance over his treatment as a prisoner of war, his resulting physical limitations, his political persona, his well-known temper, his admitted propensity for controversial or ill-advised remarks, and his devotion to maintaining his large blended family have all defined his place in the American political world more than any ideological or partisan framing.

<i>Worth the Fighting For</i> Book by John McCain

Worth the Fighting For is a 2002 book by John McCain with Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is part autobiography, part mini-biographies of others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghan McCain</span> American television personality (born 1984)

Meghan Marguerite McCain is an American television personality, columnist, and author. She has worked for ABC News, Fox News, and MSNBC. She is the daughter of politician John McCain and diplomat Cindy McCain. McCain has been a public figure for much of her life, first appearing at the 1996 Republican National Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Karl</span> American journalist (born 1968)

Jonathan David Karl is an American political journalist and author. Throughout his career, Karl has covered the White House, Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, and the U.S. State Department, and has reported from more than 30 countries, covering U.S. politics, foreign policy, and the military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Metaxas</span> American conservative talk show host

Eric Metaxas is an American author, speaker, and conservative radio host. He has written three biographies, Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery about William Wilberforce (2007), Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy about Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2011), and Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (2017). He also published a memoir, Fish Out of Water: A Search for the Meaning of Life (2021) as well as several books, including If You Can Keep it (2017) and Letter to the American Church (2022). He has also written humor, children's books and scripts for VeggieTales.

<i>Crippled America</i> 2015 book by Donald Trump

Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again is a non-fiction book by businessman Donald Trump, first published in hardcover by Simon & Schuster in 2015. A revised edition was subsequently republished eight months later in trade paperback format under the title Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America. Like his previous work Time to Get Tough (2011) did for the U.S. presidential election in 2012, Crippled America outlined Trump's political agenda as he ran in the 2016 election on a conservative platform.

<i>Hillbilly Elegy</i> 2016 memoir by JD Vance

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is a 2016 memoir by current U.S. Vice President-elect JD Vance about the Appalachian values of his family from Kentucky and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, where his mother's parents moved when they were young. It was adapted into the 2020 film Hillbilly Elegy, directed by Ron Howard and starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams.

<i>Why Courage Matters</i> 2004 non-fiction book by John McCain

Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life is a 2004 book by United States Senator John McCain with his frequent collaborator and aide Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is mostly mini-biographies and mini-commentaries on others, but contains a small autobiographical element.

<i>Insane Clown President</i> 2017 book by Matt Taibbi

Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus is a non-fiction book by Matt Taibbi about Donald Trump and the 2016 United States presidential election. The book contains illustrations by Rolling Stone artist Victor Juhasz. Taibbi's choice of title for the book was motivated by Trump's marketing style and is wordplay based on the name of American horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse. His work was inspired by Hunter S. Thompson, who had previously published Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72.

<i>Time to Get Tough</i> 2011 book by Donald Trump

Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again is a non-fiction book by Donald Trump. It was published in hardcover format by Regnery Publishing in 2011, and reissued under the title Time to Get Tough: Make America Great Again! in 2015 to match Trump's 2016 election campaign slogan. Trump had previously published The America We Deserve (2000) as preparation for his attempt to run in the 2000 U.S. presidential campaign with a populist platform. Time to Get Tough in contrast served as his prelude to the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign, with a conservative platform.

<i>What Happened</i> (Clinton book) 2017 memoir by Hillary Clinton

What Happened is a 2017 memoir by Hillary Clinton about her experiences as the Democratic Party's nominee and general election candidate for president of the United States in the 2016 election. Published on September 12, 2017, it is her seventh book with her publisher, Simon & Schuster.

<i>Triggered</i> (book) 2019 book by Donald Trump Jr.

Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us is the debut book by Donald Trump Jr. It was published on November 5, 2019, by Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group.

<i>A Promised Land</i> 2020 memoir by Barack Obama

A Promised Land is a memoir by Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Published on November 17, 2020, it is the first of a planned two-volume series. Remaining focused on his political career, the presidential memoir documents Obama's life from his early years through to the events surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. The book is 768 pages long and available in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats and has been translated into two dozen languages. There is also a 29-hour audiobook edition that is read by Obama himself.

<i>Greenlights</i> (book) 2020 book by Matthew McConaughey

Greenlights is a 2020 book by American actor Matthew McConaughey. It was published on October 20, 2020, by the Crown imprint of Crown Publishing Group.

<i>Just Mercy</i> (book) Book by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (2014) is a memoir by American attorney Bryan Stevenson that documents his career defending disadvantaged clients. The book, focusing on injustices in the United States judicial system, alternates chapters between documenting Stevenson's efforts to overturn the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian and his work on other cases, including children who receive life sentences, and other poor or marginalized clients.

<i>Beautiful Things</i> (book) 2021 memoir by Hunter Biden

Beautiful Things: A Memoir is a 2021 memoir by American lawyer and businessman Hunter Biden, who is the second son of U.S. President Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. It was published on April 6, 2021, by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. In The New York Times reviewer Elisabeth Egan described the book as "equal parts family saga, grief narrative and addict's howl".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 ""The Restless Wave": Parting words from John McCain". Cbsnews.com. May 20, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "5 takeaways from Sen. John McCain's new memoir, 'The Restless Wave'". Azcentral.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "In 'The Restless Wave,' John McCain Says America Is Still Exceptional". The New York Times . Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Review - John McCain reflects on his 'maverick' past and the future of the country". Washington Post. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Khan, Mariam (May 22, 2018). "Key takeaways from John McCain's new book". ABC News. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "In 'The Restless Wave' Sen. John McCain Discusses Principles He Wants The U.S. To Keep". Npr.org. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "John McCain memoir, 'The Restless Wave,' coming in April". Usatoday.com. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Bash, Dana (May 21, 2018). "Speechwriter helps John McCain say his piece in 'Restless Wave". CNN.
  9. 1 2 Audiobook Best Sellers The New York Times , June 2018
  10. ↑ "Download Audiobooks with Audible.com". Mobile.audible.com. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  11. ↑ "More Fiction Softness Leads to Dip in Sales in Late May". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - June 10, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - July 1, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  14. ↑ Carreyrou, John (September 16, 2018). "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - September 16, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  15. ↑ Pirro, Jeanine. "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - September 30, 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  16. ↑ Green, Lloyd (May 12, 2018). "The Restless Wave review: John McCain on Trump, duty and Putin's 'evil'". The Guardian . Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, and Other Appreciations". Publishers Weekly . June 1, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  18. ↑ "THE RESTLESS WAVE by John McCain, Mark Salter". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  19. ↑ Hamill, Jason. "Book Review: The Restless Wave by John McCain". Pivot.today. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  20. ↑ Terri Schlichenmeyer (May 30, 2018). "Book review: 'The Restless Wave' | Books". The Pantagraph . Retrieved November 19, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.