Synopses & Reviews
Margaret Carlson -- widely read
Time columnist, regular CNN panelist, political insider, and hostess of A-list but scarcely traditional Washington dinners -- has been commenting on American life for over a decade. In
Anyone Can Grow Up, she expands on her writings about presidents, politics, morals, children, family life, and lessons from her own life.
In the section entitled "Presidential Material," Carlson reflects on what it takes to be president by looking at those who choose to pursue the office (and by extension, those, like her, who choose to cover the pursuit). She looks at the hard facts (offices held, speeches given, money raised) and the soft, sometimes determinative, ones (how the candidates talk and look, how they perform under pressure, who they marry and divorce when no one is looking, and how they get into -- and out of -- scrapes). The best man doesn't always win. That's why those who've lost, and those who almost run but don't, are covered as well. Bush Sr. and son, and Clinton in his scandalous term, are here. Carlson also takes a look at those whom have thought of running, like Donald Trump, those who America wanted to run, like Colin Powell, and those who've run and lost, like John McCain.
Carlson draws from her own life in the "Family Matters" section as well, commenting on subjects relating to children, women, and men -- from abortion to balancing work and family, from feminism to sexual harassment.
Finally, in the last section, we read about what makes us who we are and what makes us do what we do. From breaking down how congressmen make money on the side to what cost Newt Gingrich his job, from days in court trying the Menendez brothers to a memorable three-hour lunch with Katharine Hepburn that didn't turn out the way she imagined, Carlson finds the strength of character, or lack of it, in Americans famous and not.
Carlson gets as many as a hundred letters a week from readers who say, "That's exactly what I was thinking." In the vein of Anna Quindlen, Ellen Goodman, and Bill O'Reilly, here is a wise and witty book from a writer who knows what makes us tick.
Review
"The ghosts of politicians past and
present rattle their chains in this collection of spirited columns
from the past decade by Carlson, Time magazine's first female
columnist. Reading these pieces is a bit like flipping through the
late-night monologues of yesteryear." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Eight years, Margaret Carlson was named the first woman columnist at Time. It was a breakthrough slot, well-deserved for a writer whose reporting had captivated readers for years. Over the last decade her audience has grown larger and her eye sharper: Carlson has become one of the singular voices in the capital. In Anyone Can Grow Up, she expands on matters political and personal, reflecting on why some men become presidents and some never will, why some families work while others fall to pieces.
In a section entitled "Presidential Material, " Carlson reflects on what it takes to be president by looking up close and personal at those who choose to pursue the office. Carlson looks at hard facts -- offices held, speeches given, money raised. And soft ones -- how they talk and look, how they perform under pressure, (and when no one is looking) who they marry (and divorce), how they get in and out of scrapes. The best man on paper doesn't always win. That's why the losers and those who get close but turn away at the last minute also are covered.
Carlson draws from her own life in "Family Matters, " as well as commenting on subjects that concern children, women and men -- from abortion to balancing work and family, from feminism to sexual harassment.
In "Character Issues" we read about what makes us who we are and what makes us do what we do.
In the vein of Anna Quindlen, Ellen Goodman, and Bill O'Reilly, here is a wise and witty book from a writer who knows what makes us tick.
Synopsis
The first woman columnist at "Time" expands on matters political and personal, reflecting on why some men become presidents and some never will, why some families work while others fall to pieces.
About the Author
Margaret Carlson was named a columnist for Time magazine in 1994, making her the first woman columnist in the magazine's seventy-eight-year history. She also serves as a panelist on CNN's political programs Inside Politics and The Capital Gang. She has one daughter and lives in Washington, D.C.