Jerome Tuccille documents his journey from Ayn Rand to Goldwater to Rothbard -- and back, beyond, and in between. This is a hilarious book if one knows the names and ideas being discussed; a newcomer may want to familiarize himself with names like Murray Rothbard, Karl Hess, Nathaniel & Barbara Branden, Leonard Liggio, Henry Paolucci, and the like before reading this book. Tuccille combines fiction and fact -- with much exaggeration -- to document the young libertarian movement from the mid-fifties to 1971. If the sequel is ever finished, I hope it can match this great book!

If anyone could write of politics as a noble calling, it would be Cliff White (no relation to me). White first became active in politics in the 1940s working for his fellow New Yorker, Gov. Tom Dewey. White is best remembered for the stunning upset he engineered with a movement that drafted Barry Goldwater to run for President in 1964 and won the nomination for Goldwater over the self-financed campaign of Nelson Rockefeller. He later engineered James Buckley's 1970 Senate victory in New York, and he served in key roles in the campaigns of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. William F. Buckley rightly described him as "a genuine pioneer in the technologization of the democratic art."

This book represent White's memoirs; and while it does tell us a great deal about White's life and his exploits in electoral politics, it also gives us a detailed account of the rise of the conservative movement over the last 50 years. Conservatives and liberals alike will appreciate the history lessons found throughout. The "behind-the-scenes" details of the presidential elections of the last half of this century are particularly interesting and insightful.

All in all, this is a wonderful read about a man of character, dignity and ability who is sorely missed.

If your view of Alan Greenspan is one of a humorless, pin-striped central banker, Jerome Tuccille has someone he'd like to introduce you to: Alan Greenspan, the jazz musician, libertarian philosopher and wooer of media princesses. In this lively and engaging book, Tuccille weaves together Greenspan's biography, a colorful history of the times and an analysis of political and economic philosophy. Of special note is the book's detailed look at how the thinking of Ayn Rand influenced Greenspan. We from getAbstract strongly recommend this book for such intellectual fare, as well as its juicer tidbits - like Greenspan's torrid fling with Barbara Walters.

This is a fascinating look at this most powerful and influential banker, whose mind for economical and political thinking is world-renown. Even better, Tuccille explores his relationship with Ayn Rand, the legendary novelist and philosopher, and what made their relationship tick. Filled with anecdotes, and incredibly detailed research, this look at Greenspan is engrossing. Anyone interested in economics, politics, or just a good biography should not miss this!

I had little knowledge of the Hunt Family, but I was able to relate to the times and events the book covered. It intermingled many events in our past and supported some theories about Kennedy's death. I felt it made me question the material goals we set for ourselves. I also realized no matter what we achieve materially the greatest needs or wishes in life cannot be corrected.

Greenberg and Tuccille have written an old fachoned lycanthropic thriller with some amusing political undertones. Takes me back to the pleasures I encountered in watching Bela Lugosi. But Ludwig von Dracula is very different from Bela's Dracula!