Joshua M. Glasser

While watching All The Presidents Men, someone in the movie mentioned Eagleton and McGovern, causing me (30something) to ask my (60+ year old parents) who the hell Eagleton was. They both explained to me that he was a vice presidential candidate who was forced into stepping down because of electroshock therapy. I immediately waned to know more (and who wouldn't?). This was the only book I found that deal entirely with the 1972 election and I tore through it. Glasser (probably a bit young than me) was bitten with the same bug that caused me to read his book. He spend several years researching Eagleton and McGovern -- pre, during and post their campaign and what resulted is a fascinating look into the 1972 election.

Glasser's writing is easy to understand and he breaks the book down into different sections, each covering different periods in the 18 days it took for Eagleton (and McGovern) to fall from grace. What I learned, aside from affirming my belief that politics is dirty was that not much has changed on how we view electroshock therapy (and to some extent, therapy in general). But also that the decision to drop Eagleton from the ticket was more complicated than his past.

This was a really great book -- especially for someone who's more interested in Chinese history than American. I'm glad I read it, because the 60s/70s are one of the most interesting political periods in the US' history.… (meer)