Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics

Reviews

1. 

   Andy Glass – August 11, 2024

   Spot on and should be required reading!
   This book was absolutely fantastic and a very timely read! O’Donnell’s telling of the ’68 presidential campaign is riveting reading, and I think it should be mandatory for all high-school and higher history and poly sci classes. Essentially his thesis is that the ’68 contest was the birthing of the current, highly media driven and divisive political campaign process we see today. His narrative is extremely well paced and reads like a political thriller. That being said, he clearly lays out the facts and events of the time, as well as what the players were up to behind the scenes (read tricks and dirty tricks) that only later came to light. The parallels with the current (2016 and 2020) campaigns are striking to say the least. And, a word to reader who are conservative or supporters of our current president – yes, O’Donnell’s media pedigree is on display here, but really only in a few lines where he makes a dig or a negative comparison to the current occupant of the White House. But – put aside ideology and/or offended sensibility and push past these very few digs. The read is very well balanced and spot on in its analysis and you will be very pleased you did go past whatever may have put you off. Again, this should be required reading for all students and will absolutely hit the mark for fans of history and politics.

2. 

   Kathi M. – August 11, 2024

   Great book (so far) about a very significant year in …
   Great book (so far) about a very significant year in the history of politics, the terrible losses that occurred at that time (1968) are still destroying a government/political system that people still believed they could trust ahd rely on to truly represent their constituents’ best interests and make laws that helped us. With Robert Francis Kennedy’s campaign to be President, we had a man who believed it was our moral duty to help those of us who were born without the resources and opportunities to have the same chances for being successful and receve the information they need to provide for their families’ needs (like keeping a roof over their heads and having access to/being able to provide their children with nutritious meals) so that they can grow up and have access to programs that will give them the chance to achieve more success than their parents and, in turn, allow their families to continue the journey away from the dark abyss of poverty that families that have been trapped in for generationsnt. This would greatly benefit our economy by producing new talent instead of allowing them to drop through the cracks in the system and end up locked into reaching their late teens/early adulthood with the mindset that they have no chances/or no awareness of any options they can use and often end up trapped in lives where opportunities are limited and every day is a struggle to keep up with paying rent or a mortgage, utilities, maintaining their homes and keeping food on the table which leaves a person feeling hopeless and more prone toward turning to drugs and/or alcohol to keep oneself sane.The point is Robert F. Kennedy was a man who was deeply affected by the deep poverty that is the reality for all too many families in a country that is one of the wealthiest in the world, yet prefers to do the bidding of the coporate PACs and lobbyists that funds their campaigns and has increasingly become more of a corporate oligarchy that prioritizes tax cuts for those who are already enjoying lives that the rest of us can only imagine.If Sirhan Sirhan had not assassinated RFK, I believe he would have been elected President and worked for legistlative policies that would fund programs to eliminate (or at least) reduce it greatly. Nixon would not have been elected and we would have a President who worked for his constituents and not the corporate bigwigs who are constantly trying to iinfluence those whose campaigns they backed to get the desired return on their investments.

3. 

   Amazon Customer – August 11, 2024

   Playing With Fire” set against a backdrop of national strife
   Mr O’Donnell presents a well researched narrative of one of the more tumultuous political years in American History. He brings into focus the youth insurgency that led to a national anti-war movement that directly affected presidential politics in a year of street violence and political assassinations. The reader is taken behind the scenes in each of the four major presidential campaigns, each impacted by our country’s handling of the Vietnam War, civil rights protests, as well as liberal and conservative factions struggling for control in the major political parties.We see the misgivings, the confusion, the successful and unsuccessful strategies of the presidential campaigns. The narrative flows well and holds the attention of the reader as the tensions and raw emotions of the year 1968 are relived. A good read for those who both lived the era and events and for those readers being introduced to those surrealistic days for the first time. Mr O’Donnell is objective in his presentation for the most part, but the reader will detect something of a Liberal bias in the author’s personal commentary on the prominent characters of his story.

4. 

   Gayle Gibson – August 11, 2024

   Mr. O’Donnell is a very fine writer, and a scholar of American political history. His book nicely balances discussion of the issues of the day and descriptions of events and personalities. Apart from his skills and intelligence, Mr. O’Donnell is a man of heart and conscience. He knows that the issues of 1968 were life and death matters. What a pleasure to have a new book by Lawrence O’Donnell.

5. 

   Sto. – August 11, 2024

   Schnelle Lieferung,Buch makellos

6. 

   Marie McGrath Davis – August 11, 2024

   I had pre-ordered this in April and totally forgot. I was going to order it as soon as it was published. Imagine my thrill when it just appeared in my kindle.

7. 

   Michael Lamont – August 11, 2024

   Thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent, well written and meticulously researched book.