An ordinary man : the surprising life and historic presidency of Gerald R. Ford / Richard Norton Smith.
For many Americans, President Gerald Ford was the genial accident of history who controversially pardoned his Watergate-tarnished predecessor, presided over the fall of Saigon, and became a punching bag on Saturday Night Live. Yet as Richard Norton Smith reveals in a book full of surprises, Ford was...
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Harper,
[2023]
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| Edition: | First edition. |
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| Genre: | |
| Physical Description: | x, 814 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Variant Title: |
Surprising life and historic presidency of Gerald R. Ford |
| Format: | Book |
Contents:
- Introduction: A capacity for surprise
- Prologue: Seven days in June
- Part I: Junior, 1912-1950. Secrets
- Luck and pluck
- Yale
- The view from the bridge
- Betty
- Time for a change
- Part II: Everybody's friend, 1950-1972. A modern Republican
- The middle of the road
- The congressman's congressman
- The Warren Commission
- Holding the line
- The good soldier
- Part III: The replacement, June 1972-October 1974. Ahead of the curve
- "The worst job I ever had"
- "My God, this is going to change our whole life"
- Change and continuity
- The pardon
- Clearing the decks
- Part IV: Riding the tiger, October 1974-December 1976. "Run over by history"
- A president in the making
- The cruelest month
- Starting over
- The dangerous summer
- "The cat has nine lives"
- The road to Kansas City
- I'm feeling good about America
- Part V: When is this retirement going to start? 1976-2006. Do what you can
- Lights in a tree
- Epilogue: "God help the country".