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Today is Release Day for one of the most important books I've narrated: Gerald Ford and the Challenges of the 1970s by Yanek Mieczkowski.
This is the third book by Dr. Mieczkowski that I have recorded, so I know that he writes in an engaging and accessible manner. I know you will enjoy listening to it because I enjoyed reading it. You'll learn without realizing that it's happening, which is the best way. And there is a lot to learn. Yanek interviewed Ford himself several times before Ford's passing, enough to feel the man's warmth and friendliness. He also spent a lot of time with members of Ford's staff and his friends, as well as people from the Nixon and Carter years. This is a remarkable work of scholarship.
Gerald Ford was a genuinely good man who has not gotten the credit he deserved. The Nixon resignation blew Washington to pieces. Ford's calmness, trustworthiness, and understanding of how Washington worked were precisely what the country needed. The timing of the Nixon pardon was unfortunate, but eventually people understood that it was the right thing to do. The country needed to focus on inflation and the energy crisis rather than wasting time on Watergate. Ford was trusted by Democrat leaders in both houses to a surprising extent, so he was able to refocus the country on the true threats that it faced, even if policies to address them came after his too-brief administration.
Books like this are the reason I decided to produce audiobooks. I am proud to be able to get this important book and its subject due attention.
As with all my (now 105) Audible titles, PM me here or drop me a note via the Contact link at douglasrpratt.com if you would like a free review copy.
Discussion (6)
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I remember once Ford made a speech about "Whip Inflation Now" and wore a WIN button. After the speech, his staff was overwhelmed by requests from ordinary folks asking where to find the buttons. Apparantly, Ford's peopler never thought the buttons could become popular. I don't remember if they ever followed through and made them in bulk . . .
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Exactly. They never did. The four person office couldn't even open all the mail. There was one donation for $10k that they couldn't use because the check had expired by the time they opened it.
One of many stories in Yanek's excellent book. It's been out less than a week and the response has been remarkable. Still plenty of review copies available so please message me for a freebie. You won't regret it.
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There's a bit of backstory here. Gerald Ford was published several years ago. Usually I get books that the publisher has released within the last six months to a year. It was not on the lists I usually get to pick titles from.
After doing Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment and Surviving War, Oceans Apart Yanek and I have become friends. He's a fine writer as well as historian. After I started on Sputnik I learned that his mother taught at my alma mater, Eisenhower College, although it was after my time; I graduated in 1974. In any case, we became friends, and he told me about Gerald Ford. Yanek is justifiably proud of the book, but like so many university press books it has become a textbook, selling when someone assigns it as part of an American history course. I snagged a Kindle copy, read half of it, and thought well, I'm going to do something about this.
I got in touch with Margy at Redwood Audiobooks, an old friend who has brought me many excellent titles. 20 years ago Margy and her husband took out a second mortgage and started an audiobook business. They contract with university presses to get their books narrated. Since I love histories and biographies, they're right in my wheelhouse. I asked her if she could do something about getting a contract for Gerald Ford. As it happens, she has an excellent relationship with the University Press of Kentucky, and she worked her magic on them to get the paperwork in order. The rest is history, and a really fine book about a really admirable man has another chance to reach an audience.
That provides a little more detail about what I meant when I said that books like this are the reason I decided to produce audiobooks.
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In David Gergen’s book Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton, Gergen has a neat story about the end of Ford’s presidency. Ford asked Gergen to review a speech he was going to give (Gergen was a speech writer and director of communications for Ford). Gergen writes that his impression was that it was a good speech but “too cerebral for Ford”- so he asked Ford who wrote the speech and Ford replied that he wrote it himself. Gergen then realized how much Ford’s own staff had underestimated him and was a little embarrassed.
Gergen praised Ford’s honesty and transparency and believed his staff and the press underestimated him and failed him.
When I bought Gergen’s book I had low expectations for it b/c Gergen had served so many administrations (both Republican & Democratic) that I expected him to be a greasy operator seeking power but the book was really good & Gergen seemed genuinely motivated to serve his country.
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Having just finished listening to Amity Shlaes' book on the Great Society, I'd like to listen to this one. I'll PM you.
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