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What It Takes book cover

What It Takes

The Way to the White House

Richard ben Cramer

An American Iliad in the guise of contemporary political reportage, What It Takes penetrates the mystery at the heart of all presidential campaigns: How do presumably ordinary people acquire that mixture of ambition, stamina, and pure shamelessness that makes a true candidate? As he recounts the frenzied course of the 1988 presidential race -- and ...
Publish Date
1993-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
1993-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
First Published in 1992
Goodreads rating
4.4
ISBN
8601401170266
Recommendations
4
Recommendations
Everybody should read it.      source
2019-06-12T14:07:24.000Z
The late, great Richard Ben Cramer’s birthday today. If you haven’t read his book “What It Takes,” you really should. In my opinion, and I know I’m not alone, it’s the best book about presidential politics.      source
2020-08-16T20:37:02.000Z
@CarlosLozadaWP @JenSeniorNY What It Takes remains The best book I’ve ever read on American politics, and politics more generally. Well over 1000 pages, but I reread it every few years. And what everybody close to Joe Biden will tell you is that this captures Biden better than anything else.      source
2022-09-06T15:25:26.000Z
@rachsyme What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer. Best book on politics ever.      source