Write It When I'm Gone
Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford
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Narrated by:
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Scott Brick
About this listen
In 1974, the award-winning journalist and author Thomas M. DeFrank, then a young correspondent for Newsweek, was interviewing Ford when the vice president blurted out something astonishingly indiscreet related to the White House, came around his desk, grabbed DeFrank's tie, and told the reporter he could not leave the room until he promised not to publish it. "Write it when I'm dead," he said - and that agreement formed the basis of their relationship for the next 32 years.
During that time, they talked frequently, but from 1991 to shortly before Ford's death in 2006, the interviews became something else: conversations between two men in which Ford talked in a way few presidents ever have. Here is the real Ford on his relationship with Richard Nixon (including the 1974 revelation which, in DeFrank's words, "will alter what history thinks it knows about the events that culminated in Ford's becoming president"); his experiences serving on the Warren Commission; his complex relationships with Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter; his startling, never-before-disclosed discussions with Bill Clinton during the latter's impeachment process; his opinions about both Bush administrations, the Iraq war, and many contemporary political figures; and much more. Here, also, are Ford's unguarded personal musings: about key cultural events; his own life, history, and passions; his beloved wife, Betty; and the frustrations of aging.
In all, it is an unprecedented audiobook - illuminating, entertaining, surprising, heartwarming, and, in several cases, historic.
©2007 Thomas M. DeFrank (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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History remembers Robert F. Kennedy as a racial healer, a tribune for the poor, and the last progressive knight of a bygone era of American politics. But Kennedy's enshrinement in the liberal pantheon was actually the final stage of a journey that had its beginnings in the conservative 1950s. In Bobby Kennedy, Larry Tye peels away layers of myth and misconception to paint a complete portrait of this singularly fascinating figure.
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Absorbing
- By Jean on 01-18-17
By: Larry Tye
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The Politician
- An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal that Brought Him Down
- By: Andrew Young
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Like a nonfiction version of All the King's Men, The Politician offers a truly disturbing, even shocking, perspective on the risks taken and tactics employed by a man determined to rule the most powerful nation on earth.
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Politician Phony. A must listen!!!
- By Sherman on 02-09-10
By: Andrew Young
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The Last of the President's Men
- By: Bob Woodward
- Narrated by: Campbell Scott
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Bob Woodward exposes one of the final pieces of the Richard Nixon puzzle in his new book, The Last of the President's Men. Woodward reveals the untold story of Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed the secret White House taping system that changed history and led to Nixon's resignation.
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A Disturbing portrayal of Nixon
- By Jean on 11-17-15
By: Bob Woodward
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The Book of Joe
- The Life, Wit, and (Sometimes Accidental) Wisdom of Joe Biden
- By: Jeff Wilser
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The aviators. The Amtrak. The ice cream cones. The memes. Few politicians are as iconic, or as beloved, as Joe Biden. Now, in The Book of Joe, Biden fans will finally have the definitive look at America's favorite vice president - and what he can teach us. Structured around key moments in Biden's life and career - and filled with Biden-isms like "That's a bunch of malarkey" and "I may be Irish, but I'm not stupid" - this blend of biography, advice, and humor will reveal the experiences that forged Joe Biden, and the lessons we can use in our own lives.
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I LOVED it!!!
- By Leslie on 11-19-20
By: Jeff Wilser
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The Briefing
- Politics, the Press, and the President
- By: Sean Spicer
- Narrated by: Sean Spicer
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than two decades, Sean Spicer had been a respected political insider, working as a campaign and communications strategist. But in December 2016, he got the call of a lifetime. President-elect Donald J. Trump had chosen him to be the White House press secretary. And life hasn’t been the same since. When he accepted the job, Spicer was far from a household name. But then he walked into the bright lights of the briefing room, and the cameras started rolling. His every word was scrutinized. Every movement was parodied. Every detail became a meme. And that’s just the public side.
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I did not expect to like this non-fiction book!
- By Wayne on 07-30-18
By: Sean Spicer
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Unlikeable
- The Problem with Hillary
- By: Edward Klein
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2012, he skewered "amateur" Barack Obama. In 2014, he revealed vicious infighting between the Obamas and the Clintons. Now, New York Times bestselling author and investigative reporter Edward Klein turns his attention to Hillary Clinton and asks: why exactly is Hillary so unlikeable?
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Occasionally time dampers our memory - this reminds us
- By Linda S. on 10-19-15
By: Edward Klein
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The Front Runner (All the Truth Is Out Movie Tie-In)
- The Week Politics Went Tabloid
- By: Matt Bai
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In May 1987, Colorado Senator Gary Hart seemed a lock for the party’s presidential nomination and led George H. W. Bush by double digits in the polls. Then, in one tumultuous week, rumors of marital infidelity and a newspaper’s stakeout of Hart’s home resulted in a media frenzy the likes of which had never been seen. Through the spellbindingly reported story of the senator’s fall from grace, Matt Bai, Yahoo News columnist and former chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, reveals the Hart affair to be far more than one man’s tragedy.
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Excellent writing and performance
- By S. on 12-06-14
By: Matt Bai
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Camelot's End
- Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight That Broke the Democratic Party
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Carter presidency was on life support. The Democrats, desperate to keep power and yearning to resurrect former glory, turned to Ted Kennedy. Camelot's End details the incredible drama of Kennedy's challenge - what led to it, how it unfolded, and its lasting effects - with cinematic sweep. It is a story about what happened to the Democratic Party when the country's long string of successes, luck, and global dominance following World War II ran its course, and how, on a quest to recapture the magic of JFK, Democrats plunged themselves into an intra-party civil war.
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Does character count in political office?
- By marwalk on 07-29-19
By: Jon Ward
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Days of Fire
- Bush and Cheney in the White House
- By: Peter Baker
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 29 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Theirs was the most captivating American political partnership since Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger: a bold and untested president and his seasoned, relentless vice president. Confronted by one crisis after another, they struggled to protect the country, remake the world, and define their own relationship along the way. In Days of Fire, Peter Baker chronicles the history of the most consequential presidency in modern times through the prism of its two most compelling characters, capturing the elusive and shifting alliance of George Walker Bush and Richard Bruce Cheney as no historian has done before.
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A balanced account of the W and Cheney White House
- By Scott on 11-15-13
By: Peter Baker
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The Place to Be
- Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television News
- By: Roger Mudd
- Narrated by: Roger Mudd
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Roger Mudd joined CBS in 1961 and rose to fame as the congressional correspondent, covering the historic Senate filibuster debate over the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Mudd was there to see Dan Rather going toe-to-toe with the Nixon White House, Marvin Kalb deciphering the State Department, Daniel Schorr bird-dogging Watergate, Lesley Stahl and Connie Chung staking out all the president's men, George Herman presiding over Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer covering the Pentagon like a police reporter.
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No Doubt About It
- By Deborah Jacob on 02-24-17
By: Roger Mudd
What listeners say about Write It When I'm Gone
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Grant Wentworth
- 02-07-15
Good background story
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Maybe, if they are a fan of presidential history.
Which scene was your favorite?
The man seemed to play alot of golf
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Not really
Any additional comments?
Good story
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dianne M
- 01-18-18
The Real VP Ford
Held my attention, good review how government works. New information about specific politicians and how they work together.k
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- Darrell Rupe
- 05-26-08
An easy historical listen...
I've been a Liberal since I came of age and shook off my midwest Republican upbringing. It began with hating Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford for pardoning him. I loathe Cheney and Rumsfeld who began their political rise with Ford. Yet here's a book that made me actually understand and even admire Ford. Nixon, Cheney and Rumsfeld I am still quite disgusted by of course, but the respect that the author had for Ford was contagious and that is a compliment to his writing. If you still have anger with those Watergate/Vietnam war days, this book is a healthy reflection.
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15 people found this helpful
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- Muttering Beduwen
- 06-10-12
Jerry Ford reevaluated
Like many Americans I came to this book knowing very little about Ford, thinking of him only as somewhat accident prone stop gap completely forgettable American President. It should be noted that I still don't think much of consequence happened during his time in office. What this book did do was give me a keen appreciation of his insight into American politics. Through his decades in the house Ford developed a sixth sense for knowing who would rise to the top. After reading reading the book I found myself wondering what he would think of the party that now regards Ronald Regan as political saint and Ford's generation as soft and unprincipled?
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3 people found this helpful
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- Katherine
- 08-08-10
More than I expected more than I remembered
I liked Gerald Ford when I was a young girl growing up in California. I too had a 5 minute meeting with the Charles Mason family that creeps me still, the aura of evil that radiated from the group is hard to forget. The attempts on Ford's life in California recounted in this oral history of private thoughts brought back a moment in history where I remembered a comment by the then Governor Jerry Brown, "California has more than its share of everything, including nuts." How I wonder, as apparently did Ford, is a letter from a would be killer worth more than one from Sadat? The world can be a topsy turvy place.
I truly enjoyed this nostagic account of great leadership and how fortunate we were to have the right man in the right place at the right time.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Philip Alt
- 08-03-22
Repeats
The story repeated a lot. There are good insights into how Gerald Ford lived and operated.
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- Joseph P. Grieco Jr.
- 02-16-23
Thoughtful and poignant
A touching memoir of Gerald R. Ford. Tom DeFrank truly got to the heart and soul of our 38th President. Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. He was great reading “The Harbinger” and he didn’t disappoint me here. Scott has a voice that I could listen to for hours (which I did!).
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- JPALJ
- 05-20-16
never really knew...
Tremendous insight into a conflicted figure. I grew up with Ford as president, watching him being lampooned on Saturday Night Live by Chevy Chase and ridiculed by my ultra-conservative family members. it was my dad who first suggested years later that Ford might have been a man of deeper character then I ever appreciated as a young child, which is what led me to this book. Leave it to my dad to recognize a person of strong character, which the author, assisted by the narrator, reveals through touching and humanizing passages about a man who lived honorably and honestly through difficult and unforgiving times. That Ford had uncertain beginings as a child makes the story that much more compelling.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Marsha
- 09-02-11
Not what I expected
I downloaded this audiobook specifically because I wanted to hear Will Patton narrating the words of Gerald Ford. This is NOT narrated by Will, it is someone else. I am greatly disappointed.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jerry Geleff
- 05-01-18
Who knew?
Who knew that the bumbling man who tripped and fell constantly, who was parodied by Chevy Chase so mercilessly as nothing but an accident, was actually exactly what America needed at the exact moment that he arrived? This book explains it all, and gives you a few heart tugging moments, too. I knew little about Ford before listening to this book, and have a greater appreciation for him now .
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