I recently finished reading Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) memoir, “True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership and Everything in Between.” It is a very readable, informative and even humorous book, with valuable insights for young politicos and average citizens alike.
The book did get me to thinking about why politicians write such personal accounts and confessions. The more honest a memoir is, it seems, the more the author has laid their life out there for all to see and criticize. Such exposure and vulnerability can be very endearing, but it can also be politically harmful.
My first boss, Rep. John B. Anderson (R-Ill.), wrote a memoir in 1972, “A Congressman’s Choice: Between Two Worlds.” It was about the tug and pull between politics and religion. How does a person keep his faith and handle all the demands, pressures and temptations of elective public office? The book was published by the religious press and was not a runaway best seller. But it did lay out for all to see how the worlds of politics and religion can not only co-exist but complement each other.
My curiosity about why political officials write such personal memoirs led me to review some of the more recognizable members of Congress and books they have authored. I am indebted to Wikipedia and their........