The Restless Wave (book)
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''The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations'' is a 2018 book by American politician
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
and his frequent collaborator and former staff member
Mark Salter Mark Salter (born 1955) is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches. Salter also served as McCain's chief ...
. It is a personal memoir looking at McCain's last ten years or so in the Senate, and his 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama. As such it is the final volume of an autobiographical trilogy that also comprises ''
Faith of My Fathers ''Faith of My Fathers'' is a 1999 bestselling non-fiction book by United States Senator John McCain with Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is part autobiography, part family memoir. It traces the story of McCain's life growing up, during ...
'' (1999) and ''
Worth the Fighting For Worth may refer to: Places In the United States: *Worth, Georgia *Worth County, Georgia *Worth, Illinois *Worth Township, Cook County, Illinois *Worth Township, Woodford County, Illinois *Worth Township, Indiana *Worth Township, Michigan *Worth, ...
'' (2002). It also covers his work on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The work's title comes from the second line of the naval hymn "
Eternal Father, Strong to Save "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a British hymn traditionally associated with seafarers, particularly in the maritime armed services. Written in 1860, its author, William Whiting, was inspired by the dangers of the sea described in Psalm ...
", reflecting McCain's career as a naval aviator. It contains 10 chapters including
Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...
and Regular order.


Contents

The full list of chapters are: * No surrender * Country first * About us * In the company of heroes * Arab Spring * Fighting the good fight (with and against Ted Kennedy) * Nyet (know thine enemy) * Know thyself (defending the West) * Part of the main (American exceptionalism) * Regular order Making reference to one of the subjects of the book, McCain writes of President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
:
His lack of empathy for refugees, innocent, persecuted, desperate men, women, and children, is disturbing. The way he speaks about them is appalling, as if welfare or terrorism were the only purposes they could have in coming to our country. He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones. The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values. The world expects us to be concerned with the condition of humanity. We should be proud of that reputation. I’m not sure the president understands that.
About his own political philosophy, McCain writes,
Last but not least, I was t the time of entering Congressa Republican, a
Reagan Republican The Reagan coalition was the combination of voters that Republican Ronald Reagan assembled to produce a major political realignment with his electoral landslide in the 1980 United States presidential election. In 1980, the Reagan coalition was p ...
. Still am. Not a
Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
Republican. Not a
Breitbart ''Breitbart News Network'' (known commonly as ''Breitbart News'', ''Breitbart'', or ''Breitbart.com'') is an American far-rightMultiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * syndicated news, opinion, and commentary website founded in mid-2007 b ...
Republican. Not a talk radio or
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
Republican. Not an isolationist, protectionist, immigrant-bashing, scapegoating, get-nothing-useful-done Republican. Not, as I am often dismissed by self-declared 'real' conservatives, a
RINO Rino may refer to: * Rino (given name) * Republican In Name Only, a pejorative term for U.S. Republicans considered to be insufficiently conservative * Rino, a singer-songwriter who performs under CooRie * RiNo, the River North Art District north ...
, Republican in Name Only. I'm a Reagan Republican, a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism.


Background

The book was begun as a collaboration between McCain and Salter regarding foreign policy and national security. Agreement with the publisher was reached in February 2017 but no public announcement was made. The tentative title was ''It's Always Darkest Before It's Totally Black'', one of McCain's trademark sardonicisms. But McCain's July 2017 diagnosis of
glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...
changed that, and it became more of a reflective, contemplative, personal memoir.Bash, Dana (May 21, 2018)
"Speechwriter helps John McCain say his piece in 'Restless Wave"
CNN.
As Salter said, "He wanted it to be more personal, and to convey just how fortunate he believed he was for being able to serve this country for 60 years. What America means to him and what he thinks America means to the world, and what he hopes it will continue to mean to the world after he's gone." Salter traveled to McCain's ranch outside
Sedona, Arizona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...
to work on a memorable speech McCain gave forth unto the Senate floor, as well as the book. The audiobook version, which runs 14 hours 15 minutes, is mostly read by actor
Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...
, with McCain only strong enough to record the introduction and conclusion. Due to his illness McCain did no publicity for the book, but co-author Salter did do some interviews. On his final page, McCain returns to the model of the
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
character he calls his hero, Robert Jordan of ''
For Whom the Bell Tolls ''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned ...
''. That novel ends with Jordan lying wounded on open ground, armed to fight one last battle that he knows will end with his death. "The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for," Jordan says to himself, "and I hate very much to leave it." To this, McCain adds his own response: "And I do too. I hate to leave it. But I don't have a complaint. Not one. It's been quite a ride. ... I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times."


Commercial reception

The book sold over 33,000 copies in its first week of availability. It debuted atop ''The New York Times'' Non-Fiction Best Sellers of 2018 for the week of June 10. It spent four weeks on the list itself. The audiobook also appeared on the appropriate ''New York Times'' list.Audiobook Best Sellers
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', June 2018
Following McCain's August 25 passing in 2018, there was a renewed interest in his life and the book re-entered the ''New York Times'' list in the top spot. It then moved to number five and then number three over the following two weeks.


Critical response

According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "One of the striking aspects of this new book is how often McCain — who says his dire medical prognosis leaves him 'freer' to speak his mind and vote his conscience 'without worry' — insists on playing it safe. The six-term senator from Arizona slips in a few careful mentions of Donald J. Trump, and expresses concern about the rancor that has overtaken the country, but he generally stops short of calling out the president or his cabinet, issuing just a brief eyeroll at the 'thoughtless America First ideology' now ascendant in the White House." In contrast,
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
declared that "In his memoir, McCain has blistering criticisms of Donald Trump's presidency, from his lack of empathy for immigrants and refugees to his praise for 'some of the world's worst tyrants.'" In his review for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Lloyd Green stated that "McCain is dying of cancer but he won’t leave this earth without one more fight." It is skeptical regarding some of McCain's conclusions regarding the
Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, stating "Turning to the Middle East, McCain is ever the warrior, romantic and proponent of regime change – a volatile brew." Industry stalwart ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' opined, "Despite flashes of the 'straight talk' for which McCain has become known, this book meanders into navel-gazing detail and sometimes skirts meaningful examination. McCain lists President Trump’s moral and political failings, but hedges ... Rather than a response to extraordinary times, this fine memoir reads more like a requiem of a long, patriotic life." ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' characterized the work as "sometimes rueful, sometimes defiant, always affecting. Even McCain’s political opponents should admire the fiery grace with which he’s exiting the world." Jason Hamill of The American Community Journals localized chain concluded, " All said the book reads as the man’s final chance to set the record straight on a myriad of tough political decisions over the last several decades of his incredible career. His no-nonsense demeanor comes across in the pages as a refreshing counter-balance to most of the politick one hears on a daily basis and is most certainly recommended." Terri Schlichenmeyer of ''
The Pantagraph ''The Pantagraph'' is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name is d ...
'' of Illinois wrote, "Like nearly every political biography ever released, there’s a lot of chest-thumping and assertions of correctness inside ''The Restless Wave'', and astute readers will note more than just a little repetition. Moreover, though, this book fairly rings with a sense of leave-taking that, despite what we know, imparts an oddly-faint feeling of surprised disbelief not unlike losing a distant relative you barely knew."


References


External links


Official publisher page for book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Restless Wave, The Books by John McCain Books by Mark Salter 2018 non-fiction books American political books Political memoirs Books about John McCain Books about politics of the United States Simon & Schuster books Collaborative non-fiction books