Opinion
Washingtonians reveal what they read in 2008
By: Jeff Dufour
Editor at Large/Columnist, "Yeas & Nays"
01/01/09 12:05 AM EST
Media MixThis is a city that hinges on the written word. So, in keeping with our occasional Media Mix feature, we asked several prominent Washingtonians what their favorite books were in 2008. Their answers ...
Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
" ‘Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’ by H. W. Brands; ‘Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War’ by David Halberstam; ‘American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House’ by Jon Meacham"
Chuck Todd, NBC News
“Well, first let me plug the 2009 book of the year, mine ... along with co-author Sheldon Gawiser. It’s called ‘How Barack Obama Won.’ Clever, no? That said, picking just three books is tough; after all, this was ‘No Ordinary Time,’ and my list of authors will read like a ‘Team of Rivals,’ so to narrow to three, you may just have to ‘Wait Til Next Year’ or ask the Kennedys and Fitzgeralds what they think.”
Griff Jenkins, Fox News Channel
" ‘For the Love’ by Kelly Slater. Slater is the world’s most dominant surfer — winning an unprecedented eight world titles to date. He is to surfing what Jordan is to basketball or Tiger is to golf.”
Lyndon Boozer, lobbyist, AT&T
" ‘This Time, This Place’ by Jack Valenti. His life is so impressive.”
Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif.
" ‘Team of Rivals’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin; ‘Gates of Fire’ by Steven Pressfield; ‘Extreme Measures’ by Vince Flynn.”
Howard Fineman, Newsweek
"Jane Mayer’s ‘The Dark Side,’ ‘Angler’ by Bart Gellman and ‘American Lion’ by my friend and editor Jon Meacham (and can I mention my own, ‘The Thirteen American Arguments?’).”
Mary Matalin, Republican consultant
" ‘Bayou Farewell’ by Mike Tidwell, ‘Year of Living Religiously’ by A.J. Jacobs and anything by Vince Flynn.”
John Castellani, president, the Business Roundtable
“So many good books to choose from this year. Three that I read that stand out are: ‘In Spite of the Gods’ by Edward Luce, ‘Nudge’ by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, and ‘A Most Wanted Man’ by John le Carre.”
Harriet Kassman, owner, Harriet Kassman boutique
“Cathie Black’s book, ‘Basic Black: The Essential Guide to Getting Ahead in Work and Life.’ She’s a friend of mine and a heroine to me in so many ways, and her book is just a great read filled with practical advice.”
Rep. James Moran, D-Va.
" ‘Panic’ by Michael Lewis; ‘The Dark Side’ by Jane Mayer; ‘The Post American World’ by Fareed Zakaria; ‘Legacy of Ashes’ by Tim Weiner.”
George Stephanopolous, ABC News
" ‘Lessons in Disaster’ by Gordon Goldstein and Steve Martin’s memoir, ‘Born Standing Up.’ ”
Ashok Bajaj, restaurateur, The Oval Room, Bombay Club, Rasika, Ardeo
" ‘Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age’ by Arthur Herman.”
Luke Russert, NBC News
" ‘The Last Campaign’ by Thurston Clarke; ‘The Post American World’ by Fareed Zakaria,’ ‘The Israel Lobby and U.S Foreign Policy’ by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt.
Thomas Quinn, lobbyist, Venable LLP
“The Bernie Madoff story is better than any fiction.”
Dana Perino, White House press secretary
" ‘I’ve read a lot of books this year. My favorite — and the one that was the most thought-provoking after the Africa trip last year, I guess I’d have to say — was ‘Left to Tell’ by Immaculee Ilibagiza.”
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
" ‘Roma’ by Steven Saylor, tracing a Roman family’s history from Romulus to Augustus Caesar.”
Bo Blair, restaurateur, Rookery, Surfside, Smith Point
“I’m a bad guy to ask. I’m too busy to read books.”
Kate Roberts, founder, YouthAIDS and Five & Alive
" ‘Between Two Worlds’ by Zainab Salbi; ‘Across the Red River: Rwanda, Burundi and the Heart of Darkness’ by Christian Jennings.”
Tony Blankley, executive vice president, Edelman
“ ‘Wodehouse: A Life’ by Robert McCrum; ‘Thames’ by Peter Ackroyd; ‘The Reagan Diaries’ by Ronald Reagan.”
Lloyd Hand, senior counsel, King & Spalding
“ ‘The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country’ by Howard Fineman; ‘Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within’ by Shuja Nawaz.”
Jamie Hess,
nightlife promoter
“ ‘In the Ring’ by Bob Bennett; ‘Merde Happens’ by Stephen Clarke; ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell.”
Norah O’Donnell,
NBC News
“With three kids under 2, we slept so little that I read very little of substance! It was all baby books.”
