Every Day Is Extra eAudiobook MP3

Every Day Is Extra is John Kerry's personal story. The title comes from a saying he and his buddies had in Vietnam. A child ofprivilege, Kerry went to private schools and Yale, then enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. He commanded riverpatrols swift boats and was highly decorated, but he discovered that the truth about what was happening in Vietnam wasdifferent from what the government was reporting. He returned home disillusioned, became active against the war, and testifiedin Congress as a 27-year-old veteran who opposed the war.

In 2004he ran for president against the incumbent, George W. Bush and came within one state Ohio of winning. In Every Day Is Extrahe explains why he chose not to contest widespread voting irregularities in Ohio, fearing that after the 2000 election went to the U.S. Supreme Court, another challenge would undermine confidence in the voting system.

Kerry returned to the Senate, endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008, and when Clinton resigned in 2012 to run forthe presidency, Kerry was confirmed as Secretary of State.In that position he tried and like all his predecessors, failed to find peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (he is critical of both sides but especially Prime Minister Netanyahu); dealt with the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS; negotiated theIran nuclear deal; and signed the Paris climate accord.

This is a personal book, sometimes angry, sometimes funny, always moving. Secretary Kerry describes some of theremarkable events of his life, such as discovering that his paternal grandfather committed suicide something his father nevertold him and that this grandfather was Jewish, not Irish (he changed his name to Kerry from Kohn, and also converted toCatholicism). His account of his experiences in Vietnam is riveting.His story of his first realmeeting with John McCain, another Vietnam veteran, is one of the most moving stories in the book; his respect for McCain isgenuine and inspiring. Every Day Is Extra shows listenershow arduous it is to run for president and how demanding the role ofsecretary of state is.

Listeners of this audio book, whatever their political persuasion, will come away grateful that we have public servants who are preparedto spend their lives in service to their country. They will also come away with a new appreciation of John Kerry, a man oftenportrayed as aloof and stiff, but as this book reveals, funny, warm, and dedicated.