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What It Takes cover art

What It Takes

Written by: Richard Ben Cramer
Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
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Publisher's Summary

An American Iliad in the guise of contemporary political reportage, What It Takes penetrates the mystery at the heart of all presidential campaigns: How do presumably ordinary people acquire that mixture of ambition, stamina, and pure shamelessness that makes a true candidate?

As he recounts the frenzied course of the 1988 presidential race - and scours the psyches of contenders from George Bush and Robert Dole to Michael Dukakis and Gary Hart - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer comes up with the answers, in a book that is vast, exhaustively researched, exhilarating, and sometimes appalling in its revelations.

©1992 Richard Ben Cramer (P)2020 Tantor

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A terrific and compelling read

One of the best political books out there today. Recommended for any aspiring politico or anyone who finds the evolving US political landscape interesting.

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