Hard Call, by John McCain with Mark Salter - Large Print Reviews

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Hard Call
By John McCain with Mark Salter
Read by John McCain and Daniel Hugh Kelly

Hard Call
Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them
By John McCain with Mark Salter
Read by John McCain and Daniel Hugh Kelly
Hachette Audio, (2007)
An Abridged Recording on 7 CDs
ISBN 10: 1-59483-943-3
ISBN 13: 978-59483-943-6
Genre: History, Biography

Reviewed by Auggie Moore - September 19, 2007

Hard Call is an unforgettable collection of short vignettes and biographies of the men and women whom Arizona Senator, and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, feels best represent six standards of virtue and decision making - awareness, timing, foresight, confidence, humility, and inspiration.

Written with Mark Salter, Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them consists of equal parts history, biography, and inspiration. The authors detail the hard decisions that their subjects made, and how and why they came to make them. Most important, they have selected subjects from all walks of life, from everyday people to athletes, scientist, politicians, soldiers, entrepreneurs, and more. While most of McCain's decision makers are men, a sprinkling of stories about extraordinary women also appear in this book.

The book is organized into six sections, with each section highlighting an individual whom McCain feels exemplifies one of his six key decision making virtues: awareness, timing, foresight, confidence, humility, and inspiration. The writing in this book is almost lyrical in quality, and it makes for an ideal book to be recorded in an audio format. This audio edition of the book is read by John McCain and Daniel Hugh Kell. The book can also be listened to, or read, in small chunks. The nature of the book makes it ideal for just listening to just one, or a few, vignettes at a time - which is perfect for those with a short commute.

Hard Call is a compelling, interesting, and an inspirational book, but one thing that it is not is political. Although McCain is running for President, he has not used this book as an opportunity to campaign or to champion his presidential hopes. Rather, this is simply a book about a group of extraordinary people whose decisions impacted no only themselves, but those around them - and at times the country, and the world as well!

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