Chances of a Lifetime: A Memoir

Warren Christopher is that rarest of Washington personalities, a warm and witty public servant, once described by The Washington Post as the antithesis of the glitz-hungry, self-aggrandizing, corner-cutting political figures who dominate Washington today. In this memoir, the man whose wise counsel and sometimes parodied discretion brought him to the right hand of mayors, governors, and presidents, shares his personal recollections and impressions of leaders and events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century. Writing in tightly crafted, often self-effacing prose, Christopher chronicles how he left the privacy of life at a premiere law firm to heed calls to public service from the likes of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, and California Governor Edmund Pat Brown -- as well as Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. In his career, Christopher faced challenges as diverse as advising a president on whether to dispatch federal troops to quell civil disturbances; leading negotiations to free American hostages in Iran; investigating a major city's police force gone awry; and coping with Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. Each of the chapters is a compelling story on its own; collectively, they offer the first clear picture of the impact of this quiet North Dakotan on modern American history.

Review :
Ann Blackman author of "Seasons of Her Life: A Biography of Madeleine Korbel Albright" Warren Christopher has given us a personal, behind-the-scenes account of some of the most complex and divisive events in contemporary American history. It is an insightful memoir by a man who became a confidential troubleshooter to three U.S. presidents at critical moments: Lyndon Johnson during the race riots in American cities; Jimmy Carter during the hostage crisis in Iran; and Bill Clinton, who tapped this seasoned diplomat to help select his cabinet and then serve as secretary of state. George P. Shultz former U.S. secretary of state (1982-1989) and author of "Turmoil and Triumph" Warren Christopher comes alive in his vivid recollections of what he saw, did, and thought in the midst of many momentous events, foreign and domestic. A good read and a real contribution. Michael Beschloss author of "Taking Charge" and "The Crisis Years" Warren Christopher is the kind of public servant the Founders imagined -- a man of principle, integrity, modesty, loyalty and public spirit. In "Chances of a Lifetime, " he reveals new dimensions of some of recent history's most intriguing moments -- the Vietnam War, the Iran hostage crisis, the Los Angeles riots, the struggles over post-Soviet Russia, the Middle East, and Bosnia -- and some of its most fascinating characters, from LBJ to Bill Clinton. In this book, the leaders of the present and the future will find much to learn.