May 12, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: Newt Gingrich and His Daughter Assemble Comments from Liberals, Conservatives from Many Professions in '5 Principles for a Successful Life'
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
You wouldn't expect to find advice for a successful life from Rush Limbaugh and Bill Clinton in the same book, but former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and his daughter Jackie Gingrich Cushman have managed to do just that in "5 Principles for a Successful Life: From Our Family to Yours" (Crown Forum, $22.00, 224 pages.)
Other advice givers include Mary Matalin and her husband James Carville, strategists on the right and left sides of the political spectrum, respectively; NBC newsman and best-selling author Tom Brokaw; Gen. David Petraeus; radio host and son of the Great Communicator Michael Reagan; Tucker Carlson; Whoopi Goldberg and dozens of others. The book is heavy with advice from past and present military officers, including Lt. Col. Oliver North, Gen. Peter Pace and Gen. John P. Abizaid.
Bill Clinton writes about the importance of gratitude in helping him achieve his goals: "I was born into a family without wealth or powerful connections," he writes. "But from my mother and other relatives, I was given a more powerful gift: the belief that I could do anything in life with big dreams, hard work, and a genuine interest in and respect for other people."
Whoopi Goldberg takes a line from Shakespeare, who did a bit of acting in his time: "To thine own self be true" to explain her success: "I live by 'Be true to yourself' because who else can you really be true to? Each decision you make moves you a little further in life. Sometimes, if you are true to other people's principles, they move you back. And if you adhere to someone else's principles you may move forward, but somehow you're not as steady, you're not as clear, you're not as strong."
Here are the five principles:
1. Dream Big, like Walt Disney, who didn't let failure and naysayers stop him from achieving his dreams...or like Jackie Gingrich Cushman's sister, Kathy, who didn't let a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis stop her from completing a walking marathon and raising money to help cure the disease.
2. Work Hard, like Newt Gingrich himself, as his daughter remembers. Working hard, she says, can be a surprising source of energy. Another example in the book is John "Jack" Horner, a man who was a technical adviser on the "Jurassic Park" movies and from his early boyhood "wanted more than anything to be a dinosaur paleontologist when I grew up."
3. Learn Every Day. The key is to remember that learning is a reciprocal process. Newt Gingrich was interested in everything. Luckily, he had a family that encouraged him to learn constantly. "My grandmother, Ethel Daugherty has been a schoolteacher, and she taught me to read before I went to school. She said over and over 'You can learn anywhere, from anyone. Keep your eyes and ears open.'"
4. Enjoy Life. The authors draw from ancient philosophers like Aristotle, who said "Happiness depends upon ourselves" and modern scientific studies to show that successful people work hard to achieve their dreams and complement that hard work with a capacity to "really enjoy the journey you're on." Rush Limbaugh advises "There should be no guilt in the pursuit of happiness and the enjoyment of life."
5. Be True to Yourself. After he left the speakership in 1999, Newt Gingrich reassessed his life and career, after 26 years of running for office and serving in Congress, he was faced "with the daunting challenge of thinking through a new career." He set out to determine what he would not do, become a lobbyist, take a job with one firm which would monopolize his life, etc. He began by studying science, fulfilling his passion for learning.
I'm not a big fan of self-help books, but the diversity of the contributors and the the essential soundness of their advice -- combined with the words and writing structure of the father-daughter author team -- convinced me that this is a book everyone can enjoy and learn from. I was especially taken with the section on Walt Disney, quoting from a 2006 book I had read and reviewed, Neal Gabler's "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination." If one person had to be chosen to symbolize success in America, it would be difficult to find one more intriguing than Walt Disney. Gabler's book is quoted and listed in an excellent reading list at the end of the book.
If you travel a lot, pack this book along with your laptop, iPhone, BlackBerry, etc. It's worth reading and re-reading.
* * *
About the Authors
Newt Gingrich is best known as the chief architect of the Contract with America. A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, he has published eighteen books, including the bestsellers Real Change and Rediscovering God in America, and most recently, Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less. Newt lives in Virginia with his wife, Callista. The Gingrich family includes two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren. Visit www.newt.org.
Jackie Gingrich Cushman writes a weekly human-interest column for Townhall.com. Her nonprofit activities include serving on the Georgia Advisory Council: The Trust for Public Land and as president of the Learning Makes a Difference Foundation, which she founded in 2006. Jackie and Jimmy Cushman Jr. live with their two children in Atlanta. Visit www.jackiecushman.com.
Publisher's web site: www.crownforum.com
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BOOK REVIEW: Newt Gingrich and His Daughter Assemble Comments from Liberals, Conservatives from Many Professions in '5 Principles for a Successful Life'
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
You wouldn't expect to find advice for a successful life from Rush Limbaugh and Bill Clinton in the same book, but former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and his daughter Jackie Gingrich Cushman have managed to do just that in "5 Principles for a Successful Life: From Our Family to Yours" (Crown Forum, $22.00, 224 pages.)
Other advice givers include Mary Matalin and her husband James Carville, strategists on the right and left sides of the political spectrum, respectively; NBC newsman and best-selling author Tom Brokaw; Gen. David Petraeus; radio host and son of the Great Communicator Michael Reagan; Tucker Carlson; Whoopi Goldberg and dozens of others. The book is heavy with advice from past and present military officers, including Lt. Col. Oliver North, Gen. Peter Pace and Gen. John P. Abizaid.
Bill Clinton writes about the importance of gratitude in helping him achieve his goals: "I was born into a family without wealth or powerful connections," he writes. "But from my mother and other relatives, I was given a more powerful gift: the belief that I could do anything in life with big dreams, hard work, and a genuine interest in and respect for other people."
Whoopi Goldberg takes a line from Shakespeare, who did a bit of acting in his time: "To thine own self be true" to explain her success: "I live by 'Be true to yourself' because who else can you really be true to? Each decision you make moves you a little further in life. Sometimes, if you are true to other people's principles, they move you back. And if you adhere to someone else's principles you may move forward, but somehow you're not as steady, you're not as clear, you're not as strong."
Here are the five principles:
1. Dream Big, like Walt Disney, who didn't let failure and naysayers stop him from achieving his dreams...or like Jackie Gingrich Cushman's sister, Kathy, who didn't let a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis stop her from completing a walking marathon and raising money to help cure the disease.
2. Work Hard, like Newt Gingrich himself, as his daughter remembers. Working hard, she says, can be a surprising source of energy. Another example in the book is John "Jack" Horner, a man who was a technical adviser on the "Jurassic Park" movies and from his early boyhood "wanted more than anything to be a dinosaur paleontologist when I grew up."
3. Learn Every Day. The key is to remember that learning is a reciprocal process. Newt Gingrich was interested in everything. Luckily, he had a family that encouraged him to learn constantly. "My grandmother, Ethel Daugherty has been a schoolteacher, and she taught me to read before I went to school. She said over and over 'You can learn anywhere, from anyone. Keep your eyes and ears open.'"
4. Enjoy Life. The authors draw from ancient philosophers like Aristotle, who said "Happiness depends upon ourselves" and modern scientific studies to show that successful people work hard to achieve their dreams and complement that hard work with a capacity to "really enjoy the journey you're on." Rush Limbaugh advises "There should be no guilt in the pursuit of happiness and the enjoyment of life."
5. Be True to Yourself. After he left the speakership in 1999, Newt Gingrich reassessed his life and career, after 26 years of running for office and serving in Congress, he was faced "with the daunting challenge of thinking through a new career." He set out to determine what he would not do, become a lobbyist, take a job with one firm which would monopolize his life, etc. He began by studying science, fulfilling his passion for learning.
I'm not a big fan of self-help books, but the diversity of the contributors and the the essential soundness of their advice -- combined with the words and writing structure of the father-daughter author team -- convinced me that this is a book everyone can enjoy and learn from. I was especially taken with the section on Walt Disney, quoting from a 2006 book I had read and reviewed, Neal Gabler's "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination." If one person had to be chosen to symbolize success in America, it would be difficult to find one more intriguing than Walt Disney. Gabler's book is quoted and listed in an excellent reading list at the end of the book.
If you travel a lot, pack this book along with your laptop, iPhone, BlackBerry, etc. It's worth reading and re-reading.
* * *
About the Authors
Newt Gingrich is best known as the chief architect of the Contract with America. A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, he has published eighteen books, including the bestsellers Real Change and Rediscovering God in America, and most recently, Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less. Newt lives in Virginia with his wife, Callista. The Gingrich family includes two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren. Visit www.newt.org.
Jackie Gingrich Cushman writes a weekly human-interest column for Townhall.com. Her nonprofit activities include serving on the Georgia Advisory Council: The Trust for Public Land and as president of the Learning Makes a Difference Foundation, which she founded in 2006. Jackie and Jimmy Cushman Jr. live with their two children in Atlanta. Visit www.jackiecushman.com.
Publisher's web site: www.crownforum.com
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