Counsel to the president
a memoir
From Author's Note: "..this work began as an exercise in recall...of some of the events that have shaped the world we live in." It certainly is that. It is a first person account of intimate participation in a circle of powerful leaders from Harry Truman to presidents up to Jimmie Carter. The heavy detail is on the Democrats, but there is commentary on some Republicans as well. Clifford's position as an "advisor" to all of them and during Johnson's administration holding the high cabinet position as Secretary of Defense placed him in the center of the action in the White House during all the momentous events of the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and all the social crises the country faced from the end of WWII to the 90's. It is an easy read, full of important facts, and generous trivia about the inner workings of presidential administrations. Highly recommended reading.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Nonfiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Urgent pace
Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.
A good fit if…
Readers looking for a substantial, immersive commitment with room for a world or argument to unfold.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-3854-2398-4
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL1702576M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.
Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
- Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
- How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Nonfiction books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
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Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar publication era.
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Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar publication era.
The Monuments of Ancient Egypt:
by Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch, Foreword by T. G. H. James
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar publication era.