Gary Ginsberg grew up in Buffalo New York, home to two US presidents. A lawyer by training, he has spent his professional career at the intersection of media, politics, and law. He worked for the Clinton administration, was a senior editor and counsel at the political magazine George, and then spent the next two decades in executive positions in media and technology at News Corporation, Time Warner and SoftBank. He has published pieces in the the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and was an on-air political contributor in the early days of MSNBC. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons. First Friends is his first book.
"Ginsberg has crafted an insightful series of biographies, showing
just how these friendships thrived and survived and were
consequential for the nation's history." --Booklist (starred
review)
"First Friends ... paints a crisp, well-proportioned portrait of an
otherwise under-considered area of presidential history."--National
Review
"The author wraps history and humanity in a sparkling
package."--Kitty Kelley, Washington Independent Review of Books
"I have to say, this subject is so fertile, a great subject for a
book. And the examples [Gary Ginsberg] chose are phenomenal."--John
Berman, CNN New Day
"This is...the book you want to read this summer."--Fareed Zakaria,
Fareed Zakaria GPS
"What a great book! I loved it!"--Joe Scarborough and Mika
Brzezinski, Morning Joe
"Everyone needs a BFF, especially people in high places: someone to
lean on in good times and bad. [An] entertaining and enlightening
romp through interpersonal presidential relationships."--USA
Today
"Intimate...Gary Ginsberg chronicles the unelected yet undeniably
powerful people who shape presidencies...advisers of presidents
with all-access passes to the Oval [who] can make or break
legacies."--New York Times
"Gary Ginsberg has brought us a fresh, fascinating and irresistible
account of nine presidential relationships that helped to change
history. FIRST FRIENDS demonstrates that one of the best ways of
understanding the presidents of our past is to discover their
relationships with intimate friends, and the author tells us many
important things we did not know before."--Michael Beschloss, New
York Times bestselling author of PRESIDENTS OF WAR
"A fresh, well-written take on the lives of our presidents."
--Kirkus
"Readers will delight in this intriguing look at the human side of
the presidency."--Publishers Weekly
"This book was a wonderful surprise for it is engaging,
entertaining and informative. Gary Ginsberg has opened an entire
new genre and important area of presidential study--their close
friends. This is an insightful look at presidents from the point of
view of those who can have even more influence on them than their
top advisers. Gary's reporting shines fresh light on the workings
of the highest political office in our government. Best of all, it
is a fun read."--John W. Dean, Nixon White House Counsel
"Delicious, charming and original, this examination of largely
unexplored terrain--presidents and their best friends--packs a
historical punch."--Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal columnist and
bestselling author of THE TIME OF OUR LIVES
"FIRST FRIENDS is an overdue reminder that deep friendship has
always played a priceless role in shaping the contours of history.
It gives us a fresh reminder of the power of relationships." --Tom
Brokaw
"Gary Ginsberg takes a fascinating and utterly original look at the
most crucial of questions: How do we best understand those who
occupy our highest office, and the first friends who supported
them?"--Malcolm Gladwell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
TALKING TO STRANGERS
"Even if you're an avid reader of presidential biographies, you'll
find yourself saying, 'Who knew?' all the way through FIRST
FRIENDS. Gary Ginsberg combed through diaries, letters and
interviews with an investigator's eye, teasing out personal details
about the intimacies of nine presidents and their best friends. It
is one of the best reads of the genre, rich with well-told
anecdotes, new angles on critical historical events and evidence of
the vital importance of friendship for presidents--and all of us.
This book is a joy to read."--Lesley Stahl
"One of the most important roles in any administration is that of
First Friend, the person a president can trust completely and be
relaxed around. It's a wonderful idea for a book, and with his
great research and personal feel for true friendship, Gary Ginsberg
has woven together fascinating stories and memorable insights. His
lessons are important not just for studying the presidency, but for
understanding leadership and life."--Walter Isaacson, #1 New York
Times Bestselling Author of LEONARDO DA VINCI
Ask a Question About this Product More... |