NO KIDS, NO MONEY AND A CHEVY

A Politically Incorrect Memoir

 

Opening two days before President Franklin Roosevelt's death, Part I covers the period 1945 through 1966, including Brooklyn, New York's comfort and simplicity in the early fifties. Especially entertaining is the chapter "Mame," the author's wife's nickname, a classic love story chronicling the couple's first meeting through their marriage.

Part II focuses on the author's service in the Marines and begins with his training in Quantico, Va., where his experiences range from hilarious to grueling. The chapter "Vietnam: Our Least Popular and Least Successful War" precedes compelling individual stories amid historical accounts of the war. The part ends with Mansfield's joyous homecoming from Vietnam.
Part III opens with "Modern Watersheds: May 4, 1970 and September 11, 2001." Here Mansfield elucidates his view of the dates' significance by comparing their effects, respectively, to November 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated, and December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. This part also describes his business career, his life in Paris and London, and the side-splitting tale of a physical attack on the author.

Part IV is a rousing exposé of contemporary America's culture wars.

Part V contains several short biographies, and concludes with "Kid Stuff" on the rearing of Mansfield's own children and the values he deems essential to producing self-reliant, responsible citizens.