Political exposé, position piece, rattling good yarn: Senator Clark’s Memoirs cross a broad and diverse terrain. If one were to single out two passages of enduring worth, the first would be the encounter with Steve Biko, and the second, the “tortoise strategy” of the walk across Iowa for election.

“The memoir is a joy to read. Clark’s prose is clear and straightforward; modesty and a reflective intellect are evident throughout. Clark concludes with a full throated critique of the increasing role of money in elections in recent years, lamenting the associated precipitous decline of non-partisanship.” — John McCarthy, Distinguished Professor, Penn State University

SENATOR DICK CLARK was elected Senator from Iowa in 1972. He is one of a select few American public servants whose name is associated with the downfall of apartheid in South Africa: his defeat in the senatorial campaign of 1978 resulted in part from the South African government’s secret and illegal monetary contributions to his opponent. He subsequently spent many years founding and directing the Congressional Program of the Aspen Institute, through which members of the United States Congress receive incisive non-partisan orientation in current issues of foreign and domestic policy.