A Good Fight - Hardcover

Brady, Sarah; Mcloughlin, Merrill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586481053 ISBN 13: 9781586481056

Publisher: PublicAffairs, 2002

Synopsis

Brady's autobiography centers on one pivotal event the March 31, 1980 attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, the same shooting that disabled her husband. She describes their lives before and after the shooting, emphasizing how the unexpected can change the life-course of an entire family. She specifically details her activities as an anti-gun activist, and reacts to her recent cancer diagnosis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About this title

Review

"After a disaster," writes Sarah Brady, "you shouldn't try to go back and live exactly the way you did before." Brady has weathered the crippling of her husband by attempted Reagan assassin John Hinckley, the gun-control battle against the National Rifle Association, scorn heaped on her by pro-gun conservative pundits, raising a son with learning disabilities, and recurrent cancer. These hardships have taught her abundant lessons in how to conduct a political campaign and reckon with shortcomings and doubts, lessons she imparts throughout this highly readable memoir.

Those hardships have only steeled Brady's resolve both to win her battles and enjoy her time in the sun--a good fight indeed. --Gregory McNamee

From the Author

My ambition, growing up, was to be June Cleaver. I wanted to be a wife and mother, to have a happy, peaceful home filled with the laughter of family and friends, to watch my children grow up surrounded by the same warmth and security I knew as a child.

It was not to be. In January 1980, President Ronald Reagan appointed my husband, Jim Brady, as his White House press secretary. And on March 31 of that year, a would-be assassin named John Hinckley fired six shots at the President, severely wounding him and taking down my husband, as well. One of Hinckley’s bullets tore through Jim’s brain, causing devastating damage that changed our lives forever.

This is the story of what happened to Jim, to me and to our son Scott, who was just two when Jim was shot. It’s a story of great terror, pain and dislocation, but also of triumph, love and transformation. Above all, it’s a story about how you cannot know what life will bring.

Three years after Jim was shot, we were out with friends one day when Scott found what he thought was a toy gun. It turned out to be quite real, a cheap little pistol much like the one that had wounded Jim. In utter fury, I called the National Rifle Association, which was lobbying against all gun control laws. I said, “You don’t know me, but my name is Sarah Brady, and I’m going to make it my life’s ambition to put you out of business.”

For more than a decade, I worked as hard as I could on behalf of sensible gun laws, laws that would keep guns out of the hands of those who should never have them—children, criminals, the mentally deranged. Jim and I fought for what became known as the Brady Law, and also a ban on assault-style weapons. Along the way, we made many enemies and a multitude of friends.

Finally, we semi-retired to let others continue the battle. Now I am facing another fight—this time, for my life. I have lung cancer, which has so far resisted all treatment. I love our life now—peaceful and happy at last. I want to see Scott achieve his goals. I want grandchildren.

I have no intention of giving up. As my friends in the National Rifle Association will attest, I love a good fight.

About this edition

• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1586481053
• ISBN 13: 9781586481056
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272