No Such Thing As a Bad Day

The former White House chief-of-staff recalls his youth in the civil rights-era South, his years in Washington during the Carter administration, and his battle with three different types of cancer.

Political reflections mingle with cancer war stories in this memoir by former presidential aide Jordan. In the last two decades of the 20th century, after serving as Jimmy Carter's chief of staff, Jordan (who caused a scandal in the Carter White House when it was reported that he'd used cocaine and insulted the wife of the Egyptian ambassador at a state dinner--charges he unequivocally denies) was diagnosed with cancer--three times. A strong advocate for aggressive treatments--he chose chemotherapy for his lymphoma and surgical removal of his prostate for his prostate cancer (his third bout of cancer involved a skin lesion, which was removed)--Jordan reflects on the lessons he's learned while surviving cancer. He gives his "ten top tips for cancer patients"; advises others to research their prognosis and treatment and to find experienced physicians; and advocates investigating the mind/body connection (studies have shown, he notes, that patients with strong relationships and a positive attitude survive longer). Along the way, he emphasizes his belief that his treatments were successful because he took responsibility for his medical care. But he also reflects on his life more generally: convinced that his cancers were caused by exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, Jordan takes some time to discuss the war as well as his southern Georgia childhood and his political career. He thoughtfully contrasts his beloved, but racist, father with a cousin who was a civil rights activist, and he also settles some old scores in a somewhat mean-spirited fashion--including one with President Clinton, whom he clearly dislikes. Although artlessly written and at times randomly assembled, this book is a quirky, feisty addition to the growing stack of memoirs by late-20th-century presidential aides. 100,000 first printing; 6-city author tour. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Although Jordan, who served as President Carter's chief-of-staff, dislikes having his old boss described as our most effective ex-president, Jordan's most important accomplishments have also occurred after his Washington years. Jordan endured three attacks of cancer by the time he was 50--a near-fatal lymphoma as well as prostate and skin cancer--and has beaten them all. He offers cancer sufferers and their families ways to combat the disease by, in part, being positive and proactive. Cancer's shadow hung over Jordan long before he was first diagnosed in 1985. His father died from prostate cancer and his mother from lung cancer, while the President he served lost his three siblings to pancreatic cancer. Here, Jordan offers descriptions of his three bouts with cancer, interspersed with anecdotes about his life, including his tour as a civilian volunteer in Vietnam (where his exposure to Agent Orange may have caused his cancers) and the story of Camp Sunshine, the camp for cancer-stricken children he founded with his wife, a pediatric oncology nurse, three years before his first attack. Jordan's sound, upbeat advice makes this a good choice for public libraries.
-Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

How time flies. And what happened to Jordan, former White House chief of staff during the Jimmy Carter administration? Some readers will be interested in this memoir primarily for political scuttlebutt, and they'll find what they seek. But the readers most likely to value Jordan's reflections are patients and caregivers coping with cancer. Jordan became involved with cancer support groups in the '80s, working with his wife, who had been an oncology nurse, to establish Camp Sunshine for kids with cancer. But then Jordan himself was diagnosed with three different types of cancer--non-Hodgkins lymphoma, prostate cancer, and skin cancer--before he was 50. His experiences treating and fighting the disease have been a dominant thread in his life since he left the White House. Jordan's narrative shifts back and forth in time, covering Vietnam and the Jim Crow South, his own "special prosecutor" experience, and activism for increased funding for cancer research. Jordan closes the book with advice on overcoming cancer, including "top 10 tips" for patients. This is a book composed of involving, positive medical memories, plus stories that get even with a handful of Jordan's DC foes. Mary Carroll