Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman

Grounded in interviews with over 150 people, Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman is a comprehensive biography of the unusual American legislator whose recent landmarks include helping to craft a compromise bill to halt the increasing wave of home mortgage foreclosures, and the $700 billion "rescue plan" that followed. An evenhanded portrait, Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman reveals both Frank's strengths and talents in communication and alliance-building, and his more negative side - such as his impatience, which is has all but become the stuff of White House legend. Of especial interest is the particular pressures Frank has come under as arguably the most prominent and widely known openly gay politician in America (his career was almost ended by a publicized sex scandal with a male prostitute). An excellent portrait of a career pragmatist and a skilled legislator, Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman is an enthusiastically recommended addition to American biography collections.

It was only about two years ago when I first came across the name Barney Frank. It must have been on Bill Maher's "Real Time," but ever since then I have been fascinated with the Congressman from the 4th District of Massachusetts. He is an engaging legislator with a quick wit and true grasp of the issues. I had the fortune of meeting him over the summer in Washington, DC. Stuart Weiserg has crafted a book that is just as engaging as its subject matter. Weisberg's chapters are rich with detail and anecdotes that humanize a figure that most of us only see on television. From his early life in New Jersey, through Harvard, to Washington and beyond, the author writes in prose that is easily discerned and digested while not sacrificing the character of his subject. This is is not an easy task, especially for a figure who is still alive, but Weisberg accomplishes his task with aplomb. For me, the only shortcoming of the book is that there is no notes section. This would have come in handy for providing links to obscure resources that could be possibly be found online. It is only a minor quibble, however, as the book itself is a triumph in political biography.

Stuart Weisberg has written a strong, clear, readable and straight biography of one of the most interesting people in American life today. Weisberg tells the story chronologically, identifying the players, clarifying the issues, and not rendering his own judgment. He quotes many of Frank's greatest lines, but provides enough details on Frank's ideology, personality and psychology so the reader can see the warts. Weisberg admires Frank but this book is not an example of hero worship. We see Frank the rude, the impatient, the gloomy, the slob as well as Frank the brilliant, the funny, the passionate, and the competent.

First, a disclaimer. I was a source for this book. That said, the book is an extraordinary political biography that describes the life of an amazing politician, but also of an era. While the term, "the spirit of the sixties" has been trivialized over time, this book highlights the best of that decade by showing the genuine idealism at its heart. Moreover, this "spirit" is transcended to the degree that Barney Frank combined - and combines - the idealism of that era with a practical approach to politics. His goal was to have a measurable effect on the lives of poor people, who were then and are today, neglected by the political elites at all levels of government. This book shows how he did this and is a very valuable primer for those driven by results in public policy rather than scoring political points. Even to this day, in his very powerful position as Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Frank remains true both to those ideals and to the practical approach to politics. Of course, the book is also peppered with endless examples of Rep. Franks wicked wit, which provides chuckles throughout. Having proudly worked for Barney Frank, I can't claim to be objective about the book. But I can report on its accuracy, which is scrupulous. I was deeply involved with a particularly period in Rep. Frank's career and I could not find a single error of fact or even interpretation on things on which I had personal knowledge. I have to say, I was surprised by the candor I found in this authorized biography. This is a "warts and all" account that is very honest about some of Rep. Frank's personal struggles and, shall we say, challenging personality traits. In the end, however, this is a story of a political leader who remains uncorrupted by the power he currently wields. He entered politics to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." Unlike many, he has stayed true to his original ideals and I believe the country is fortunate to have him at the center of our current economic travails.

Weisberg, Stuart. "Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman", University of Massachusetts Press, 2009. A Legislator, a Politician and an Incredible Man Amos Lassen Unless you live in a vacuum you know who Barney Frank is. He possesses one of the most masterful minds in the United States Congress and he is a wonderful legislator. He has principles but he compromises, he will fight for something but only in the fairest of ways and he is funny and smart and well respected. When Stuart Weisberg's biography of Frank arrived I was surprised at the size of it. Over 500 pages tell the Frank story and Weisberg has done quite a job. His research is amazing and he writes with ease about one of our most brilliant politicians. Even though this is a biography it reads like a novel and we are made privy to the incredible person that is Barney Frank. Weisberg has based his book on interviews with more than 150 people as well as more than 25 hours of interviews with Barney Frank himself. We learn all about Frank and get a complete look at his life including his New Jersey childhood, his Harvard years and his tenure in the politics of Boston through his rise to national political prominence. It surely has not been easy for Frank to be openly gay and in the national spotlight and his scandal with a male prostitute was highly publicized. But Frank has opened doors for us and fought for us and been there for us even during the time when his own future was unsure. He is, above all, a liberal and his influence is widely felt. Frank has never been a really private person and now Stuart Weisberg puts it all out there for us and he does so in an extremely readable way. This is quite a book about quite a man written by quite a man.