The Prince Of Tennessee : Al Gore Meets His Fate

In the tradition of coauthor David Maraniss's Bill Clinton biography, First in His Class, this solidly researched portrait of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore assumes readers' familiarity with his recent political activity. A scant 10 pages covers Gore's eight years as vice president, for instance; the rest concentrates instead on filling in the background. Maraniss and Ellen Nakashima both write for the Washington Post, which published portions of the book, and their journalistic experience shows in a readable narrative that smoothly integrates quotes from extensive interviews conducted with colleagues, friends, and the candidate himself. Persuasive detail and careful analysis thoroughly delineate Gore's personality: intelligent, competitive, driven to excel but not to please. Gore's oft-criticized stiffness and perceived coldness, the authors argue, come partly from a Southern formality inherited from his father, Albert Gore Sr., himself a staunch liberal whose bitter 1970 loss of his U.S. Senate seat convinced his son that it was wise not to get too far left of conservative Tennessee voters. Though a baby boomer, admitted former dope smoker, and firm environmentalist, Al Jr. emerges here as a natural moderate, comfortable working within the establishment. This conscientious chronicle of his life and career gives a good intimation of what kind of a president he'd be. --Wendy Smith

After losing the closest American election in years, Al Gore remains a fascinating political figure, a man both revered and reviled. Drawing on documents, letters, and interviews with more than three hundred people, including six lengthy conversations with the vice president, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Maraniss and Ellen Nakashima look closely at the forces that have shaped Gore's life and career to explore the man behind the contradictory public persona. Beginning with Gore's earliest years -- when this son of a senator was torn between elite Washington and rural Tennessee -- one is struck by the image of a young American prince burdened by expectations of his likely political fate. With a new afterword written after the election, The Prince of Tennessee depicts Gore as an intelligent and competent man whose struggles with self-doubt and insecurity made him one of our least understood presidential candidates.