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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness Author:Peggy Noonan Readers who remember Noonan's first book, What I Saw at the Revolution (1990), will be surprised to find a more private and reflective account here. In fact, they may find after the first 100 pages or so that they already have learned plenty about the personal life and views of this former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, thank you very much. Not... more » surprisingly, the book is split into three sections: "Life," "Liberty," and "The Pursuit of Happiness." The most entertaining of these is "Life," in which Noonan describes what it was like being a single mother moving from Washington, D.C., to Manhattan in the early 1990s. (The best part is where she finds out that the house she now inhabits had at one time been lived in by author Louis Auchincloss; this gives her the necessary sign that moving to New York to write was definitely the right decision.) "Liberty" is more whiny than amusing. There, Noonan bemoans the plight of the nation now that a Democrat--albeit a moderate Democrat--is in the White House. However, this chapter does supply the expected Capitol Hill gossip that readers might be craving. The last section, "The Pursuit of Happiness," is the most introspective and, sadly, the most self-indulgent. Noonan gives a touching description of her newfound sense of spirituality, but she belittles the beauty of that story by adopting a this-is-the-only-answer attitude. Her writing is eloquent, though, and readers looking for a conservative's thoughtful take on the world today will find it here.« less