An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal [Or How I Became the Most Hated Hispanic in America]

By Linda Chavez

When President George W. Bush nominated Linda Chavez to be Secretary of Labor in January 2001, most political observers saw it as a nod to the right. Chavez had made her reputation taking on the civil rights establishment, the feminist movement, and the multiculturalists. What few people knew was that this hard-nosed conservative began her career among socialists and labor-union officials, teaching in college affirmative-action programs and writing political propaganda for the Democratic National Committee.In An Unlikely Conservative, Chavez recounts her political journey from the Young People's Socialist League to the Reagan wing of the Republican Party-and the sometimes shocking personal experiences that shaped her views. From excrement-smeared car seats to threats of attacks with bombs and switchblades, she learned quickly that opposing racial quotas and ethnic studies carried a high personal cost. But at its core, hers is the story of a working-class Hispanic girl who overcomes a difficult and painful childhood to become one of America's most prominent political conservatives. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465089038
• ISBN13: 9780465089031
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

AN EXAMPLE OF TRUE COMPASSION

Linda Chavez is indeed an "unlikely conservative." Her Hispanic roots in Albuquerque, her tumultuous family life, her chaotic married life to a Jewish husband she loves very much, her experiences as a caring mother, her accounts of affirmative action at the University of Colorado and at UCLA, her up-close-and-personal days as a teacher of troubled young people, her labor-union days, her civil rights advocacy, her religious...

Inspiring life story, educational political story

(Full disclosure: One of Linda Chavez's friends and former colleagues, mentioned several times in this book, is a friend of my wife's and mine as well. I've never met Miss Chavez, however -- though, after reading this book, I wouldn't mind doing so someday.)In the whole vast array of American culture, few people are as morally represensible as those who insist that a person's race or ethnicity (or sex or sexual preference)...

Required Reading

Linda Chavez has written a book that should be required reading for all of the young, and not so young, starry-eyed idealists who honestly want to change the world in which they live. While her life story is interesting, the the personal growth story is compelling, as she is able to effectively and brilliantly convey the story of how a person can continue to grow throughout her life: through continual re-assessment of personal...

OUTSTANDING

This very personal memoir reveals a side of Linda Chavez that even her longtime admirers probably haven't seen before. She is of course a brilliant lady--a sharp observer of culture and politics. Here we learn how a working-class Hispanic girl made an unexpected journey from dingy apartments in New Mexico and Colorado to the corridors of power in Washington. The story is gripping and the prose is excellent. She provides an...

Book of the Year

I read this book because I have always enjoyed Linda Chavez's thought-provoking syndicated columns, but she definitely saved her best writing for this memoir. You get to see a side of her, and other public figures such as President George W. Bush, that you don't normally see on television and in the newspapers. Linda's story is unbelievably inspiring. I give this book the highest rating I can possibly give...without a doubt,...