Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in America

by Donna Brazile

Book Overview

Cooking with Grease is an inspiring, behind-the-scenes memoir of the life and times of a tenacious political organizer and the first African-American woman to head a major presidential campaign.
Donna Brazile fought her first political fight at age nine -- campaigning (successfully) for a city council candidate who promised a playground in her neighborhood. The day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, she committed her heart...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074325399X
• ISBN13: 9780743253994
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A Great Read

I started reading this book and could not put it down. It is a very interesting read and gives an insight on how important voting is. Every true (and I mean EVERY!!) patriot should read this book. I have always watched her on CNN and wondered what was behind her; now i know. To Donna, you are simply the greatest of all time!!!!

Inside look with little "spin"

Hundreds of "insider" political biographies have been written over the last few years. This book gives a very accurate and insightful look at what actually goes on at the highest levels of national politics, with a minimum of "spin." Unlike many others, Brazile has few axes to grind and spends little time shining her own reputation. I found the chapters about her early years more compelling than those written by Bill Clinton about his early life. This is an important book to read now, but it may be even more valuable to historians years from now in their attempt to understand this period of US history.

"Cooking with Grease" Turns the Simmer into a Boil

"Cooking with Grease "Stirring the Pots in American Politics" is our ultimate wake-up call to action! Passive and dormant no more, we must all recognize that an ongoing simmer is sure to boil at a certain temperature. In the book, you'll read and understand how "quick-second" decisions made by our politicians will create circumstances that have an altering and enduring impact to our lives -individually and collectively. The book also documents the value of collective organization, our vote and the exhilaration of empowerment when we GOTV. "Get out the Vote". If you've never experienced this feeling before, you must read this book!Born in New Orleans and the third of nine children, Donna educates the reader as she prefaces each chapter with the essential ingredients used to make certain home-style New Orleans dishes that were traditional in her family. In each chapter, she brilliantly draws comparisons of cuisines to the harmonious blending of ingredients that are necessary for political success. For instance, Chapter 3 "Red Beans and Rice"... "Traditionally, it (red beans & rice) was served on Monday -washday-so the red beans could simmer and cook all day while attention was paid to the laundry drying on the clothesline. For me, the dish also represented the mixture of dark and light, black and white that I would encounter when we were bused to new schools to achieve integration". The book provides insight and the behind-the-scenes political traps that reveal just how powerful our vote -and in Al Gore's case; the Electoral vote, really is. You can't help but feel the warmth and support of the author's family throughout the book. You'll get the real feeling of the love and family ties that created the foundation for the integrity and values that are evident and visible in Donna today -despite the dirty games that people play.We have a calling. We have a duty to "stir up the pot" and get out the vote. This time, we cannot wait. At every level, we need to sniff, scrutinize and screen out excuses that will leave us divided and left behind. Buy the book, submit online reviews everywhere and encourage others to do the same! Let's organize and reclaim our power at the polls this time!

Brazile's book is a must read for any intelligent voter

I bought Brazile's book with the hopes of gaining an understanding of the inside scoop of Gore's campaign, and not only does the book deliver on that front, but it gives a wonderful insight into the life of a dynamic organizer who is literally the "American Dream" personified. She rose from poverty in the segregated south to running a campaign in which she was responsible for turning out the most democratic votes ever. Gore won the popular vote at the hands of this political genius. I do not understand the review from MD, as it seems that he has not read the book, or he would know the complexity of the situations for which he admonishes Brazile for. A smart reader will learn that many strategic decisions were made by a handful of paid consultants, and not endorsed by Brazile herself. Read this book if you truly want to have an understanding of what it means to be an American, and especially a studied voter.

Brazile fired me up!

I just finished Brazile's book and am more inspired than ever to get involved in the 2004 election. Donna Brazile's life has been remarkable so far. This book should be required reading in every high school and college. Brazile not only demonstrates how tenacity, hard work, and a little spunk can get you from almost nothing, to having one of the most powerful jobs in America - campaign manager to a major presidential campaign- but she does so with ease. The book flows beautifully. It's honestly a page turner, that will not leave you wondering how many pages you have to go until the end. This is a quick read, and it packs a punch. Whatever your political leanings may be, you will find this book inspirational and will come away respecting one of America's greatest living treasures.