And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress by Charles B. Rangel, Leon E. Wynter, Leon Wynter (With)

From the Publisher

In this inspiring and often humorous memoir, Charles Rangel, the outspoken Democratic congressman from Harlem--now the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee--tells about his early years on Lenox Avenue, being awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in a horrific Korean War battle (the last bad day of his life, he says), and his many years in Congress.

A charming, natural storyteller, Rangel recalls growing up in Harlem, where from the age of nine he always had at least one job, including selling the legendary Adam Clayton Powell's newspaper; his group of streetwise sophisticates who called themselves Les Garçons; and his time in law school--his decison to attend was made as much to win his grandfather's approval as to establish a career. He recounts as well his life in New York politics during the 1960s and yhe grueling civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery.

The New York Times - Eric Alterman

Charlie Rangel's memoir…is mercifully short on laundry lists, but long on sass and spirit…And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since brims with brio…Rangel's racially based, clubhouse style of politics may not appeal to everyone—including this reviewer. (A resident of his district, I left my ballot for congressman blank in the last election.) But as a politician/raconteur with a hell of a tale to tell, he sure has my vote.

Publishers Weekly

Congressman Rangel didn't become one of the highest-ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives, or the newly appointed chair of the Ways and Means Committee, by alienating his colleagues, and he upholds that tradition in this memoir. A few of his anecdotes reflect badly on Republicans, but mostly the emphasis is on Rangel. The title comes from the attitude he adopted after nearly dying in the Korean War. "I lost my right to complain about anything again in life" after that, he explains, though the lesson really sank in after a job counselor pressured the high school dropout to choose a career and helped him get the college education that sent him to law school and beyond. Such stories from Rangel's early life, when he straddled the line between street life and higher aspirations, offer some of the most engaging passages. As for contemporary politics, Rangel revels in his role persuading Hillary Clinton to run for the Senate, while occasionally weighing in on the war in Iraq and the "kind of racist algebra" he believes keeps the GOP from making concessions to black voters. All in all, a fairly standard political memoir. B&w photos. (Apr. 5)

Jill Ortner - Library Journal

In this entertaining memoir, less a study of politics than an account of a remarkable life, the 19-term congressman from Harlem takes the reader from the days of his somewhat misdirected youth during the Depression and World War II to the present as he assumes the chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Along the way, Rangel was awarded the Bronze Star for leading his unit to safety after a deadly nighttime attack at Kunuri, Korea. (He won a Purple Heart as well.) Because he survived that attack, he has faced every adversity since with the perspective that nothing could be worse than that experience; hence his declaration, "I haven't had a bad day since." A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rangel offers insight on the Civil Rights movement's struggles and advances, as well as a true insider's view of the triumphs and turmoil of his past 40 years in politics. Recommended for most public libraries.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt