Twelve Publishers - Hard Call

0-446-58040-6/978-0-446-58040-3
$25.99 (In Canada: $32.99)
352 pages; 6 x 9
History
Rights: U.S., Philippines, and Canada

TWELVE announces the trade paperback publication John McCain's HARD CALL: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them (ISBN: 044669911X; $15.99). In addition to being first-rate historical storytelling, Hard Call shows readers how McCain thinks about the art of making decisions. Perhaps that's a good thing to know about someone who might be our next president.

According to Twelve publisher Jonathan Karp, "Publishing the hardcover edition of Hard Call in August, just as John McCain's presidential campaign was being declared dead, was not a great decision on our part. But we had faith in John McCain's judgment, which is apparent on every page of this book. Hard Call is full of examples of leaders who stayed true to their convictions. This book is a metaphor of McCain's wisdom and tenacity." Adds Karp, "We expect a McCain surge among readers, and we will keep this enlightening book in the stores for a hundred years if we have to."

The paperback edition of HARD CALL will be published on February 29, 2008. For more information, please contact Cary Goldstein, Director of Publicity, 212-364-1266, cary.goldstein@hbgusa.com.

In Hard Call, acclaimed authors John McCain and Mark Salter describe the anatomy of great decisions in history by telling the remarkable stories of men and women who have exemplified composure, wisdom, and intellect in the face of life’s toughest decisions.

The authors identify six qualities typically represented in the best decisions: Awareness. Timing. Foresight. Confidence. Humility. Inspiration. These qualities are personified by the exceptional individuals in this book, each of whom made a hard call:

Branch Rickey’s awareness of the opposition he would face in integrating the Brooklyn Dodgers, and his sagacity in choosing the right man, Jackie Robinson, to break baseball’s color barrier.

Winston Churchill’s foresight in preparing England’s Navy for war.

Anwar Sadat’s and Menachem Begin’s timing in choosing to risk their lives and political careers by seeking peace in the aftermath of war.

Gertrude Ederle’s confidence in deciding to swim the English Channel – and her fortitude in continuing the quest against the wishes of her coach, despite the fact that no woman had ever succeeded.

Reinhold Niebuhr’s humility in deciding to abandon his pacifist views and endorse the use of violence against persecution in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Abraham Lincoln’s historic act of inspiration: His decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, the role of faith in his life, and his willingness to suffer for a cause greater than himself.

Woven into these stories are John McCain’s own views on the process and art of decision-making and examples of the hard calls we face in our lives. “When I assess a decision,” McCain writes, “I want to know all I can about the character of the decision maker before I examine the properties of the decision, its outcome or how it was arrived at.”

Hard Call is a testament to the people whose choices serve as a beacon for us all.

John McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and was named one of America’s ten best Senators in Time magazine in 2006. Previously, he served in the U.S. Navy and two terms as a U.S. representative. He has seven children and four grandchildren. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in Phoenix.

Mark Salter has worked on Senator McCain’s staff since 1989. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Diane, and their two daughters.

Together, John McCain and Mark Salter have written four books: Character Is Destiny, Why Courage Matters, Worth the Fighting For, and Faith of My Fathers, all of them New York Times bestsellers.

ALSO COMING AS AN AUDIOBOOK FROM HACHETTE AUDIO:
Unabr. CD: 1-59483-943-3/978-1-59483-943-6
$39.98 (In Canada: $51.98)

Large Print Edition:
0-446-58142-9/978-0-446-58142-4
$27.99 (In Canada: $34.99)