Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms

In a book as fierce and stunning as a prize fight, Ed Rollins tells of his many triumphs and sometimes spectacular blunders during a thirty-year career in American politics. From the Reagan presidency to the campaigns of Ross Perot and Christine Todd Whitman, Rollins has long been at the red-hot center. Now, in Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms, he gives us the inside story on Washington and many of its most prominent players with sharp reflections, revealing and frequently irreverent anecdotes, and always astonishing candor.

Once a champion amateur boxer, Rollins brings the pugnacious spirit of a born fighter to everything he does. Never shy about his opinions, he now delivers the kind of take-no-prisoners honesty for which he is notorious. He dissects the personalities of Richard Nixon, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, George Bush, Ross Perot, James Baker, Michael and Arianna Huffington, and Newt Gingrich. He shows how political campaigns really operate, and he offers keen insight on this year’s contenders, from Bill Clinton to Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan.

Part autobiography and part political primer, this is a deeply compelling story and a highly personal look into the inner workings of government and campaigns. Ed Rollins’s passion for the game and thoughtful insight into our political system make this a must-read for anyone interested in how the game of contemporary politics is really played.