BAG MAN

5 stars out of 5

Whining about a witch hunt? Pleading innocence while claiming fake news? Circumventing (or outright ignoring) the U.S. Constitution and attempting to obstruct justice? Hmmmm - has a familiar ring. But in this case, we're not talking about current events; rather, it was in the early to mid-1970s, and the person saying and doing all those things was President Richard Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew - who was being investigated for a slew of crimes including bribery and extortion.

It's a story that brings back memories; as a relatively young wife and mother, I watched as Agnew's predicament unfolded - for the most part overshadowed by the concurrent unfolding of the Watergate scandal that ultimately brought down Agnew's far higher-profile boss. It was meaningful to me in another sense; what Nixon and Agnew did, I believe, marked the beginning of the end of my many years of staunch Republicanism. I'd never really paid a lot of attention to party affiliation - my focus was more on platforms, and my votes went to those with which I most agreed. On the other hand, I happily voted for Richard Nixon - not once, but twice - an admission I was now embarrassed to admit.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm now a left-leaning moderate, huge fan of Rachel Maddow and long-time career journalist whose blood boils when I hear those who unfairly (IMHO) call mainstream media "corrupt." So when this book came along, everything sort of came together as a story I wanted to learn more about - so I set aside my customary fare of free-for-review police procedurals, thrillers and blood-and-guts murder mysteries to give it a go. And by golly, it's a well-written, well-researched gem that's both informative and entertaining. Much of the overall story is familiar because, well, I lived through it. But the devil is in the details; especially surprising were a few involving former President George H.W. Bush and, to a lesser extent, crooner Frank Sinatra. Also of note are the "heroes" - those prosecutors and legislators who, unlike most of today's crop, were willing to put the Rule of Law above party politics.

The rest I'll leave for you to read. If you're a fan of the current (as I write this) administration, be forewarned that you'll run into a few spicy comments that mirror the kinds of things DR. Maddow says on her TV news show. Overall, it's a totally satisfying and easily digestible way to pack in some history that's relevant to the times in which we live. Kudos!

Bag Man by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz (Crown, December 2020); 304 pp.