On the House: A Washington Memoir
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- Create Date：2021-05-01 00:19:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John Boehner
- ISBN：B08FZ8VWHS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
MaryBeth Long
，
The former speaker is a charming storyteller who clearly wrote this book himself as it is full of folksy phrases and repetition。 He and I do not agree on much politically but I enjoyed this book thoroughly because Boehner tells he truth about what he thinks， who he likes， and why。 He takes part of his own party to task for being too extreme。 He tells great stories about golf， travelling abroad as part of Congress， Gerald Ford， Barrack Obama， and more。 He's not afraid of calling a dumbass out， ei The former speaker is a charming storyteller who clearly wrote this book himself as it is full of folksy phrases and repetition。 He and I do not agree on much politically but I enjoyed this book thoroughly because Boehner tells he truth about what he thinks， who he likes， and why。 He takes part of his own party to task for being too extreme。 He tells great stories about golf， travelling abroad as part of Congress， Gerald Ford， Barrack Obama， and more。 He's not afraid of calling a dumbass out， either。 Yes， I am looking at YOU Ted Cruz。 A must read for anyone who is interested in politics。 。。。more
Kenneth
，
As a guy who reads a lot of audiobooks， I have to say this one comes across really well。 John Boehner reads the book himself， and is such a down home regular guy， it comes across in an even more conversational style than that in which it was likely written and edited。 You read a lot of books by or about Congressmen where the hand of the ghost writer is either visible， or just in shadow。 Not here。 This is John Boehner telling you what he feels like telling you。 Boehner comes across as a pretty st As a guy who reads a lot of audiobooks， I have to say this one comes across really well。 John Boehner reads the book himself， and is such a down home regular guy， it comes across in an even more conversational style than that in which it was likely written and edited。 You read a lot of books by or about Congressmen where the hand of the ghost writer is either visible， or just in shadow。 Not here。 This is John Boehner telling you what he feels like telling you。 Boehner comes across as a pretty straightforward honest guy who never really quite got over the fact that he was Speaker of the House of Representatives， one of the most important people in the world。 He tells his origin story， talks about how he got into politics and then he talks generally about what happened to him as he rose through the ranks。 The book is not particularly well organized。 It's generally thematic and， once he gets to Congress， not really chronological。 It's also extremely anecdotal and you can tell that sometimes he gets carried away spinning the yarn， and then has to work to tie the story back to the theme。 Working in Congress it seems really extraordinary that such an ordinary straightforward person would find his way to the top of the House， and how exactly that happened is not explained in the book。 It is pretty clear that under his watch， the insurgency in the house gained strength on account of forces he could barely understand much less control。 It's hard not to see this as a failure。 He left the house just in time to not really have to deal with Trump， or the increasing strength of those insurgents。 Still， he comes across as what I， and most other Republicans like me， consider to be the core of the Party。 While those of us still in the game fighting over it will have to be sharper and shrewder than Boehner was， we'd do well to keep his sense of his principles and his sense of humor。 。。。more
Will Jones
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A good man who tried。 Someone who tried to get something done。 The nutters running the place now are sad to watch。
Nancy
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I found it very entertaining， but our country is screwed。
David Lang
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A principled man we can learn from。 Inside stories of how Washington works。 Glimpse the changes in the Republican Party。 Many of them not good。 Moves fast。
nitya
，
As an Ohioan and progressive I rebuke this bonehead and his waste of trees
Mary Ann
，
I'm very glad not to have spent any money （thanks to my library） on this pathetic， self-serving effort by John Boehner to explain his failures of conscience and leadership。 I was engaged by his account of his family and his growing up in an area of Cincinnati I know well。 I have known John slightly for many years， his congressional district being adjacent to mine。 He's a very personable and genuinely nice guy， and I suppose I hoped for some redeeming motivation or， at least， expression of regret I'm very glad not to have spent any money （thanks to my library） on this pathetic， self-serving effort by John Boehner to explain his failures of conscience and leadership。 I was engaged by his account of his family and his growing up in an area of Cincinnati I know well。 I have known John slightly for many years， his congressional district being adjacent to mine。 He's a very personable and genuinely nice guy， and I suppose I hoped for some redeeming motivation or， at least， expression of regret for his action/inaction as minority leader and Speaker of the House。 Not a chance。 My major bone of contention with him has always been his refusal to bring the very bipartisan immigration reform Senate bill to the House floor in 2013， but that was before reading the book。 His role in the crippling government shutdown in October that same year was even worse。 In spite of his， he claims， adamant belief that it was unreasonable， morally wrong， and would cause pain and harm， he threw up his hands and went along with it。 He did not lead but followed， cowardice at the highest level and a betrayal of conviction。 No redemption in the pages of this memoir。 。。。more
Derek
，
This was actually great， regardless of political beliefs。 If you are a democrat， you’ll still love it。 It’s funny， heartwarming and down to earth， or， the antithesis of most DC memoirs。
Bud Winn
，
Entertaining look into DC politics and the struggle to not let power corrupt
David Eppenstein
，
Those of you interested in this book are probably waiting to read Boehner's trashing of his former GOP colleagues and the members of the last administration。 Well I am here to save you $30 as you have already read the best of what Boehner has to say by hearing or reading the advertising teases for this book。 This book is a waste of money， time， paper， and ink as John Boehner in his own words has definitively demonstrated that he is a mediocrity that had no business in Congress let alone becoming Those of you interested in this book are probably waiting to read Boehner's trashing of his former GOP colleagues and the members of the last administration。 Well I am here to save you $30 as you have already read the best of what Boehner has to say by hearing or reading the advertising teases for this book。 This book is a waste of money， time， paper， and ink as John Boehner in his own words has definitively demonstrated that he is a mediocrity that had no business in Congress let alone becoming Speaker of the House。 You would expect that nobody that writes an autobiography， and that is what this book is， would write one that makes the author look bad。 I'm sure Boehner did not intend to do that but after reading all of self-serving palaver about what a good guy he is and how all he wanted to do was teach all the "crazies" in his GOP conference how to govern properly and then seeing how he actually performed all you can conclude is that he is either a liar or he's delusional。 He does have some strong words about a few people but mostly about Ted Cruz and that's really low lying fruit as far as I'm concerned。 There is little about Trump but John was out of office when DJT took over。 He has unkind words about Obama but fails to supply any detail to support his criticisms so even if he were correct we have no way to judge the merits of his accusation。 This is illustrated in John's discussion of immigration reform that he says could have been accomplished if Obama had listened to him and done what he suggested。 Boehner was offended by Obama's seeming arrogance in being unwilling to accept Boehner's suggestions。 Boehner， however， doesn't supply and details about his proposed 5 bill legislative immigration package nor anything about the Democratic proposals or the possible political reasons aside from the bills' content that might have affected the ultimate decision on how to go forward。 Boehner just concludes that Obama didn't care about immigration reform and blew an opportunity。 This illustrates the kind of political analysis Boehner offers in describing his legislative ordeals while Speaker。 Of course he is very unkind to the new GOP members that entered Congress starting in the 2010 Tea Party movement。 He labeled all of these people as "the crazies" who refused to learn or listen from the experienced "rational Republicans" about how to be effective as members of Congress。 In Boehner's opinion all these people wanted to do was burn down the government。 They had no interest in learning what it meant to govern or in doing it if they did know how。 Boehner offers himself and his experience as an example of how governing is supposed to work but his example belies his words。The most damning example Boehner offers of his governing and his ordeal with trying to manage "the crazies" is the 2013 government shutdown over the GOP attempt to get the Democrats to scrap the ACA if they wanted the debt ceiling increased。 Boehner lays primary responsibility for this fiasco at the feet of Ted Cruz which is probably true。 Boehner says he knew this would be a disaster for the party。 That it would hurt the government， the voters， and play into the hands of the Democrats who would never cave on the ACA。 He begged the GOP members not to do this but they persisted。 So what does Boehner do？ Instead of governing he proves that contrary to his stated beliefs his first loyalty is to his party and not to his office， his government， his country， or its people。 He then goes and supports the shutdown and proves that that action is indeed a disaster that delivers all the harm he predicted。 That wasn't leadership or governing that was simply cowardice dictated by misplace values and lack of personal insight。 How did Boehner get this way？Before reading this book I knew nothing about Boehner's background。 Those of you from Ohio and especially the Cincinnati area probably already know a lot about John Boehner but after learning how he grew up I was shaking my head。 How in the world is he not a Democrat？ Boehner is one of 12 kids born to working class parents that were both life long Democrats。 He was born and raised in the Cincinnati area and lived in a 2 bedroom home。 He and his brothers had one bedroom with triple layer bunkbeds while his sisters had the other bedroom。 His parents shared a pullout bed in the living room。 At about age 12 John and his older brother got up at 4:45am every day to go with their dad to open the hole-in-wall cafe/bar he owned in order to serve the third shift workers leaving their factories as well as the first shift people just going on the job。 John hustled part-time jobs all his life and worked his way through college after attending Moeller High School in Cincinnati and playing football there under Gerry Faust， later to become an unsuccessful coach at Notre Dame。 What was interesting was how often Boehner uses the word "team" in this book。 It is also interesting that of all the possible heroes he could have found during his academic years the one he goes out of his way to thank and focus on is his football coach。 Obviously Boehner has a sports and game approach to life imprinted on his brain and it clearly carried over to his tenure in Congress。 Sadly governing isn't a team sport or a game。 Governing is about solving problems in a collaborative environment with the other members of Congress。 Boehner demonstrates in this book how that doesn't result in anything but division and the continuation and exacerbation of our problems。 But how and why did John Boehner with his blue collar working class origins become of all things a Republican？ After graduating from college he met a lady and married her。 He also found a job in a small local company and did so well there that he eventually became the CEO。 It was during this time， a time when he first starting earning real money that he discovered something。 That discovery was taxes。 John learned what taxes were and that he didn't like paying them。 At this same period a guy named Ronald Reagan came on the scene and he also didn't like taxes and John liked what Reagan had to say。 So it would appear that simple greed was all it took for John Boehner to become a Reagan Republican and forget his origins and start a career in politics giving lip service to the plight of the common voter。 The critics of FDR called him a traitor to his class; I guess the same label could be launched at John Boehner。 How many times during his tenure as Speaker did he and his GOP conference attempt to kill the ACA without any offering of substitute program？ So much for caring about the class of his origin。 In short this book is not only not worth much it is also boring。 I'm sorry I bought it and wasted my time reading it。 All I can hope is that my sacrifice will save some of you from making the same mistake。 Find something else to read， please。 。。。more
Robert
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So I'm a liberal。 Therefore I had no plans to read this book but I after I saw it was on the best seller list I read through the first few pages and found myself getting drawn into it。It's written in a down to earth， folksy style that make it pretty readable （for a political memoir）。 Boehner portrays himself as a relentlessly normal， everyman type of guy who just somehow almost accidentally found himself as one of the most powerful people in the country。Of course this self portrayal is somewhat So I'm a liberal。 Therefore I had no plans to read this book but I after I saw it was on the best seller list I read through the first few pages and found myself getting drawn into it。It's written in a down to earth， folksy style that make it pretty readable （for a political memoir）。 Boehner portrays himself as a relentlessly normal， everyman type of guy who just somehow almost accidentally found himself as one of the most powerful people in the country。Of course this self portrayal is somewhat self-serving， but that is to be expected。What is interesting is that the book is very non-ideological and very light on policy。 He was in congress for 24 years but he only goes in detail on a couple of issues， one of them being "Why lobbyists are not all bad"。 Nothing on the supreme court， abortion， the Libya War， Iraq War or numerous other major issues that came up in his time。It seems the main point of this book was to loudly signal his disagreement with the modern Republican Party most especially Ted Cruz and Donald Trump。Overall， it's a surprisingly readable memoir from a "Romney/Ryan" type of Republican explaining what it was like trying to deal with the "Cruz/Trump" type of Republicans。 。。。more
Souldaddy
，
I was surprised that I bought this book， and surprised that I enjoyed it。 Boehner’s memoir is down-to-earth， light on details， and full of humor。 Like Boehner， I grew up a Reagan Republican， although by the time Obama came into office， and Boehner became one of the most famous Speakers of the House， I had became a Democrat。 This memoir provides context to that period and the vastly changed Republican Party I turned away from。 While Boehner does offer some veiled （“diplomatic“？） criticism of his I was surprised that I bought this book， and surprised that I enjoyed it。 Boehner’s memoir is down-to-earth， light on details， and full of humor。 Like Boehner， I grew up a Reagan Republican， although by the time Obama came into office， and Boehner became one of the most famous Speakers of the House， I had became a Democrat。 This memoir provides context to that period and the vastly changed Republican Party I turned away from。 While Boehner does offer some veiled （“diplomatic“？） criticism of his political opponents， especially Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama， his sharpest and most prolonged complaints are saved for members of his own party， especially the alt-right and new Republicans who have shaped Trump’s party。 Boehner has some of the best， even practical insights for why this new movement is bad for everyone， how the alt-right news cycle has overwhelmed the party， made outrage critical to political success， but also creates a vicious cycle where the politicians who best master the alt-right news cannot create lasting improvements with becoming the very monster their fans want them to attack， and so modern political is based on endless outrage and little accomplishment。 Boehner’s style is so direct that it becomes easy to believe him when he says many of his most famous moments of House leadership where following his party’s will instead of his own （better） judgment。 A good book that brings much context to that period in our history。 。。。more
Daniel Stylianou
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Interesting and humorous （don't read if you're offended by profanity！） And a good insight。 Interesting and humorous （don't read if you're offended by profanity！） And a good insight。 。。。more
Dr。 Z
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This uninteresting， uninsightful political memoir appears to be the product of an infertile mind meeting a lazy ghostwriter。 What is most remarkable about it is how long and noteworthy a career the author sustained in the absence of any apparent intellectual depth。 Almost any book would better repay your time and effort， I think。
Sandy
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Four stars because it reads just like John Boehner talks。 Pretty down to earth and a scathing analysis in many ways of the republican party today。
Marc Gerstein
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A very interesting book and highly listenable （on Audible）。 Like him or not， agree with him or disagree， it’s hard to argue that John Boehner KNOWS Congress， particularly the House of Representatives and how Washington works。 If you’re looking for a political tract， this is not it。 Boehner presumes the reader accepts with wisdom of his Conservative views so he doesn’t take the trouble to try to justify them。 Even if you don’t however， the book is very well worthwhile because of its exposition of A very interesting book and highly listenable （on Audible）。 Like him or not， agree with him or disagree， it’s hard to argue that John Boehner KNOWS Congress， particularly the House of Representatives and how Washington works。 If you’re looking for a political tract， this is not it。 Boehner presumes the reader accepts with wisdom of his Conservative views so he doesn’t take the trouble to try to justify them。 Even if you don’t however， the book is very well worthwhile because of its exposition of the big topic of the day; how to govern， and how not to govern。 And as the years pass， Boehner had a front row seat to the evolution， or rather devolution that culminated in the Jan 6， 2021 whacko insurrection supported by too many sitting members of Congress。 And the left should take no comfort from any of the bombs Boehner tosses at the crazies in his party， especially Ted Cruz。 Boehner makes it clear that the main villain， in his view （and in this， I agree with him） is the culture that buried that art of negotiation and consensus building on which our system stands and replaced it with extreme fireball throwing， not with the aim of accomplishing anything but with the aim of scoring publicity points。 Reading between the lines， it’s hard to dent that Democratic crazies would do the exact same sots of things if the situation were such that they would see advantage in doing it。It’s written in a conversational style with fascinating anecdotes showing behind the scenes of how Government did and could， and probably should work。 Anybody， whichever side of the debate you’re on， could benefit from reading this。 。。。more
Thomas C Bauman
，
Read this book。 It's worth the timeA thoroughly enjoyable read。 I would recommend it to anyone regardless of their political affiliation。 Very down to earth。 An easy read Read this book。 It's worth the timeA thoroughly enjoyable read。 I would recommend it to anyone regardless of their political affiliation。 Very down to earth。 An easy read 。。。more
Beverly
，
a bit self-serving and revisionist。。。。folksy stories interspersed with "behind the scenes" political tales。 a bit self-serving and revisionist。。。。folksy stories interspersed with "behind the scenes" political tales。 。。。more
Kay
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This should be required reading for every citizen of the U。S。
Doug Mulford
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I may disagree with Boehner on many （maybe even most） things， but this was an entertaining as hell book to read/listen to。 On top of it， Boehner provides an insight into US politics that many people are either unaware of or don’t understand。 He also delves into the problems on both the right and left， and his theory on how we got to this extreme partisan divide that we feel today。 Whatever your politics， this was a fun read， and helps put into perspective the last ~30 odd years of US politics。 O I may disagree with Boehner on many （maybe even most） things， but this was an entertaining as hell book to read/listen to。 On top of it， Boehner provides an insight into US politics that many people are either unaware of or don’t understand。 He also delves into the problems on both the right and left， and his theory on how we got to this extreme partisan divide that we feel today。 Whatever your politics， this was a fun read， and helps put into perspective the last ~30 odd years of US politics。 Oh， and FTC。 。。。more
Dkolacinski
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I haven't enjoyed reading a memoir as much as I did this one。 I don't agree with a lot of what Mr。 Boehner says politically， but he sure do tell the truth when he tells his tale。 I haven't enjoyed reading a memoir as much as I did this one。 I don't agree with a lot of what Mr。 Boehner says politically， but he sure do tell the truth when he tells his tale。 。。。more
Clayton Turner
，
“A lot of people sling around ideas to “fix Washington，” and most of them are bullshit。 But there’s at least one thing that every single American citizen， no matter where they live， can do to help set things right in the nation’s capital。 You can vote to send people there to represent you who actually want to get things done instead of hucksters making pie-in-the-sky promises or legislative terrorists just looking to go to Washington and blow everything up。” Speaker John Boehner， On the House
Tom Blumer
，
I never cared much for John Boehner while he was in Congress。 I did not think he tried hard enough to move the ball forward。 But after reading his memoir， I stand corrected。 I think he did his best with what he had to work with， knuckleheads and flamethrowers。 His words。 Because of his earthy， folksy style， I enjoyed reading his book。 Gave me much more insight into the man。 I truly wish him joy in his retirement。
Martin
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Why do I do it？ Why？ Most autobiographies thank dad， mom， brother， sister， dog， goldfish。。。。。。。。。urrrrgh。 John Boehner’s book is no exception。 I would say 75% of the book was a complete waste of time。There are two reasons he wrote this book。 One， to make himself look like an angel。 It is very hard to turn a Republican into an angel。 Two， to make money。 Mr。 Boehner spent a lot of time promoting this book。 What a waste of time！Here is an example。 Mr。 Boehner talks a great deal about management。 Ho Why do I do it？ Why？ Most autobiographies thank dad， mom， brother， sister， dog， goldfish。。。。。。。。。urrrrgh。 John Boehner’s book is no exception。 I would say 75% of the book was a complete waste of time。There are two reasons he wrote this book。 One， to make himself look like an angel。 It is very hard to turn a Republican into an angel。 Two， to make money。 Mr。 Boehner spent a lot of time promoting this book。 What a waste of time！Here is an example。 Mr。 Boehner talks a great deal about management。 However， he doesn’t practice what he preaches。 House Republicans were going to help shut down government because they disagreed on one of President Obama’s policies。 Mr。 Boehner vehemently disagreed with his fellow republicans and new their standoff with Obama would fail。 Instead of managing the situation he decided to join in the fight。 Needless to say the republicans attempt at changing policy by shutting down government failed。 I am confused at what management skills Mr。 Boehner showed？I do agree with Boehner on right wing media in the United States。 The main job of right wing media， fox “news”， is to get their followers angry。 The more angry they bcome， the more they will watch。 Consequently， the more they watch， the more advertisement revenue the right wing media makes。 。。。more
Cheryl
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I thought it was a great read。 Flowed very nicely between his childhood with 11 siblings in a 2 bdr， 1 bath house and his adult life with politics scattered throughout。 Not preachy， just like having a conversation with a good friend and I loved his comments about fellow politicians and feel I have a little better idea of how Congress and politics really work。 I was sorry when it ended。
Hazel Bright
，
There are moments of writing that reach sheer greatness in this piece。 His description of his efforts as a freshman congressman to challenge the House bank and restaurant， his discussion of the insanity and fallout of the Republican-led debt ceiling government shutdown， his admission that his pursuit of DeLay's purely partisan Clinton impeachment was misguided， and his interactions with Ted Cruz all stand out as fascinating insider treatises on the actual workings of government。 Most fascinating There are moments of writing that reach sheer greatness in this piece。 His description of his efforts as a freshman congressman to challenge the House bank and restaurant， his discussion of the insanity and fallout of the Republican-led debt ceiling government shutdown， his admission that his pursuit of DeLay's purely partisan Clinton impeachment was misguided， and his interactions with Ted Cruz all stand out as fascinating insider treatises on the actual workings of government。 Most fascinating of all was his take on the true leadership of the new Republican party: governing to appease the ratings and profit-driven right-wing press。Boehner sees the far-right contingent that attacked him as a force that sought ratings-generating chaos news fodder over traditional conservative values like fiscal responsibility。 He cites facts and figures to support his case， specifically contrasting the response of chaos conservatives to the Affordable Care Act （shutting down the government） to the $3。5 trillion government cost for Trump's weird trade war （shutting their eyes and ears to vast increases in government spending）。 Boehner also dismisses Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and similar leaders within the Democratic party as chaos operatives， which makes me think that he is deliberately missing the point。 Profit-driven purchase of politicians is not limited to right-wing media。 The spectrum runs from right to left in this way: chaos conservatives are fully for sale， doing whatever they are paid to do， and doing it without any moral compass， from shutting down the government because the profitable healthcare insurance industry funds their campaigns， to establishment Democrats and Republicans who have some minor ideological differences that don't affect their owners' bottom lines， generally limiting the differences to matters of civil rights - Democrats believe that civil rights are systematically being violated， while Republicans generally do not believe that civil rights violations are a problem in America。 The people on the far left like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have eschewed all corporate funding in order to be beholden only to their constituents。 Their efforts to remove the influence of money in politics is the fundamental and unifying issue in all of their campaigns。 This key element， which is strictly fiscal and quite clearly stated by the far left， seems to elude Boehner。 His home at a lobbying firm might have some influence on his thinking。 While the memoir claims to be， and at some moments， actually does achieve a certain fearless candor， and is without a doubt engaging and entertaining throughout， Boehner's ability to fool himself seems like the real story here， and one he will never tell。 。。。more
Austin Moore
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97/1005 stars: 90-1004 stars: 80-893 stars: 70-792 stars: 60-691 star: 50-59
Rosamaria Somarriba
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A fun and entertaining readBoehner's book does not disappoint。 He is raw， funny， candid， and entertaining。 If you are a fan of DC politics， you will love this book。 He pulls back the curtain and reveals details about his time in office。 I found his story about a VP search very interesting （read the book， and you'll understand）。 Buy the book！ You will enjoy it。 A fun and entertaining readBoehner's book does not disappoint。 He is raw， funny， candid， and entertaining。 If you are a fan of DC politics， you will love this book。 He pulls back the curtain and reveals details about his time in office。 I found his story about a VP search very interesting （read the book， and you'll understand）。 Buy the book！ You will enjoy it。 。。。more
Paul Szydlowski
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I know John Boehner and his wife personally （they live about two miles away and our paths cross）。 Still， it is a riot to hear him refer to the knuckleheads on his side of the aisle as， well， knuckleheads - and crazies， lunatics and airheads。 He definitely pulls no punches。
Bebe Casey
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