Talks & Entertainment

Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same Sex Marriage is one man’s account of the country’s transformation and a four-decade long career in Congress. Many Americans recall Frank’s lacerating wit, whether it was directed at the Clinton impeachment or the pro-life movement. But the contours of his personal and political life are less well known.

From the battle over AIDS funding in the 1980s to the debates over “big government” and gays in the military during the Clinton years to the 2008 financial crisis, the congressman from Massachusetts was at the center of the action.

In his memoir, Frank candidly discusses the frustrations and fears that come with elected office and recalls the emotional toll of living in the closet for many years. He discusses his quarrels with allies; his friendships with public figures such as Tip O’Neill and Sonny Bono; and how he found love with his husband, Jim Ready, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to enter a same-sex marriage. Through it all, Frank analyzes the skills a successful politician must bring to the job and how even Congress can be made to work. In conversation with Albert R. Hunt, a Bloomberg View columnist. Book signing to follow.