"Robert M. Pennoyer was born into a storied family - his maternal
grandfather was the legendary J. P. Morgan. His irresistible memoir
traces his sheltered childhood on the Gold Coast of Long Island; an
adolescence overshadowed by the gathering clouds of World War II; and a
young adulthood that survived one of the decisive engagements of the
Pacific Theater - Iwo Jima. The author gives us as well a heartwarming
account of a romance that blossomed into a lifelong matrimonial
partnership and a close family life, tested nonetheless by crisis. And
he chronicles a distinguished career, the early part of which was spent
in the service of President Eisenhower and the latter part in private
law practice and pro bono work.
As It Was begins in an era of unprecedented wealth and privilege for
some and great misery and poverty for others, - one that Mark Twain
lampooned as the "Gilded Age," and ends, coming in effect full circle,
in our own era of the One Per Cent, as the income chasm in America
reopens. What divides these periods, and is so impressively portrayed
here, is the rise of American Progressivism led by the two Roosevelts.
Most importantly, this book is itself a demonstration of the values that
boosted America on its path to greatness and for which no finer exemplar
could be found than its author. It bespeaks a belief in democracy that
is passionate and unshakable, and builds on a deep appreciation of the
institutions that enable it. The spirit that flows through these pages
may be modest, but it is also filled with an irrepressible optimism and
a faith in simple values that are both uplifting and marvelously
contagious. As It Was is a lesson in a life well lived, and a tonic
for dark and troubled times."
-- Scott Horton, author of Lords of Secrecy: The National Security
Elite and America's Stealth Warfare (2015), contributing editor,
Harper's Magazine.
