Digital List Price:	$19.99
Kindle Price:	$2.99 Save $17.00 (85%)
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add an

audiobook with Audible narration for $12.99

Audiobook Price: $19.68

Save: $6.69 (34%)

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

John McCain

+ Follow

More books from this author

The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations Kindle Edition

by John McCain (Author), Mark Salter (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 1,828 ratings

See all formats and editions

Great on Kindle

Great Experience. Great Value.

Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“History matters to McCain, and for him America is and was about its promise. The book is his farewell address, a mixture of the personal and the political. ‘I have loved my life,’ he writes. ‘All of it.’ The Restless Wave is a fitting valedictory for a man who seldom backed down.” —The Guardian (US)

“A book-length meditation on what it means to face the hard challenges of long life and the sobering likelihood of imminent death…A reflection on hardship, a homily on purpose, a celebration of life — and a challenge to Americans to live up to their values and founding principles at a time when both are in jeopardy.” —The Boston Globe

In this candid political memoir from Senator John McCain, an American hero reflects on his life and what matters most.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years…Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”

So writes John McCain in this inspiring, moving, frank, and deeply personal memoir. Written while confronting a mortal illness, McCain looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Always the fighter, McCain attacks the spurious nationalism and political polarization afflicting American policy. He makes an impassioned case for democratic internationalism and bi-partisanship. He recalls his disagreements with several presidents, and minces no words in his objections to some of President Trump's statements and policies. At the same time, he tells stories of his most satisfying moments of public service and offers a positive vision of America that looks beyond the Trump presidency. The Restless Wave is John McCain at his best.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Senator Lindsey Graham once described his friend John McCain as someone who would ‘run across the street to get in a good fight.’ McCain’s final battle came straight to him. I’m not talking about the one against brain cancer…I’m talking about the one against Donald Trump. He wages it in a forthcoming book, The Restless Wave...McCain has always believed, to his core, in sacrifice, honor and allegiance to something larger than oneself…Such grace is unimaginable from Trump. That’s why it’s so vital that McCain is using his waning time to model it.” —Frank Bruni, The New York Times

"You can see McCain in this book struggling to reconcile himself to what his Republican Party has largely become…The six-term senator from Arizona slips in a few careful mentions of Donald J. Trump, and expresses concern about the rancor that has overtaken the country…He consistently returns again and again to what seems for him to be a core commitment: a fervent belief in American exceptionalism...his faith in his country’s beneficence remains undimmed." —Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

"In what may be his final public act, John McCain this month will publish a book that bequeaths us a rare gift....the volume does not burden us with a lot of high-minded advice based on lessons learned, nor does it pull us down into treacly memoir. McCain is still very much McCain....What he does offer, though, at this peculiar moment of our history, is far more precious: a reminder of the values and principles that our nation has long stood for, and a spur to us to recover from this unhealthy interlude and stand for them again. Without preaching, instead by recounting stories of battles won and (often) lost, McCain unspools something akin to a self-help manual for a country that has, at least for the moment, lost its way." —Fred Hiatt, The Washington Post

“It should be required reading for anyone who wants to lead in a democracy.” —Senator Lindsey Graham, The New York Times

“History matters to McCain, and for him America is and was about its promise. The book is his farewell address, a mixture of the personal and the political. 'I have loved my life,' he writes. 'All of it.' The Restless Wave is a fitting valedictory for a man who seldom backed down.” —The Guardian, US

"Remarkable....a book-length meditation on what it means to face the hard challenges of long life and the sobering likelihood of imminent death. John McCain’s valedictory message, at the booksellers under the title The Restless Wave, is a 400-page reflection on hardship, a homily on purpose, a celebration of life — and a challenge to Americans to live up to their values and founding principles at a time when both are in jeopardy." —The Boston Globe

"This is not just a book that offers a vision of how politics might be done differently, it is essentially a blueprint for how to live a life well." —The New Statesman

“In this thoughtful valedictory, [McCain] delivers…Unlike the previous six books McCain and Salter have composed together, this one wasn’t written for voters. It was written for history…With what time he has left, the “maverick” — an appellation he has worn throughout his career, at some times more comfortably than at others — is going to put country first and tell the truth…His book will be remembered for its genuine concern about the future of our republic and the West.” —James Hohmann, The Washington Post

"McCain’s The Restless Wave coalesces a series of poignant and striking warnings of the perils facing the United States, from Russian aggression worldwide to an escalated American divide and partisanship fights to isolationist efforts and racism…He also expresses a theme of gratitude for living a life larger than he envisioned." —Stars and Stripes

“Written in McCain’s plain-spoken, occasionally brusque manner, the senator and Vietnam war veteran…offers a wide-ranging appraisal of his own career, one marked by unrealized presidential ambitions and a lofty view of America on the international stage.” — The Guardian

“John McCain always said he’d go down fighting, and so he has…McCain became, throughout his career, the embodiment of the noble nonconformist on the Hill, the politician who was all too willing to sacrifice party loyalty to do what he thought was right for the country, to do so loudly and consistently, and to fearlessly pronounce everyone, including the occupant of the Oval Office, dead wrong if they disagreed with him. Over nearly four decades in Washington, McCain has given a master class in maverickism, and it is for this he will be most remembered. So it is fitting, perhaps that the inveterate fighter is taking on Trump—another Republican politician who rose by bucking GOP orthodoxy—in his final battle, and bequeathing to the nation a bookful of advice on how to be the right kind of maverick.” —Politico

“It is clear McCain wants this book—sure to be his last—to be a guide for standing up for oppressed people around the globe, as he has done for decades.” —CNN

“Republican Senator John McCain is known as a maverick, familiar with tough fights, from prison camps in Vietnam to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Recently, he has been staying close to the Arizona ranch he calls home, as he undergoes treatment for brain cancer…but he still speaks his mind…[In The Restless Wave] there are reflections about living and past decisions, but it also makes clear that McCain still has plenty to say about America, American society, and politics in the age of President Trump.” —PBS NewsHour

"The Restless Wave is the seventh and final book McCain has written with longtime collaborator Mark Salter. Focused on his past 20 years of public life and a few major topics, it's McCain on McCain, even more uncensored than usual. Which makes it fun, no matter your politics." —New York Daily News

"Sometimes rueful, sometimes defiant, always affecting. Even McCain’s political opponents should admire the fiery grace with which he’s exiting the world." —Kirkus Review

"It is rich in his beliefs on a number of subjects critical to America....He has a particular gift for illustrating his points with stories of a wide variety of people whom he has encountered, at home and abroad....Mr. McCain as a politician was positive and irascible, an interesting combination. His well-known disposition toward 'straight talk' is evident throughout the book....America will miss this man in our public life. This book makes it very clear why." —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"If you haven't gotten the book, it is really worth getting. You don't need to agree politically, but as an American and as a human being, I think this is a book everybody should read." —Whoopi Goldberg, The View

“An elegiac memoir… the maverick Republican senator from Arizona has produced a personal memoir that is frank, poignant and ultimately a sobering commentary about the state of American democracy and world leadership.” —The Financial Times

"Moving....Rather than a response to extraordinary times, this fine memoir reads more like a requiem of a long, patriotic life." —Publishers Weekly Online

"Revisit a life fully lived in Senator John McCain’s swan song, The Restless Wave." —Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Senator John McCain (1936—2018) entered the Naval Academy in June of 1954. He served in the United States Navy until 1981. He was elected to the US House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982 and to the Senate in 1986. He was the Republican Party’s nominee for president in the 2008 election. He is the author of Faith of My Fathers, Worth Fighting For, Why Courage Matters, Character Is Destiny, Thirteen Soldiers, and The Restless Wave.

Mark Salter has collaborated with John McCain on all seven of their books, including The Restless Wave, Faith of My Fathers, Worth the Fighting For, Why Courage Matters, Character Is Destiny, Hard Call, and Thirteen Soldiers. He served on Senator McCain’s staff for eighteen years.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075RLXBKZ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (May 22, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 22, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3116 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 417 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #319,760 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #21 in Legislative Branch
- #87 in U.S.Congresses, Senates & Legislative
- #301 in Civics & Citizenship (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,828 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

John McCain

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Senator John McCain entered the Naval Academy in June of 1954. He served in the United States Navy until 1981. He was elected to the US House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982 and to the Senate in 1986. He was the Republican Party’s nominee for president in the 2008 election. He is the author of Faith of My Fathers, Worth Fighting For, Why Courage Matters, Character Is Destiny, Thirteen Soldiers, and The Restless Wave.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,828 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Glenda

Imaging John McCain as President...

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

I was curious...after seeing and listening to the rhetoric about this man by the president, I wanted to learn more about him... And by the time I had finished his latest book, I wondered what it would have been like to have John McCain as our President. It was easy to recognize that with McCain's vast experience, education, and basic moral concerns, he was a man I would feel certainly had the credentials to become president of the United States. That he didn't, perhaps only because he didn't have the money to compete in the race, is an important statement in itself.

This is not meant to compare him with others, rather to consider the man, read his own words, see his actions and experience, and recognize that, though there may have been some issues of concern, I would surely have considered him as a strong candidate.

Most of the beginning chapters follow McCain as he travels to foreign lands. As he talked about what he was doing, I began to see and understand his vision of America as an international leader in the world... and the reason why.

Readers will come across parts in the book that are stunning in their awareness of the America we have all loved. We stop and ponder McCain's words and then we catch a caveat, a warning, that America, as an international leader, has an obligation that goes well beyond any feelings we might have to make nationalism the thrust of our country. Cutting straight to the point of emphasis: To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is unpatriotic...

McCain talks about the many trips into various countries across the world, where it seemed there was always somebody he knew...and who knew and respected McCain. White there were others, it seemed that McCain was the man who had made an impact sometime in the past, and was accepted as somebody who was going to try to help... How disheartening it seemed to have him return, seeking support for this location or another, only to be turned down for this reason or another...McCain did not see politics as he traveled--he saw people in need and he wanted his America to help those in need... Though he failed often, still readers see the type of man, his character, his moral code, as he fought to serve those in need.

It has been clear to all who watched this past year's activities, that McCain sought and also demanded bipartisan participation--a return to what it once was...

Readers will surely realize that much of this book undoubtedly had been written earlier and then merged into its final manuscript...It is somewhat of a memoir, but it has little about the man--rather it shares all that he has done in support of the United States, in all of the many roles he has played. I found it informative and educational with the historical perspective, but there is really little added that could be said to have been written since he became ill... Except...readers will surely recognize the potential president that we missed having... We see a man who fought both in the service and later in Congress in support of America. We see a man who acted on what he felt was right for the country, not necessarily right for his political party. But most of all, we see the humanity, the strong desire to help those across the world, in need, and helpless, seeking somebody's help. He thought it should be America... And he took the time to speak to us with what might be our last words from him... (See Book Readers Heaven for excerpts)

It is that desire, the drive, to do what is right for the world that would have guided him to become one of the greatest presidents we would have had, in my opinion. And as he speaks to us through this, perhaps, last book, he is still urging us to remember the Constitution and the moral imperatives upon which our country was formed. I believe this is a must-read and recommend it to each of you who live in America...

GABixlerReviews

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brian Gongol

Well worthwhile reading today -- and it will remain for long to come

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Nobody's perfect, but only a select few among us are both conscious of the full range of our shortcomings and transparent with the world about them. John McCain lived a very public life with this self-awareness on extraordinary display. His final salutation to us all, "The Restless Wave", was written not only with McCain's unusual degree of self-awareness, but with an acute awareness of his imminent mortality.

As a result, "The Restless Wave" doesn't read like other political books (though McCain himself produced several). Nor does it read like a conventional memoir of public life -- many of which are written with the express intent of hinting at something "to be continued". This was it for McCain: He knew this would be his last full-length opportunity to speak to his fellow Americans uninterrupted. And so he did with enthusiasm and a sort of defiance: Not the petty defiance of a toddler who doesn't want to do as he or she is told, but the kind of defiance that defined McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

This book is John McCain's valedictory. It lays down a marker on a sense of what is right, why that right should be not just defended but promoted, and to whom the responsibility falls for undertaking the task. He confronts the immediate political climate head-on, defining not just his open hostilities with Donald Trump but also his honest regrets about what his one-time rival Barack Obama failed to do, as well.

But despite the fact that McCain's book carries a spirit of itching for a fight, what is more important is that he left behind dozens of thoughtful, quotable passages that remind us what is actually worth fighting for, like these:

1. "More people have lived free and prosperous lives here than in any other nation. We have acquired unprecedented wealth and power because of our governing principles, and because our government defended those principles."

2. "There have been times in the past and there will be times in the future when America's conduct at home and in the world will fall short of our own high standards. That doesn't mean that our values are imperfect, only that we are. In those instances, our true friends will encourage us to change course. But we should never believe that our fallibility disqualifies us from supporting the rights of others. That isn't humility. It's an abdication of moral responsibility."

3. "Humility is the self-knowledge that you possess as much inherent dignity as anyone else, and not one bit more. Among its other virtues, humility makes for more productive politics."

McCain's sensibility, particularly when expressed with the hand of his long-time speechwriter and writing collaborator Mark Salter, is most certainly an important (restless) wave within a much broader current of belief in things like civic virtue, personal liberty, and the dignity of individual lives. It was untimely for his life to be taken before he could see more of his work accomplished, but there is a sense that "The Restless Wave" at least permitted John McCain to say a few words that should echo long into the future.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Ralf Plitzkat

Great political lessons!

Reviewed in Germany on May 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

I did not expect this, but Sen. McCain offers a deep insight into the political fights of his career. Very intersting and insightfull, especially for non-americans who want to learn a bit more on past political decisions in the US. Apart from this, you receive a good view on the political agenda of a person who is certainly truely missed.

Kindle Customer

John McCain

Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

I am only half-way through reading this book. He is a good teacher of what happened in Iraq, Benghazi etc. I am glad that I got it. He is clear and concise in his explanations. I also appreciate that he tells it like it happened - without bitterness and excessive blame.

3 people found this helpful

MysteronMan

The last shout - you need to listen

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

John McCains impending death - which he refers to often - has focused his mind like little else. This is the result of a great deal of thought and the desire to put down for the record how he sees it. He accepts his blame in mistakes and is self effacing when it comes to victories. Most of all though he is deeply worried and saddened about Trump’s Administration and what it has done to America. If he could save his own life it would be for the primary purpose of ensuring the rest of his senate term was spent as the concience of the Republican Party. Without him god knows where it will go. It’s a very important book - it tells us what we know, but sharpens the focus on things we might have brushed over. Intelligent, well written, comprehensive and honest. John McCain will be deeply missed.

11 people found this helpful

Cameron Lally

Great reflection

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

Got this just after John McCain's passing and thought it was a really good insight into his life. He goes into great detail about decisions he made as a senator, candidate in the 2008 presidential election, as well as those during the Obama and Trump administrations. It ends with his cancer diagnosis and what he hopes for America's future. Rest in peace sir

Suzanne Hardy Lemieux

Extremely good read

Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is well written and gives an insight into the man, his inherent integrity and politics. It emphasizes the importance of bipartisan cooperation...something that doesn’t seem to be done nowadays! It’s a book that is well worth reading a few times throughout the years.

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the author

Image Unavailable

The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations Kindle Edition

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

John McCain

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries