A masterpiece of political reportage that exposes the emotional reality of the modern American campaign system

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer cracks open the heart of the American political system in this classic exploration of the 1988 presidential campaign. Cramer delves into the personal, intimate lives of the key candidates, including George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, Joe Biden, and Michael Dukakis, as he seeks to understand the drives, passions, egos, and failings that transform an individual into a president.

Exhaustively researched from thousands of hours of interviews, What It Takes creates powerful portraits of the men who would be president, and how the campaign for the highest office transforms them.