Two Weeks of Life
A Memoir of Love, Death, and Politics

What has become known as the Schiavo affair—the death of a brain-damaged woman in Florida in 2005, and the controversy that surrounded it—was a revelatory moment in American society. For the first time, the nation got a clear view of both the fanaticism gripping the religious right and the political power it could bring to bear even when the vast majority of the country disagreed with it. But it was also a turning point: a moment when America seemed to glimpse a dangerous radicalism, and began to pull back.

Eleanor Clift witnessed this event from a unique vantage point. At the same time that Schiavo was dying in her Florida hospice, Clift’s husband, Tom Brazaitis, was dying of cancer at home; the two passed away within a day of each other. Two Weeks of Life alternates between these two stories to provide a moving commentary on how we deal, or fail to deal, with dying in modern America.

Dying with Courage
Read the moving Newsweek article Eleanor wrote about Tom's death.

Listen to the Podcast
Wesley Weisberg interviews author Eleanor Clift about Two Weeks of Life

   

Founding Sisters and the Nineteenth Amendment

The road to female suffrage was tough, but so was Sojourner Truth. An American story.

Madam President: Shattering the Last Glass Ceiling

Imagine that it is the summer of 2008, and for the first time, one of the two major parties has nominated a woman for president. Polls show her running neck and neck with her male opponent, and political analysts agree that she has a real shot to win the election. Voters are impressed with her command of the issues and the way she stands up to the onslaught of questions about her private life . . . Pollsters predict the election will spark a voter realignment that will affect presidential races far into the future . . .

In Madam President, respected Washington pundits Eleanor Clift and Tom Brazaitis offer an unrivaled look at the new political world.

Audio interview with Eleanor Clift

War Without Bloodshed

War Without Bloodshed is an eye-opening look at how decisions are really made on Capitol Hill. Using a lively cast of characters — pollster Frank Luntz, who helped shape the Contract with America; Michael Bromberg, the lobbyist who took on Hillary Clinton; Newt Gingrich, wielding power as Speaker; Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the philosopher-politician at odds with the White House; Stanley Greenberg, President Clinton's pollster; Sheila Burke, the unassuming staffer who agitated the GOP's right wing; and Maxine Waters, the rebellious congresswoman from South Central L.A. — Eleanor Clift and Tom Brazaitis showcase the everyday activities, behind-the-scenes confrontations, and unlikely alliances of the people — from staffers to senators to lobbyists — who influence how bills are written and whether or not they will, in fact, become the laws of the land.