Humphrey and Me

In the early 1960s, a sixteen-year-old boy named Ray Elias is inspired by Senator Hubert Humphrey to pursue his dream of making him Lyndon Johnson's running mate in 1964. However, their relationship suffers when Humphrey becomes a supporter of the Vietnam War, causing Ray to lose faith in him. They reconcile later, and Ray learns important lessons about understanding and empathy from his classmate Ruth.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 02 November 2023
Publisher: Santa Monica Press

Ray Elias, a sixteen-year-old growing up in an affluent suburb of New York in the early sixties, is a precocious but withdrawn individual. The assassination of President Kennedy leaves him numb, and he stumbles upon a TV documentary about the most recent presidential election. It is there that he is drawn to the ebullient senator from Minnesota, Hubert Humphrey, who unsuccessfully challenged John Kennedy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1960.

With the senator as his newfound hero, Ray fashions a mission for himself: to make Humphrey Lyndon Johnson's running mate in 1964. To the amazement of his friends and cynical father, Humphrey learns of Ray's plan to lobby the delegates and, impressed with his sincerity and ambition, takes Ray under his wing.

Ray enters college as the senator is elected vice president, but the relationship unravels when Humphrey becomes an ardent public supporter of the Vietnam War, despite his personal belief in the war's futility. As the tension between them grows, and their bond deteriorates, Ray is devastated by his loss of faith in Humphrey. However, he finds consolation in Ruth, a spirited classmate from the other side of the tracks who teaches him understanding and empathy.

As Ray matures to young adulthood, he reconnects with Humphrey, who has by now achieved a political revival and is mulling a fresh run at the presidency. The two reconcile after Humphrey finally acknowledges his breach of Ray's trust, and Ray forgives his former mentor.

Loosely based on the author's real-life relationship with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, "Humphrey and Me" portrays the often highly emotional journey that comes with embracing our heroes, while set against the backdrop of the tempestuous political eras of the 1960s and 70s.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781595801258