Angles of Vision

The richness and variety of his pursuits are compelling features of this memoir in which Philip Klutznick displays his talent as a superb storyteller. Born into a modest home of immigrant parents in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Klutznick recalls his very Jewish upbringing, his school years, and his start in the law. His instinct for public service led him to Washington where he served Presidents Roosevelt and Truman as chief of public housing. The experience, plus his entrepreneurial bent, drew him to large-scale development after the war, most of it in the Chicago area. But he clung to his Jewishness through major service in Jewish organizations, notably as international president of the B'nai B'rith and later as president of the World Jewish Congress. In government or out, he has been astute but outspoken in championing the interests of American Jews and of the state of Israel, even when it has meant public disagreement with Israeli leaders. Mr. Klutznick's considerable experience at the United Nations and his tenure as Secretary of Commerce under Jimmy Carter placed him in strategic positions involving the Middle East and threw him together with some of the world's most interesting and powerful players. Indeed, his experience with the great and near-great form some of the most entertaining portions of his book. Angles of Vision is a remarkable memoir of our age and a reaffirmation of the opportunities of American life. Illustrated with eight pages of photographs.