Write It When I'm Gone

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a former president or first lady?

Write It When I’m Gone by Thomas DeFrank and read by Scott Brick is a memoir of the 38th President of the United States, Michigan’s own and Grand Rapids native, Gerald R. Ford. In 1974, during the height of the Watergate crisis, a unique bond of mutual trust and respect was established between then Vice President Ford and DeFrank, who at that time was a journalist for Newsweek Magazine. This professional relationship between them spanned the next three decades in which the author was granted unusual access to the former president with one stipulation – that the information discussed would only be published upon Ford’s death. Through this compilation of candid conversations with Ford, readers will get an idea of what it was like to endure the trials associated with Watergate, Nixon’s resignation and the controversial presidential pardon that followed, and his defeat in the 1976 Presidential Election. The book reveals insights into Ford’s relationship with his former political rivals Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan and his opinions of the policies and personalities of the Clinton and both Bush administrations. Readers will get a unique glimpse of what it is like to live and age as a member of American’s most exclusive club.