The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics

·
· Sold by Penguin
Ebook
368
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The maverick (and very funny) governor of Colorado tells his story, from early loss tocollege on the ten-year plan, to remarkable business and later political success

In just over a decade, John Hickenlooper has gone from a craft-brew entrepreneur to mayor of Denver to governor of Colorado, hailed by many political analysts, the New York Times, and Fox News alike as a solid contender to be the next vice president. It is an unlikely tale of success, quintessentially American yet utterly exceptional. In The Opposite of Woe, Hickenlooper tells his own story of determination and daring, from business to politics, in his singularly sharp and often hilarious voice.

After taking ten years to graduate from Wesleyan, Hickenlooper found himself laid off from his first job as a geologist in the oil industry. Lacking a day job, he rented a space in one of Denver's sketchiest neighborhoods and opened a brew pub. Honest, likable, and practical, Hickenlooper turned out to be a natural at running a restaurant; the pub was a huge success and did a great deal to revitalize a struggling neighborhood. In fifteen years, he blossomed from a small business owner into a millionaire at the helm of a string of pubs in Denver and across the country. He was such an influential member of the community that he acted on the encouragement of many and ran for mayor, essentially as a lark.

And then he won. So began an eight year run as one of the most creative and successful mayors in the United States. Hickenlooper doubled down on his political career by running for Colorado governor in 2010, which he also won, then won again. He has tackled a host of pressing and volatile issues in a true battleground state: immigration, fracking, capital punishment, guns, the Affordable Care Act, same-sex marriage, legalized marijuana. Time and again, his administration has persuaded ideologically opposed constituencies to agree on a middle path and move forward--all while dealing with a tragic series of wildfires,"biblical" floods, shootings, and the assassination of a cabinet member.

On display throughout is the rare candidness that has made him not only wildly popular at every step of the way, but also remarkably successful at getting things done. Co-written with journalist and former cabinet member Maximillian Potter, The Opposite of Woe is a fresh--and refreshing--angle on our political landscape from one of its brightest rising stars.

About the author

John Hickenlooper was inaugurated as the governor of Colorado in 2011. The first professional geologist to become a governor in the history of the nation, and the first brewer since Sam Adams in 1792, Hickenlooper previously served as mayor of Denver, an administration for which Time magazine named him one of the five top big-city mayors in America.

Maximillian Potter is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Outside, GQ, and Vanity Fair, among others. Twice nominated for a National Magazine Award, Potter served for nearly ten years as Executive Editor then Editor-at-Large for 5280: The Denver Magazine. The Senior Media Adviser and Speechwriter for Governor Hickenlooper, Potter's most recent book is Shadows in the Vineyard.

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