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The Power House: Robert Keith Gray and the Selling of Access and Influence in Washington
A portrait of Robert Gray of Hill & Knowlton describes the daily routine of a professional lobbyist whose clients pay huge fees for access to the right people in Washington
- GenresPolitics
430 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 8, 2021
It seems this book and its author have been largely forgotten, which is a shame.
Even though the book is about lobbying and public relations, which are not very sexy subjects, it is very entertaining. It is nonfiction, but it reads like fiction. Its readability is the result of Trento's intuitive pacing and her penetrating analysis of Robert Keith Gray, who is a dynamic and compelling man.
I found Gray to be contemptible, greedy, brilliant, funny, charismatic, and, at times, even likeable. He's mostly contemptible, though. Beneath Gray's Midwestern, salt-of-the-earth façade, he has a dark, gargoyle heart. You'll see what I mean if you read the book.
Trento's work is phenomenally thorough. She captures everything there is to know about Gray, and she situates him in the context of important historical events (e.g. Koreagate, Debategate, Iran-Contra) without filling the book with extraneous information.
The only big problem, I think, is that Trento does not provide any recommendations about how America might deal with its lobbyist problem. She presents the problem well, but she does not offer a possible solution.
Still, I love this book, and I highly recommend it.
Even though the book is about lobbying and public relations, which are not very sexy subjects, it is very entertaining. It is nonfiction, but it reads like fiction. Its readability is the result of Trento's intuitive pacing and her penetrating analysis of Robert Keith Gray, who is a dynamic and compelling man.
I found Gray to be contemptible, greedy, brilliant, funny, charismatic, and, at times, even likeable. He's mostly contemptible, though. Beneath Gray's Midwestern, salt-of-the-earth façade, he has a dark, gargoyle heart. You'll see what I mean if you read the book.
Trento's work is phenomenally thorough. She captures everything there is to know about Gray, and she situates him in the context of important historical events (e.g. Koreagate, Debategate, Iran-Contra) without filling the book with extraneous information.
The only big problem, I think, is that Trento does not provide any recommendations about how America might deal with its lobbyist problem. She presents the problem well, but she does not offer a possible solution.
Still, I love this book, and I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review