Jhytre

1

Primary Colors
Anonymous

Howard leaned over and whispered, “I’m glad you’re here, Henry. Jack really wants you to work for him. He thinks you’re the best.” I wasn’t sure that I wanted to work for Jack. I was tired of politics. I had quit working for Senator William Larkin after six years and I was happy with my job as a college teacher. Still, there was something different about JackStanton. When most white politicians arrive in New York City, they go to Wall Street — that’s where the businessmen work and that’s where the money is — but Jack Stanton had gone to Harlem instead. That interested me. The students were waiting for their reading lesson to begin. “This is Governor Jack Stanton,” said the teacher. “He’s now running for President. Would you like to say a few words,Governor Stanton?” He smiled and said, “Not just yet,” in his slow, southern accent. We watched the lesson. When it was over the students told the Governor about themselves. The last student to speak was a young man named Dewayne Smith. He weighed at least three hundred pounds. “I failed in school because I couldn’t read,” he said. “I kept going to school but I still didn’t learn to read. I felt stupidas a rock and nobody cared. Nobody said, ‘Dewayne, you can’t read, you need help.’ I saw all the other kids reading books and it made me so sad.” I looked at Jack Stanton. His face was red and there were tears in his eyes. “Dewayne,” he said. “I am very grateful that you shared that with us. Now let me tell you a story about my Uncle Charlie. Charlie was a hero in World War Two. He saved twentyAmerican soldiers in a battle with the Japanese. When he came home he was famous; the whole town had a big party for him. People said. ‘Charlie, what are you going to do now?’ A rich man offered to pay for him to go to college. Someone else offered him a job as the manager of a bank. Everybody wanted to give Charlie a job. Do you know what Charlie did?” “No,” said Dewayne. “What did he do?”“Nothing. He just lay on the sofa and smoked his cigarettes.” “Was he a little crazy because of the war?” asked a woman. “No,” said Stanton. “It was because he couldn’t read.” “What?” “That’s right,” said Stanton. “He couldn’t read and he was too embarrassed to tell anyone. He was brave enough to be a hero in World War Two but he wasn’t brave enough to do what you people are doing right now. When peopleask me, ‘Jack

Introduction
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to work for Jack. Still, there was something different about him. Jack Stanton is the governor of a state in the southern USA. He wants to be President, and he wants Henry Burton to help him. At first, Henry is happy to work with Jack, but he begins to worry when he sees that Stanton will do anything to win. The author of Primary Colors isan American journalist. Although it is a fictional story, the author used his personal knowledge of a real American President to write it. That is why he decided to keep his name a secret. Primary Colors was made into a successful movie, with John Travolta as Governor Stanton.

1. Governor Jack Stanton: The Best
I’ll always remember the moment that I met Jack Stanton outside the library inHarlem, New York City. My first thought was that he looked strange in Harlem. Stanton is white and most of the people who live in Harlem are black, like me. “You’re the guy that I’ve been hearing about,” he said as he shook my hand. All politicians are good at shaking hands but Jack Stanton is the best. I’ve seen him do it two million times now and I still don’t understand exactly how he does it. It’sactually his left hand that makes him so good. He might put it on your elbow to show you that he’s interested in you. He might squeeze your shoulder with it and tell you a joke. He might just hold your wrist and look into your eyes. I remember that he squeezed my shoulder that day in Harlem, and then he was gone, shaking someone else’s hand. I followed Howard Ferguson into the library where a...