Book excerpt: Riding in a helicopter with the Beatles ... Overhearing Jackie Kennedy's conversation with the priest who administered last rites to JFK ... Falling in love at first sight (in a Queens bar) with a woman he would marry ... Catching Joe McCarthy in a lie...Surviving a Brooklyn race riot ... Running for public office in New York City (on a ticket with Norman Mailer) ...These are among the moments that Jimmy Breslin recalls, movingly and hilariously, in his acclaimed memoir -- a book written with all the brashness, candor, and style that have distinguished Breslin's newspaper columns and made him one of the most admired and enjoyed journalists of our time.The starting point: the almost accidental discovery that Breslin required brain surgery. What then unfolds, as Breslin weighs his medical options, is the story of a life crowded with memorable moments and memorable characters -- not least of all, Breslin himself. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.