NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Former Sen. Joe Manchin has a memoir coming out in September, what the self-styled maverick from West Virginia calls his 鈥渄eclaration of independence from the extremes on both sides.鈥
St. Martin's Press announced Tuesday that Manchin's 鈥淒ead Center: In Defense of Common Sense鈥 will be released Sept. 16.
Manchin, 77, announced last year he wouldn't seek re-election after serving in the Senate since 2010 and becoming the rare Democrat to win in a state which otherwise votes for Republicans by wide margins. Manchin had long branded himself as a moderate beholden to no ideology and would often chastise Democrats or upend legislation when Senate Democrats held a tiny majority during the presidency of fellow party member
Last summer, Manchin left the Democrats altogether and identified as an independent, although he continued to caucus with his former party. In a statement issued through St. Martin's, he said that 鈥淒ead Center鈥 was a 鈥渄eclaration of independence鈥 and a handbook for governing.
鈥淚 believe successful leadership in any arena is about understanding the art and science of collaboration and compromise, civility and respect, negotiations and solutions,鈥 he said. "Leaders should be positive change agents and bring people and organizations together rather than drive them apart.鈥
Manchin's book will include a foreword by longtime friend the former coach who is to be into the College Football Hall of Fame.
According to St. Martin鈥檚, Manchin will track his rise from the coal fields of Farmington, West Virginia, to the heights of power in the Senate. The publisher is calling his book a 鈥渞evealing and entertaining memoir" in which Manchin 鈥渞eflects on the pivotal moments, tough decisions, and core values that have shaped him as a person and a public servant.鈥
鈥淪enator Manchin combines eyebrow-raising, never-before-told stories from inside the Senate and the White House with insights into how government does 鈥 or doesn鈥檛 鈥 work,鈥 the statement reads.
