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hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting look into how political campaigns work. Highlights the crazy in just about every person involved. I'm still not sure why Hillary thinks the Obama campaign should pay her campaigns multi-million dollar debt and I can't figure out how anyone can find Sarah Palin appealing as a political leader. Mostly it made me think that the world of politics really is as messed up as I always thought.
emilyw_hi's review against another edition
5.0
I decided to pick this up after watching The Circus and was completely enthralled by the narrative. I'd forgotten just how dramatic the Democratic primary had been in 2008 and loved reliving it. Great story and so interesting.
karieh13's review against another edition
4.0
This book is like political crack! For the day and a half it took me to read it, I was right back there in 2008. I remember being glued to the news, checking the Internet constantly to see what new developments had occurred, what the newest poll was saying.
"More than any election in memory, 2008 was a battle in which the candidates were celebrities, larger-than-life characters who crashed together to create a story uncommonly emotional for politics; a drama rich and captivating and drenched in modern complexities surrounding race, gender, class, religion, and age; a multimedia spectacle that unspooled 24/7 on the Web, cable television, the late night talk shows and Saturday Night Live."
This was like watching an incredibly addicting TV show night after night...and then getting to see a behind the scenes look at the REAL drama of the show.
I almost could not put the book down...even though I knew the ending, knew most of the major events...the additional details about this race of a lifetime were incredibly compelling and made for a great story.
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"More than any election in memory, 2008 was a battle in which the candidates were celebrities, larger-than-life characters who crashed together to create a story uncommonly emotional for politics; a drama rich and captivating and drenched in modern complexities surrounding race, gender, class, religion, and age; a multimedia spectacle that unspooled 24/7 on the Web, cable television, the late night talk shows and Saturday Night Live."
This was like watching an incredibly addicting TV show night after night...and then getting to see a behind the scenes look at the REAL drama of the show.
I almost could not put the book down...even though I knew the ending, knew most of the major events...the additional details about this race of a lifetime were incredibly compelling and made for a great story.
.
waitenathan's review against another edition
4.0
They claim to be giving an unbiased account, but there seems to be a pro-Obama bent. Still, the current president comes off as the one by far most organized and in control during the campaign. Some of the shallow ridiculousness that drove the campaign is crazy. A good book to read as we head into another election cycle.
athena56's review against another edition
4.0
An absolutely fascinating look at behind-the-scenes of the Election that reignited the political passion of a nation. It's a very weird time to revisit the 2008 election with the country in such turmoil and lines so clearly drawn in the sand for or against. But I guess that's not really much different from any modern day, bi-partisan political race.
Game Change paints a very vivid picture of the personal struggles, doubts, hurdles, and antics of the major political players of the 2008 Presidential race. Beginning with the Democratic primaries, the book traces John Edwards' fall from grace, Hillary Clinton's tenacity (even when partnered with stupidity), and Barack Obama's meteoric rise to media darling. Moving on through, you see where Sarah Palin's lack of experience shine as she's plucked from obscurity and John McCain try and keep a crumbling bid in place despite surmounting odds.
As a person who has always had an interest in politics and the motivations behind races, this book was fantastic! To be a part of the most exciting presidential race of the past generation, and learn how the families, cabinets, and advisors all faired and planned...IT IS A MUST READ.
Game Change paints a very vivid picture of the personal struggles, doubts, hurdles, and antics of the major political players of the 2008 Presidential race. Beginning with the Democratic primaries, the book traces John Edwards' fall from grace, Hillary Clinton's tenacity (even when partnered with stupidity), and Barack Obama's meteoric rise to media darling. Moving on through, you see where Sarah Palin's lack of experience shine as she's plucked from obscurity and John McCain try and keep a crumbling bid in place despite surmounting odds.
As a person who has always had an interest in politics and the motivations behind races, this book was fantastic! To be a part of the most exciting presidential race of the past generation, and learn how the families, cabinets, and advisors all faired and planned...IT IS A MUST READ.
mildhonestbonsai's review against another edition
4.0
I actually ended up enjoying this book more than I thought I would. It has been a book that I was curious to read for quite a while and finally got around to it especially after seeing the HBO film adaptation.
The book, as I see it, was another form of portraying the ins and outs of politics the way that The West Wing, Armando Iannucci's The Thick of It, In The Loop, and now Veep portrays it on TV/Film. Being that I have watched all of these shows, I can say that the book does a very good job of shedding light on the political machine and written in a way that (to take Sarah Palin's own terminology) "Joe Six-Pack" is able to understand.
Being that I'm clearly reading this book with the luxury of hindsight, it was definitely really cool in remembering the events that are depicted in the book and then getting that new perspective of what was going on behind the scenes. It was all fresh in my mind being that this election was pretty major in my senior year of college.
The fact that people eat this book up and classify the book as political gossip does not give the book the justice it deserves.
The book, as I see it, was another form of portraying the ins and outs of politics the way that The West Wing, Armando Iannucci's The Thick of It, In The Loop, and now Veep portrays it on TV/Film. Being that I have watched all of these shows, I can say that the book does a very good job of shedding light on the political machine and written in a way that (to take Sarah Palin's own terminology) "Joe Six-Pack" is able to understand.
Being that I'm clearly reading this book with the luxury of hindsight, it was definitely really cool in remembering the events that are depicted in the book and then getting that new perspective of what was going on behind the scenes. It was all fresh in my mind being that this election was pretty major in my senior year of college.
The fact that people eat this book up and classify the book as political gossip does not give the book the justice it deserves.
wwatts1734's review against another edition
4.0
It was 2008 and the political situation was exciting. The Democrats had not been in the White House since 2001, and the Republicans were at a low in popularity polls because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the public perception of George W. Bush. Into this void a huge number of candidates from both parties joined the race. How did the race turn out the way that it did? How did the candidates handle the heat in the most contested presidential race in a very long time?
Heilemann and Halprin do a great job of laying out the campaigns and the issues with the candidates themselves. The attitude of the Clintons toward the political upstart Obama campaign is poignantly described. Another political upstart, Sarah Palin, gets exceptional attention in this book. It was a battle between the establishment players in the form of the McCains and the Clintons, and the political newcomers in the form of the Obamas and the Palins. It was a search for the issues that Americans could rally behind in the midst of a recession and 7 years of war. More than anything else, it was the search for the perfect image. Would Americans throw their support behind experience in the Beltway, or were they looking for something new, exciting and different on the political scene. Both parties offered a little bit of both in their campaigns. In the end, the establishment lost and the longing for new blood brought victory to Barack Obama and his "Hope and Change" candidacy.
I have read reviews about this book that criticized the authors for being too easy on Obama and his campaign. While the authors excoriate the Clintons, the McCains, the Palins and the Edwards, the Obamas got off easy by comparison. But I disagree with this assessment for several reasons. Firstly, most of the media were in love with Barack Obama in 2008. There's very little in the way of political analysis aside from conservative authors that criticize Obama in any way. In fact, "Game Change" does criticize Obama indirectly, relating the Clintons' opinion that Obama was inexperienced and untested, a widely held view in Washington in 2007 and 2008. Secondly, the book looks more at the losers of the campaign and why the candidates lost. Since Obama won, what's the point of picking on his weaknesses. Besides this, it is unlikely that Obama gave these authors the kind of access that they enjoyed from the other candidates. Why should Obama give journalists the kind of access that could possible take the polish off of his halo while he was riding high in publi opinion?
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the process of presidential political campaigns.
Heilemann and Halprin do a great job of laying out the campaigns and the issues with the candidates themselves. The attitude of the Clintons toward the political upstart Obama campaign is poignantly described. Another political upstart, Sarah Palin, gets exceptional attention in this book. It was a battle between the establishment players in the form of the McCains and the Clintons, and the political newcomers in the form of the Obamas and the Palins. It was a search for the issues that Americans could rally behind in the midst of a recession and 7 years of war. More than anything else, it was the search for the perfect image. Would Americans throw their support behind experience in the Beltway, or were they looking for something new, exciting and different on the political scene. Both parties offered a little bit of both in their campaigns. In the end, the establishment lost and the longing for new blood brought victory to Barack Obama and his "Hope and Change" candidacy.
I have read reviews about this book that criticized the authors for being too easy on Obama and his campaign. While the authors excoriate the Clintons, the McCains, the Palins and the Edwards, the Obamas got off easy by comparison. But I disagree with this assessment for several reasons. Firstly, most of the media were in love with Barack Obama in 2008. There's very little in the way of political analysis aside from conservative authors that criticize Obama in any way. In fact, "Game Change" does criticize Obama indirectly, relating the Clintons' opinion that Obama was inexperienced and untested, a widely held view in Washington in 2007 and 2008. Secondly, the book looks more at the losers of the campaign and why the candidates lost. Since Obama won, what's the point of picking on his weaknesses. Besides this, it is unlikely that Obama gave these authors the kind of access that they enjoyed from the other candidates. Why should Obama give journalists the kind of access that could possible take the polish off of his halo while he was riding high in publi opinion?
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the process of presidential political campaigns.
nakedsushi's review against another edition
4.0
This was not something I would normally read and I probably wouldn't have wanted to read this if I had not seen the West Wing. Who knew that politics could be so full of drama and excitement? I heard the author talking about his second book on NPR and thought I'd give this one a spin and boy, am I glad I did.
Maybe my head was under a rock during that time, but I didn't know or probably forgot half the drama that went on during President Obama's first campaign. The whole John Edwards mistress thing was completely new to me. I got enjoyment out of this book like I get enjoyment reading a tabloid waiting in line at the checkout counter. I was eagerly anticipating the chapters about Palin and they did not disappoint. At one point, I felt sorry for her, but that quickly went away.
The only downside to this book is one that my husband pointed out, which is the author loves using erudite words for the sake of using them when a plain word would have sufficed or even fit better. It got kind of distracting once he pointed it out.
Can't wait to hop onto Game Change #2!
Maybe my head was under a rock during that time, but I didn't know or probably forgot half the drama that went on during President Obama's first campaign. The whole John Edwards mistress thing was completely new to me. I got enjoyment out of this book like I get enjoyment reading a tabloid waiting in line at the checkout counter. I was eagerly anticipating the chapters about Palin and they did not disappoint. At one point, I felt sorry for her, but that quickly went away.
The only downside to this book is one that my husband pointed out, which is the author loves using erudite words for the sake of using them when a plain word would have sufficed or even fit better. It got kind of distracting once he pointed it out.
Can't wait to hop onto Game Change #2!