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wshier's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable, quick read. But, it is pretty fluffy. No news here, Sarah Palin is an idiot.
heathercide's review against another edition
4.0
Did I really enjoy this book, to the point where I stayed up longer than I should have to read it? Yes. Did it change my opinion about politics? No.
mfcotter's review against another edition
4.0
A really entertaining read. Everything is history but it is kind of fun to get the backstory. It confirms, once again, how bad moods, bruised egos and unresolved anger play a pivotal role in so many very important decisions. It is written in a somewhat breathless style, which does make it fun and easy to get through. I lopped off a star for some clunky composition.
valigator's review against another edition
5.0
anyone who wonders why Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 should read this book.
housedesignerking's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
1.0
This book was sitting on a shelf at a dollar tree in 2011, one calendar year after its official release. John Heilemann and Mark Halperin tell the <i>allegedly</i> true story of the 2008 presidential election, McCain vs. Obama. I don't believe it. Not for one minute. This book only has an index. There's none of the following: acknowledgements, footnotes, notes, or bibliography. There are wild and crazy claims in this book about most of the candidates, not to mention a lot of inaccuracies. The wild and crazy claims include Hillary's insane tirades and toxic anger (she did get angry at times, but never to the extent of a tirade. She just yelled), Palin's mental instability (fictional) and McCain's unreasonable crankiness (only mildly possible in my book; it's not unheard of for a political candidate to get a bit cranky when things go wrong). Some inaccuracies: an allegation that Palin was part of the Alaskan Independence Party (the allegation was actually about her husband), that Palin and Biden just walked off the stage after their VEEP debate, and that McCain's campaign ran out of money before he "managed" to become the Republican nominee.
I walk away from this book feeling very doubtful. When Heilemann and Halperin weren't talking about what the public saw, they may have just made the rest of it up. I honestly got the impression the two authors had an orgasmic obsession with senator Obama because he was the only candidate that wasn't painted badly. The way they went back and forth between making someone look good and then bad and then good and then bad could've given me whiplash. It was enjoyable, don't get me wrong. I worked for the 2008 campaign (locally) so this was very nostalgic in a way. This was an election where you were either a racist, an idiot, a sexist, or un-American depending on who you were voting for. Palin was painted as mentally unstable and McCain as cranky just because the Republican ticket was gonna lose, and Hillary was painted as having toxic anger syndrome because she yells sometimes (and was even somehow a betrayer just because she accepted Obama's job offer after the election; how's that for not picking a side in this review? 😜). The 2012 movie of the same name takes the very small chunk about the Republican side of things and somehow managed to create a full-length movie. That movie wasn't very believable, either.
It gets 3 stars for being a very enjoyable work of fiction. I didn't believe very much in this book because I lived through the election.
I walk away from this book feeling very doubtful. When Heilemann and Halperin weren't talking about what the public saw, they may have just made the rest of it up. I honestly got the impression the two authors had an orgasmic obsession with senator Obama because he was the only candidate that wasn't painted badly. The way they went back and forth between making someone look good and then bad and then good and then bad could've given me whiplash. It was enjoyable, don't get me wrong. I worked for the 2008 campaign (locally) so this was very nostalgic in a way. This was an election where you were either a racist, an idiot, a sexist, or un-American depending on who you were voting for. Palin was painted as mentally unstable and McCain as cranky just because the Republican ticket was gonna lose, and Hillary was painted as having toxic anger syndrome because she yells sometimes (and was even somehow a betrayer just because she accepted Obama's job offer after the election; how's that for not picking a side in this review? 😜). The 2012 movie of the same name takes the very small chunk about the Republican side of things and somehow managed to create a full-length movie. That movie wasn't very believable, either.
It gets 3 stars for being a very enjoyable work of fiction. I didn't believe very much in this book because I lived through the election.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, and Infidelity
trulybooked's review against another edition
3.0
I think the best part about this book is that it spotlights how the media can have negative effects on politicians when it delves into their personal lives while its very existence has had negative effects on politicians by delving into their personal lives.
Game Change was one of the few books that I picked up because the media was hyping it and then I found I couldn't put it down. It has taken the 2008 election and written about it in a truly accessible way. It's politics, but reads like pulp fiction in a way that is fascinating. While I can say I'd read it again, having the inside look behind the media's portrayals and the propaganda was fascinating.
Especially when it came to the McCain camp. Most people would have dismissed him as a doddering old man, but if this book is to be believed he has a nasty streak in him that's a mile wide. Palin's part was more disturbing than anything else. The entire time I was reading it all I could think about was that she was far too close to being president.
I think the best part about this book is that it takes the caricatures that we've formed of politicians and it turns them on their heads, it makes all of them into real people. People who can get upset, tired and burnt out. People who don't make the right decisions. It showed an intelligent side of Bush who acted like a president rather than the gaffes the media kept calling him on. It showed a malicious side of John McCain and the extent of Sarah Palin's ineptitude (we already all knew she's malicious). It showed a different version of Edwards and his Wife than what people would have expected.
It makes everyone human and for that fact alone, I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in American Politics. It takes a little bit of basic knowledge, but if you were paying any attention at all to the race, you're going to want to read this book.
Game Change was one of the few books that I picked up because the media was hyping it and then I found I couldn't put it down. It has taken the 2008 election and written about it in a truly accessible way. It's politics, but reads like pulp fiction in a way that is fascinating. While I can say I'd read it again, having the inside look behind the media's portrayals and the propaganda was fascinating.
Especially when it came to the McCain camp. Most people would have dismissed him as a doddering old man, but if this book is to be believed he has a nasty streak in him that's a mile wide. Palin's part was more disturbing than anything else. The entire time I was reading it all I could think about was that she was far too close to being president.
I think the best part about this book is that it takes the caricatures that we've formed of politicians and it turns them on their heads, it makes all of them into real people. People who can get upset, tired and burnt out. People who don't make the right decisions. It showed an intelligent side of Bush who acted like a president rather than the gaffes the media kept calling him on. It showed a malicious side of John McCain and the extent of Sarah Palin's ineptitude (we already all knew she's malicious). It showed a different version of Edwards and his Wife than what people would have expected.
It makes everyone human and for that fact alone, I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in American Politics. It takes a little bit of basic knowledge, but if you were paying any attention at all to the race, you're going to want to read this book.
imclaugh's review against another edition
3.0
Juicy, but not as detail-laden as it could have been. Indulges in too much gossip. Also, negative portrayal of Hillary is not the the way to get a five-star rating from me.
ikahime's review against another edition
4.0
Only on Chapter 5 and totally engrossed. It's even more exciting and dramatic than the side the public was privy to. It brings back all the urgency and novelty of the 2008 election.
mee_ko's review against another edition
4.0
really entertaining gossip, in a cringeworthy sort of way. seems to support the idea that most people in politics are mentally unbalanced.