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299 reviews for:
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
John Heilemann
4.08 AVERAGE
299 reviews for:
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime
John Heilemann
4.08 AVERAGE
I read this book mostly because I was out of the country for the primaries and run-up to the election. A fast and easy read (like a tabloid) it was interesting to get a behind the scenes look and it was surprising to see how much of that news actually DID make it out of the US.
Loved this. The story is captivating (the best parts being the Obama/Hillary contest and the parts about Sarah Palin - there were a few chapters in the middle that I WAS able to tear myself away from) and the authors can't really take credit for that, but it was masterfully, skillfully told, and for that theyshould.
If you think this book will give you those juicy, sordid details of Sarah Palin's VP campaign a la the HBO movie of the same name, think again. This book heavily weighs on the Democratic primary race. It took me 271 pages to get to John McCain's race with name drops of Romney (foreshadowing his doomed 2012 presidential campaign) here and there. The book focuses on the rise of Obama and the fall of the Clintons. (See the plural usage? This book makes it seem like Hillary is half the person without Bill, and sometimes I couldn't agree more.) It also includes the truly juicy and sordid details of the Edwards campaign and the candidate's utmost fantastical delusion of "everything's gonna be okay." I felt a little unsatisfied at the end, seeing that there wasn't as quality comedy on the Republicans' race as I had expected. Nevertheless, it reads like a soap opera or an actually good episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (hey, their PR operates in nearly the same fashion)--dramatic and engrossing but all the while, morally questionable to follow. "Really? Why am I reading about why Hillary hates Claire McCaskill? But wow, fascinating."
To note, Joe Biden is still my favorite politician ever. Nobody with that much experience and knowledge can still be as clueless as he is. "Who's Sarah Palin?" Golden.
This book is good enough if you skim it, unless you're a politics/news junkie. Other than that, watch the Julianne Moore movie as your "Sparknotes."
To note, Joe Biden is still my favorite politician ever. Nobody with that much experience and knowledge can still be as clueless as he is. "Who's Sarah Palin?" Golden.
This book is good enough if you skim it, unless you're a politics/news junkie. Other than that, watch the Julianne Moore movie as your "Sparknotes."
Well. Saw the movie on HBO, wanted to read the book, picked it up on my Kindle. The last 150 pages or so was a giant index, so I was unprepared for the abrupt stop of the story.
If you've only seen the movie, the book is different. The movie is only about one chapter of the book, and the rest is all Barack vs Hillary. I was somehow anticipating a little more detail about the Republican candidates after the first part. I felt like the book really fizzled out after a fascinating first 2-3 chapters with a lot of soundbites.
If you've only seen the movie, the book is different. The movie is only about one chapter of the book, and the rest is all Barack vs Hillary. I was somehow anticipating a little more detail about the Republican candidates after the first part. I felt like the book really fizzled out after a fascinating first 2-3 chapters with a lot of soundbites.
This was highly readable, entertaining and informative - a bit gossipy but fun. A great behind the scenes look at the 2008 election.
Great literature? No, but I could not put this thing down. Fascinating read. Surprisingly, most of the players come across far more sympathetically than you would expect. I even found myself feeling bad for Sarah Palin...
I’m 8 years late to this book but fascinating to see the evolution of campaigns and how much things have changed. The concerns about divisive, racist, or incorrect rhetoric seem quaint in this era of vitriol and lies. For goodness sake, John Edwards campaign failed because he had an affair and broke campaign finance laws. Now compare that to the outrageous nonsense of 2016.
Really interesting to see how various campaigns were functional and dysfunctional. Seems like Hillary Clinton made a lot of the same mistakes in 2016 that she made in 2008.
Really interesting to see how various campaigns were functional and dysfunctional. Seems like Hillary Clinton made a lot of the same mistakes in 2016 that she made in 2008.
I'm troubled by the lack of sources. I want to read it, it's fascinating, but I hate the idea of consuming gossip with no way of fact checking. Oh who am I kidding, I'll gobble it down like popcorn.
Well, finished. For a story with a known ending it was sure a page-turner. I enjoyed this book 4 stars' worth- I took one away for the lack of sources and one for poor editing. Very fun read.
Well, finished. For a story with a known ending it was sure a page-turner. I enjoyed this book 4 stars' worth- I took one away for the lack of sources and one for poor editing. Very fun read.
Game Change is mostly about the relationship between Obama and the Clintons during the 2008 election. It also has some information about McCain, Edwards and Palin although the information was not as in depth. It was sort of interesting to see all of the things that went on behind the scenes during the election. Some of the information is salacious, as one would expect from any political book of this nature.