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Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime Paperback – October 26, 2010

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,950 ratings

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The gripping inside story of the 2008 presidential election, by two of the best political reporters in the country.

“It’s one of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22.” —The Financial Times

“It transports you to a parallel universe in which everything in the National Enquirer is true….More interesting is what we learn about the candidates themselves: their frailties, egos and almost super-human stamina.” —The Financial Times

“I can’t put down this book!” —Stephen Colbert

Game Change is the New York Times bestselling story of the 2008 presidential election, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the best political reporters in the country. In the spirit of Richard Ben Cramer’s What It Takes and Theodore H. White’s The Making of the President 1960, this classic campaign trail book tells the defining story of a new era in American politics, going deeper behind the scenes of the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin campaigns than any other account of the historic 2008 election.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A smoking new book. . . . The real revelation in Game Change: Campaigns turn our politicians into lunatics.” — Tina Brown, The Daily Beast

“Heilemann and Halperin have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign. . . . It vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused Obama’s opponents to self-destruct.” — Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review

“A thoroughly researched, well-paced and occasionally very amusing read. . . . The result is something that conveys the feel, or perhaps more accurately the smell, of one of recent history’s most thrilling elections, and it does so better than any of the other books already on the market.” — The Economist

“I can’t put down this book!” — Stephen Colbert

“Compulsively readable. Once begun, you can’t put it down. . . . Deeply and knowledgeably reported and presented with all the cool sophistication one would expect from two accomplished political reporters.” — Tim Rutten, The Los Angeles Times

“Riveting, definitive. . . . A great campaign book. . . . Halperin and Heilemann got insiders to cough up astonishing artifacts, including emails and recordings. . . . Game Change is really interesting, and puts you deep in the middle of it.” — Kurt Andersen, Very Short List

“The hottest book in the country.” — The Associated Press

“Everybody talked. Anybody that tells you they didn’t is lying to you.” — A former top Clinton aide, to Politico’s Ben Smith

“The best presidential political book since What it Takes by Richard Ben Cramer and Teddy White’s books. These are the types of books that got me into politics.” — Joe Scarborough

“An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.” — Soledad O’Brien on Larry King Live

“You’ve got to read Game Change. . . . I read each and every word. . . . Game Change is a great book.” — Don Imus

“A fascinating account. . . . Heilemann and Halperin serve up a spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations. . . . Game Change leaves the reader with a vivid, visceral sense of the campaign and a keen understanding of the paradoxes and contingencies of history.” — Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“Riveting. . . . Its pages brim with scandalous tidbits. . . . This is a must-read for anyone interested in the cutthroat backroom hows and whys of a presidential campaign. . . . And it doesn’t hurt that Game Change reads more bodice-ripper than Beltway.” — Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly

“The authors of Game Change succeed in creating a plausible account of the emotional tumult of the 2008 campaign as it might have been―perhaps even was―experienced by the candidates, their spouses, and their staffs.” — Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker

“An amazing piece of work. . . . One of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22. . . . An absolutely gripping read . . . they can write.” — Clive Crook, The Financial Times

From the Back Cover

In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of Barack Obama. The shocking fall of the House of Clinton—and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines had been told—until now.

In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (October 26, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 456 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061733644
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061733642
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.16 x 8.3 x 11.28 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,950 ratings

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4.5 out of 5 stars
1,950 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book an enjoyable and entertaining read that provides enlightening insights into the 2008 presidential campaigns. They describe the story as thrilling and interesting, with plenty of juicy details. The writing style is described as well-written and easy to follow, with a direct and harsh tone. Readers appreciate the detailed account of the transformational election and intricate portrayals of Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

354 customers mention "Readability"354 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and fascinating. They describe it as an entertaining read that reads like a novel. The book is well-researched and gripping, keeping readers hooked until the end.

"...It's both fun and frightening. It's quite revealing. To wit . . . Bill Clinton wanted Ted Kennedy to endorse Hillary...." Read more

"...lean about the people 'who would be king or queen' *wink* In this marvelous book but also an incredible glimpse into the procedures of how..." Read more

"...For people who are not highly partisan, this is a fascinating and entertaining read...." Read more

"...All in all, the book is enjoyable with the reservations above. The authors are Obama supporters and it shows...." Read more

177 customers mention "Enlightened"173 positive4 negative

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They appreciate the scholarly approach and extensive bibliography. The book provides an insider's perspective on historical events, including John Edwards and Sarah Palin.

"...It's both fun and frightening. It's quite revealing. To wit . . . Bill Clinton wanted Ted Kennedy to endorse Hillary...." Read more

"...This book did deliver as an insider's recent perspective on one of the most historic and exciting presidential races of recent history..." Read more

"...So I am rather confident, these knowledgeable journalists had great sources and speak the truth...." Read more

"...fiction in it, but even if there was 20% truth to it, it's still eye-opening...." Read more

152 customers mention "Story quality"138 positive14 negative

Customers enjoy the story's gripping narrative and interesting details about the 2008 presidential election. They find it a good chronicle of the events, with an intriguing subplot about the failed campaign of one of the candidates. The suspenseful plot and insightful backroom drama provide readers with a vivid account of the events.

"...There is a good description of the controversy in South Carolina when Bill Clinton became incensed at the racial undercurrent that was growing...." Read more

"...now, with some safe distance from 2008, gives me such a thrill to remember these events, speeches, and gaffes, from my POV and be able to see behind..." Read more

"...These journalists wrote a tight, fascinating narrative of the campaign...." Read more

"...in the book, Game Change is also chock-full of interesting behind-the-scenes details about a campaign that, for better or worse, is likely to go..." Read more

151 customers mention "Writing style"127 positive24 negative

Customers find the writing style engaging and easy to follow. They describe it as witty, direct, and a bit harsh. The book has great footnotes and bibliography, setting the tone of an unfettered look at the candidates.

"...It's so compulsively readable that I finished 400 pages in just two days. This is truly "must read" for anyone interested in politics." Read more

"...knew obama was a "smooth operator"; intelligent and gifted at reading other people's speeches ... his outright cocky demeanor and his obvious, deep..." Read more

"...Overall, the book is worth the read. It's well written, flows nicely, and recaps the events of the campaign in a pretty even-handed way...." Read more

"...So the bottom line on this book is that while it is an amusing read, the authors act just as sleazy as the political luminaries they write about --..." Read more

143 customers mention "Political insight"129 positive14 negative

Customers find the book provides an insightful account of the 2008 presidential campaigns. They find it interesting, especially the general election chapter on the VPs. The book provides a detailed account of this transformational election. Readers mention that the media seems more focused on Democratic politics than Republican.

"...recent perspective on one of the most historic and exciting presidential races of recent history (sorry Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford)...." Read more

"I have now finished this book and, while it is pretty good on Obama and Clinton, the sections on McCain and Palin show the authors leftist sympathies..." Read more

"...election, is everything a political junkie could ask for -- political power, intrigue, gossip, sex and just plain outlandish tales about America's..." Read more

"...pace, however, are the characters of Game Change, a great compendium of political figures, many of whom are rendered in less than flattering light...." Read more

92 customers mention "Detail"81 positive11 negative

Customers find the book provides an insightful look into the presidential election. It offers detailed descriptions of the money involved in the races and frank accounts of what took place behind the scenes. Readers appreciate the thorough and unbias coverage of the events.

"...or queen' *wink* In this marvelous book but also an incredible glimpse into the procedures of how presidential campaigning works...." Read more

"...Far worse. Game Change goes ahead and deliciously details all the backbiting, sex, lies, and self-destructions of the most dissected presidential..." Read more

"...The book's structure is quite appealing: Part 1 deals with the Democratic nominee race, alternating between candidate POVs/perspectives with each..." Read more

"...Change interesting is the fact that, thanks to "deep background" interviews with campaign staffers and, quite clearly from the content, several of..." Read more

41 customers mention "Pacing"32 positive9 negative

Customers find the book's pacing fast and engaging. They describe it as an informative read that moves like a good novel. The book provides an insightful look into the 2008 election campaign, with details on both the Edwards and Obama campaigns.

"...It's jaw-dropping, gripping, and guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night. Here are just a few of the revelations:..." Read more

"...Obama, cool, collected and egocentric, was, by all appearances, something new, indeed exciting...." Read more

"...While he is super ambitious, he is portrayed as not being petty or vain and always seems to favor the interests of the country over his own..." Read more

"...Senator McCain is unflattering as he is portrayed as impulsive, impatient and short tempered...." Read more

34 customers mention "Personality"34 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights into the personalities of the 2008 presidential candidates. They find the characters relatable and honest, with a variety of viewpoints on their motivations. The tone is humorous and a reminder that everyone is human, no matter how crafted their appearance.

"...is fascinating to sneak a peek behind the curtain of such a varied cast of characters...." Read more

"...We are given the candid dirt with stories and showdowns and candidates being humans, making mistakes, and paying for them...." Read more

"...nomination, and in doing so they provide very interesting insights into the characters of both the current President and the current Secretary of..." Read more

"...I enjoyed reading details about the candidates' personalities and their work habits...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2010
    We always wonder what's going on behind the scenes of an election and in the lives of the Washington elite. Most of us know, or eventually learn, that politicians are typically loathsome characters of few morals and mammoth egos who think nothing of lying, cheating and, in general, being insufferable human beings. And, we get a chance to see it all, up close, in this new book by political reporters Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. We get the opportunity to look behind the scenes and see these people as they really are. It's both fun and frightening. It's quite revealing. To wit . . .

    Bill Clinton wanted Ted Kennedy to endorse Hillary. But instead, he angered Kennedy so badly that Kennedy went all out for Obama. Here's how it happened according to the book . . .

    "As Hillary bungled Caroline, Bill's handling of Ted was even worse. The day after Iowa, he phoned Kennedy and pressed for an endorsement, making the case for his wife. But Bill then went on, belittling Obama in a manner that deeply offended Kennedy. Recounting the conversation later to a friend, Teddy fumed that Clinton had said,' A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee.' "

    Of course, we have to wonder if Kennedy was telling the truth or perhaps colorizing it to fit his own agenda since Kennedy was not a moral or virtuous man or one known for telling the truth. So, in reality, this story is secondhand. It could be false or it could be taken out of context. Or, it could be true.

    On another matter the Clintons wanted to go after Obama's drug use. Can you imagine alleged coke sniffer Bill going after alleged dope smoker Obama? Well, that was going to be the way it went down if the Clintons had their way.

    And . . .

    Before BHO decided to run for president, the Obamas flew to Nashville, TN to get Al Gore's assurance that he would not run.

    Among the things we learn . . .

    When Obama asked Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state, she initially turned him down. Why? Bill's penchant for controversy. She felt it would interfere with her efforts in the job.

    When President-elect Obama called her again to convince her to be his secretary of state, Clinton told him there was a problem. That great big mouthy problem was her husband. "You've seen what this is like; it will be a circus if I take this job," she said to Obama.

    Clinton almost never admits this to anyone. And, Obama who seldom shows his vulnerable side, admits to Hillary that he needs her. He seems overwhelmed with the economy and all that's going on, all that faces him.

    The McCain-Palin camp was afraid that Sarah Palin would screw things up because of the tremendous amount of information she needed to debate Biden. "The debate was going to be a debacle of historic and epic proportions...she was not focused...not engaged." She was not really participating in the prep, the authors add.

    Sidebar:

    In a recent news article Palin's spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, said in a statement: "The Governor's descriptions of these events are found in her book, 'Going Rogue.' Her descriptions are accurate. She was there. These reporters were not." Stapleton was talking about what was said about Palin in this book by the authors.

    and then . . .

    McCain aides confront Cindy McCain over reports that she had an extramarital affair.

    The authors tell us that Hillary Clinton was so confident she would get the Democratic nomination that she had two top advisers planning her transition for after she won the general election.

    They also point out that up until only days before the Republican Convention, Sen. John McCain was still thinking Sen. Joe Lieberman would be his running mate, until the "blowback" was so strong, they feared Lieberman would be rejected by the party, forcing the last-minute choice of Palin for the role.

    Steve Schmidt, John McCain's former chief campaign strategist believes the Obama-Biden victory would have been even more lopsided without Palin on the Republican ticket, according to the book.

    On John Edwards . . .

    John Edwards went from being typically conceited to having megalomania. Women were always after him. He loved it and it fed his enormous ego. But it was also a problem for the campaign.

    Edwards thought the contest would be between him and Hillary. The Clinton camp thought the same thing.

    Edwards was normally warm to his staff. But he turned disdainful. He ignored and dismissed them. He even mistreated both staff and supporters. "You can't talk to people that way, "an aid told him after one of his displays. "People didn't like the new John Edwards."

    Surprisingly, Elizabeth Edwards was fast to show John that she was his intellectual superior. She called him a "hick" in front of people and derided him for having "redneck parents." She called some staffers idiots. Her illness mellowed her in the early months of 2005 - but not for long.

    While John's wife may have made him feel small, his new gal pal made him feel like a king. She told him that he had "the power to change the world," that "the people will follow you." She told him that he could be as great a leader as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. She told him, "You're so real. You just need to get your staff out of your way." She reinforced everything he already believed about himself. She told him exactly what he wanted and needed to hear.

    No one gets off free in the book. The authors tell us that Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had referred privately to Barack Obama early in his campaign as a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

    Ladies and gentlemen . . . meet America's elite.

    This book makes Lady Chatterley's Lover as sexy as a high school algebra text book. It makes Madame Bovary look positively saintly. If even half of what this book reports is true, I've got higher forms of life on the bottom of my shoe than we've got running our country.

    What a read. Gustave Flaubert couldn't have written it any better.

    - Susanna K. Hutcheson
    282 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2012
    Game Change

    I liked the book because it wasn't as gossipy as I was lead to believe. What was really enjoyable was seeing how the campaigns are put together from behind the scenes, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW--DURING THIS NEW PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR. In an odd way the writer made several of the candidates look odd with the exception of our current first family.....The Obama's. The author included many passages implicating an adoring love between Barak and Michelle. Also his pride in his girls. The others never once looked as if they loved each other. And I for one wasn't totally blown away by what the authors call the disparity between Elizabeth Edward's public image and her every day behavior they felt they had to to ENDURE. Hence the sarcastic nickname of Saint Elizabeth. I had told my mother many times when I saw her on Oprah or things like that I just sensed a barely concealed RAGE seething underneath the plastic smile that didn't reach her eyes. Of course when it came out publicly that while she was battling breast cancer YET again....her no good husband was out cheating. But according to the book and long time staffers with them, she ALWAYS had that barely concealed rage. And actually loved to humiliate John in font of the staff years before her cancer. They said she said he absorbed as her trying to help him be a better person. When anyone else would have seen it as verbal and mental abuse. This is the tip of the iceberg on what you would lean about the people 'who would be king or queen' *wink* In this marvelous book but also an incredible glimpse into the procedures of how presidential campaigning works. They strategically picked states where they felt the need to win all or nothing and in the last election there were still limits donating to a so called "SUPER PAC". The Obama Campaign made history in MANY ways. The obvious factor was he was the first American President of mixed race to win the office and although his mother and Grandmother predominantly raised him--he would always identify himself more with his African American heritage. But other firsts was the usage of the Internet to get poor people who contribute even fifty bucks the chance to give one or two dollars. And they could do it again and again. His staff came up with the idea to see Obama hats T Shirts, copies of the book he wrote and things like that at ANY place he was making speak. These ideas helped pull in more and more money. Then there was the way people were drawn to him. I think you were three categories. You were one of those who just wanted to hear him speak, maybe glimpse him and maybe if you were blessed touch the hem of one his clothing items!!!! The other group was outraged at this other group of people because they DID use the word MESSIAH and OBAMA in the same sentence. I was apart of the third that was plain in shock that a certain section of America were indeed treating this man as the cure all pill to all th problems Bush 2 left us in full swing of and some that he'd created but were only starting to fully blossom. It was nice to read that the people behind the scenes in the Obama camp were as weirded out by it as I am. They were concerned actually for THIS election. Logically no one person in our system of government can make everything he promises happens and people have way of forgetting their REQUIRED high school government classes we all HAD to take to graduate from high school. Then if we went on to college we should have less of an excuse for how the system works FOR BETTER OR WORSE; WE SHOULD KNOW THE PRESIDENT CAN NOT BY HIMSELF MAKE LAWS UNLESS THEY HAVE TO DO WITH A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY WHICH THE COMMITTEE IN CONGRESS THAT DEALS WITH THIS TOPIC MUST BE CLUED IN I BELIEVE (I'M A LITTLE RUSTY). So even this year as Mitt Romney makes promises and we will start sooner or later hear Obama with his own promises and rhetoric. Reading This book reminded me of how much it is a political oratory dance. It is more ritual and theater than factual promises. I was also reminded how many Americans have forgotten that the promises of this political theater are ritual more than an actual intention.
    [...]

    From the Declaration of Independence:

    "...Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. ..."
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Gary Gray
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read: Very Readable/Enjoyable-under the covers reality of politics.
    Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2015
    Nothing else compares to these books. "Game Change" and "Double down".
    It is like Young and the Restless but all true behind-the-scene personal actions, political politics and serendipity.
  • Leo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo libro, non si riesce a smettere di leggere
    Reviewed in Italy on December 28, 2013
    Non te lo aspetteresti da un saggio, ma è scritto così bene da essere avvincente, specie per chi ha seguito (anche se da lontano) la campagna del 2008.
    Incredibile la quantità e la profondità delle informazioni.
    Per quanto possa giudicare da fuori, scritto in maniera molto "bipartisan", difficile giudicare se l'apparente simpatia per Obama non sia in realtà iun riflesso degli incredibili errori e difetti degli avversari.
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  • JYves
    5.0 out of 5 stars Très intéressant
    Reviewed in France on July 4, 2012
    Beaucoup de plaisir à lire cet ouvrage. Sur un ton journalistique, ce livre reprend tous les moments de la campagne connus ou moins connus, moments clés qui ont permis d'arriver au résultat que l'on connaît. J
    J'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à me replonger dans cette campagne qui a été passionnante.
    Je ne trouve pas de point négatif à dire. Si le sujet vous intéresse, foncez. Si vous aimez la politique, ou si vous voulez mieux connaître les States, n'hésitez pas non plus.
    Jean-Yves
  • TanjaV
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr informativ
    Reviewed in Germany on April 4, 2012
    Ich habe dieses Buch gekauft, nachdem ich den Film 'Game Change' sah und muss sagen, dass ich positiv überrascht war. Während der Film sich auf die Ereignisse um Sarah Palin konzentriert, gibt dieses Buch einen sehr guten Einblick in die Ereignisse vor und während des Wahlkampfes 2008. Hintergrundinformationen, Einblicke 'hinter die Kulissen' und viele Passagen, welche die Kandidaten von einer der Öffentlichkeit weniger zugänglichen, damit vielleicht aber spannenderen Seite beschreiben machen dieses Buch zu einem Werk, das man kaum aus der Hand legen mag.

    Geschrieben von Journalisten, beruhend auf einer großen Zahl an Interviews und Insider-Wissen, ist es hervorragend. An mehr als einer Stelle findet man Begriffe, die der eine oder andere vielleicht nachschlagen muss. Es wird auf Presseberichte eingegangen, welche in Deutschland meiner Erinnerung nach nicht bzw. kaum Erwähnung fanden, was es an mancher Stelle etwas schwieriger macht, zu folgen. Ein paar Grundkenntnisse bezüglich des Ablaufs und des Zeitrahmens einer Präsidentschaftswahl sind von Vorteil, aber in Zeiten von Wikipedia nicht zwingend. Alles lässt sich schließlich nachschlagen.

    Ich kann dieses Buch nur empfehlen!
  • Bill Dean
    5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning evocation of the greatest political race of our times
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2010
    Race of a Lifetime is the insider account of Barak Obama's stunning rise to the presidency of the United States. Co-authored by two of the country's top political journalists, it relies upon some 200 hundred off-the-record interviews with campaign insiders (we're never told which ones) and moves along with the pace of a novel.

    Although Obama is the central character, the narrative revolves around other key players, principally Hillary Clinton, but also John Edwards, John McCain and Sarah Palin. It altered my opinion about Clinton - who comes across as thoroughly decent, diligent and admirable character - but reinforces what I knew about the others.

    Those who saw and loved the last two brilliant series of the much-missed West Wing are in for a real treat. The powerful characters and breakneck narrative seem more in tune with a fictional creation than the staid world of politics.

    Yet truth is stranger than fiction, and had that programme's creators devised characters such as Sarah Palin, they would have been accused of parody.

    Palin - with the egomanic and sleazy John Edwards - comes off worst in this book, although it is her ignorance rather than cynicism or ego that is her worst sin. It remains a terrifying thought that she could have been a missed heartbeat away from being the most powerful person in the world.

    One of the books' best episodes recounts her cramming sessions on forign affairs. During a lengthy primer on twentieth century history, of which she knew nothing, one ofe her aides suggests a break. "No, no, no, let's keep going," said Palin with the apparent wonderment of a child. "This is awesome."

    The book should be read with a few reservations. It's certainly not (thankfully) political science, yet not even a work of journalism - which would be properly sourced - rather a piece narrative non-fiction. We have to trust the authors' integrity to faithfully and even handedly deal with their off the record sources, and for some readers that will invariably be a leap of faith too far.

    Yet in my view, the book is richer and more candid for being off the record and gossipy. It's well-written, fascinating and a rare thing among books of its genre - a real page turner.