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Taft 2012
HE'S BACK.
AND HE'S THE BIGGEST THING IN POLITICS.
He is the perfect presidential candidate. Conservatives love his hard-hitting Republican résumé. Liberals love his peaceful, progressive practicality. The media can’t get enough of his larger-than-life personality. And all the American people love that he’s an honest, hard-working man who tells it like it is.
There’s just one problem. He is William Howard Taft . . . and he was already president a hundred years ago. So what on earth is he doing alive and well and considering a running mate in 2012?
A most extraordinary satire, Jason Heller’s debut novel follows the strange new life of a presidential Rip Van a man who never even wanted the White House in the first place, yet finds himself hurtling toward it once more—this time, through the media-fueled madness of 21st-century America.
AND HE'S THE BIGGEST THING IN POLITICS.
He is the perfect presidential candidate. Conservatives love his hard-hitting Republican résumé. Liberals love his peaceful, progressive practicality. The media can’t get enough of his larger-than-life personality. And all the American people love that he’s an honest, hard-working man who tells it like it is.
There’s just one problem. He is William Howard Taft . . . and he was already president a hundred years ago. So what on earth is he doing alive and well and considering a running mate in 2012?
A most extraordinary satire, Jason Heller’s debut novel follows the strange new life of a presidential Rip Van a man who never even wanted the White House in the first place, yet finds himself hurtling toward it once more—this time, through the media-fueled madness of 21st-century America.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
30 people are currently reading
713 people want to read
About the author
Jason Heller
36 books70 followers I'm a Denver-based writer who contributes regularly to The A.V. Club and Alternative Press. Quirk Books will publish my debut novel, Taft 2012, as well as a series of middle-grade horror books (to be announced). I'm also the nonfiction editor of Clarkesworld Magazine and am represented by Jennifer Jackson of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 288 reviews
March 18, 2012
I love the idea of this book as I understood it before reading it, but don't much care for the execution. If only I had read the acknowledgements page first, in which the author thanks his editor for giving him this idea, and mentions that this first time novelist is the previous author of The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook. Oh. That would have seriously adjusted my expectations of what kind of book this was; less serious yet playful examination of American politics by an inspired novelist, and more... hired out playful silliness. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
But indeed, the worst parts of this book are when the author tries to get somewhat serious and forces Taft to speak awful political platitudes. Thankfully, those moments occur less often than the silliness: Taft learning to Wii, Taft learning to use Twitter, Taft getting drunk in a bar and listening to a bad punk band and going home with the barmaid, Taft having a digestive problem, Taft encountering modern talk show hosts. Those are somewhat amusing, so fair play to the author for that.
Now, could someone please try to convince an accomplished novelist to imagine Theodore Roosevelt returning to campaign for President in 2016? Ah well.
But indeed, the worst parts of this book are when the author tries to get somewhat serious and forces Taft to speak awful political platitudes. Thankfully, those moments occur less often than the silliness: Taft learning to Wii, Taft learning to use Twitter, Taft getting drunk in a bar and listening to a bad punk band and going home with the barmaid, Taft having a digestive problem, Taft encountering modern talk show hosts. Those are somewhat amusing, so fair play to the author for that.
Now, could someone please try to convince an accomplished novelist to imagine Theodore Roosevelt returning to campaign for President in 2016? Ah well.
May 14, 2016
As if Frank Capra and Rod Serling had decided to collaborate on a story, TAFT 2012 tells the story of a revived William Howard Taft as he navigates the political pitfalls and cultural quirks of the 21st century and its people (some of whom want him to return to the White House).
The concept of TAFT 2012 is engaging enough, but you will certainly fall in love with the title character, the portly successor to the louder and more thrilling Teddy Roosevelt. This Taft is warm and charming, doing his best to relate to Americans despite being from a different era. He also spends a great deal of time ruminating on what kind of president he was and what kind of a man he is.
Following Taft as he explores modern society, running afoul of media pundits, unscrupulous corporations, and would-be assassins is funny and at times thrilling, but above all sincere. Even while the author uses this concept as a means to explore changes in the Republican Party, or society's relationship to food culture, it never feels mean spirited or unjust.
I can heartily recommend TAFT 2012 as a light and fun satire, but mostly I can recommend this book as a balm to the political nastiness that seems to have infiltrated our modern culture.
The concept of TAFT 2012 is engaging enough, but you will certainly fall in love with the title character, the portly successor to the louder and more thrilling Teddy Roosevelt. This Taft is warm and charming, doing his best to relate to Americans despite being from a different era. He also spends a great deal of time ruminating on what kind of president he was and what kind of a man he is.
Following Taft as he explores modern society, running afoul of media pundits, unscrupulous corporations, and would-be assassins is funny and at times thrilling, but above all sincere. Even while the author uses this concept as a means to explore changes in the Republican Party, or society's relationship to food culture, it never feels mean spirited or unjust.
I can heartily recommend TAFT 2012 as a light and fun satire, but mostly I can recommend this book as a balm to the political nastiness that seems to have infiltrated our modern culture.
July 6, 2022
I liked the book's goofy premise (President Taft has reemerged from a 100 year hibernation, and instantly becomes a phenomenon), but it just didn't really work for me. It's not as funny as it wants to be, and it doesn't really say anything particularly interesting about our current political situation (or, at least, the situation in 2012).
January 28, 2012
On first impression you might be forgiven for thinking Taft 2012 is a cheap “tie-in” – a work destined for the bargain basement, and cunningly crafted to make a fast buck from the buzz surrounding the American presidential election. I will certainly hold my hands up right now and admit this was the first thought that crossed my mind when I read the blurb:
And well you might wonder, what is William Howard Taft doing running for president in 2012, and indeed, what is Jason Heller doing writing a book such as this?
Regular followers of my reviews will recognise Jason Heller as author of The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, a novelty fan-book which I was rather impressed by, even though I admit, the Pirates franchise is not to my taste. With Taft 2012, Heller makes his professional debut as novelist, and I have to say, even though I had my doubts, he has done a really good job.
While Taft 2012 is most obviously a satire – a book designed to poke fun at democracy, the American presidential elections, and most obviously, ourselves as people, on satire alone, I don’t think this book would stand up. What makes Taft 2012 so impressive in my mind at least, is its human story. This isn’t a book about America, or even about William Taft per se – Taft 2012, is, at its heart, a book about people – a book about the human experience.
Taft himself is a quite brilliantly drawn character. Naturally, he’s a “larger than life” figure – on account of his girth more than anything else – but there’s something about him that really makes him stand out far beyond what on first glance appears to be a fat man with a big moustache.
There’s something very real, and very moving about the way his whole experience is portrayed. Some of the most powerful examples of Taft’s humanity are to be found when Taft is in isolation – when he has a monologue with a statue of himself, or when he finally brings himself to confront the words read at his eulogy all those many years before. History, we learn, isn’t always as clear-cut as it might seem. There are some powerful messages to be found here, hidden within the human tale of Taft’s re-examination of himself, and it’s in these messages that we find a book of real power – a book of heart that very few might expect.
I worry that because Taft 2012 is very clearly a book of its time – a book about the 2012 presidential election, a book with a year in its title – that it might well fall victim to its own marketing. As I alluded to in my opening, Taft 2012 is so much more than a book about the American presidential election; so much more than a book about 2012, or even about Taft himself. It’s a book about us as people, and who we are. For this reason, I highly recommend it to anyone looking to read something a bit different this year, something with a little more soul. There is certainly a lot more to this book than meets the eye.
For an extended version of this review, please visit my website.
He’s back. And he’s the biggest thing in politics.
He is the perfect presidential candidate. Conservatives love his hard-hitting Republican resume. Liberals love his peaceful, progressive practicality. The media can’t get enough of his larger-than-life personality. And all the American people love that he’s an honest, hard-working man who tells it like it is.
There’s just one problem. He is William Howard Taft… and he was already president a hundred years ago. So what on earth is he doing alive and well and considering a running mate in 2012?
And well you might wonder, what is William Howard Taft doing running for president in 2012, and indeed, what is Jason Heller doing writing a book such as this?
Regular followers of my reviews will recognise Jason Heller as author of The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, a novelty fan-book which I was rather impressed by, even though I admit, the Pirates franchise is not to my taste. With Taft 2012, Heller makes his professional debut as novelist, and I have to say, even though I had my doubts, he has done a really good job.
While Taft 2012 is most obviously a satire – a book designed to poke fun at democracy, the American presidential elections, and most obviously, ourselves as people, on satire alone, I don’t think this book would stand up. What makes Taft 2012 so impressive in my mind at least, is its human story. This isn’t a book about America, or even about William Taft per se – Taft 2012, is, at its heart, a book about people – a book about the human experience.
Taft himself is a quite brilliantly drawn character. Naturally, he’s a “larger than life” figure – on account of his girth more than anything else – but there’s something about him that really makes him stand out far beyond what on first glance appears to be a fat man with a big moustache.
There’s something very real, and very moving about the way his whole experience is portrayed. Some of the most powerful examples of Taft’s humanity are to be found when Taft is in isolation – when he has a monologue with a statue of himself, or when he finally brings himself to confront the words read at his eulogy all those many years before. History, we learn, isn’t always as clear-cut as it might seem. There are some powerful messages to be found here, hidden within the human tale of Taft’s re-examination of himself, and it’s in these messages that we find a book of real power – a book of heart that very few might expect.
I worry that because Taft 2012 is very clearly a book of its time – a book about the 2012 presidential election, a book with a year in its title – that it might well fall victim to its own marketing. As I alluded to in my opening, Taft 2012 is so much more than a book about the American presidential election; so much more than a book about 2012, or even about Taft himself. It’s a book about us as people, and who we are. For this reason, I highly recommend it to anyone looking to read something a bit different this year, something with a little more soul. There is certainly a lot more to this book than meets the eye.
For an extended version of this review, please visit my website.
October 24, 2011
I was ready to like this one- maybe even for the scifi book club? But no. The writing was clunky. Taft acclimated to 2012 after his hundred year (unexplained) nap far too well. His language wasn't quite different enough. And while I'm willing to believe that Taft has had his character assassins, this character was too perfect. He seemed to be just the mouthpiece for the author's "moderate" beliefs. I think the scene where Taft slept with a biker chick was supposed to be funny, but I found it utterly unbelievable, as I did all the female characters in this book, who served only to show that Taft should be showered with admiration.
Also, mean little dig at Alinea, which proves to me that the author utterly does not get Grant Achatz. To say that molecular gastromony is about processing the food out of food, no differently than a McDonald's burger (I do like McDonald's, but I know what I'm getting) is to entirely miss the point. I just read Grant Achatz's book, and this passage pretty much actively turned me against Taft 2012. I think looking at how our food culture works a la Michael Pollan is just fine, but this author didn't convince me with his hamhanded overstatement and cartoon villains.
I didn't finish the book, but it looks like the last chapter is pretty much a speech by Taft that is really a speech by the author about all that is wrong with our political system today. I don't respect the author's rigor of thought enough to really care what he thinks at this point.
Also, mean little dig at Alinea, which proves to me that the author utterly does not get Grant Achatz. To say that molecular gastromony is about processing the food out of food, no differently than a McDonald's burger (I do like McDonald's, but I know what I'm getting) is to entirely miss the point. I just read Grant Achatz's book, and this passage pretty much actively turned me against Taft 2012. I think looking at how our food culture works a la Michael Pollan is just fine, but this author didn't convince me with his hamhanded overstatement and cartoon villains.
I didn't finish the book, but it looks like the last chapter is pretty much a speech by Taft that is really a speech by the author about all that is wrong with our political system today. I don't respect the author's rigor of thought enough to really care what he thinks at this point.
April 11, 2025
fun and off-beat, a very refreshing read
January 7, 2012
What would happen if President William Howard Taft—the 27th president of the United States—suddenly reappeared in modern day America? How would America react, and how would it affect the presidential race of 2012? Author Jason Heller tries to answer these questions in the comic novel Taft 2012.
This novel was fun while it lasted—unfortunately, it didn't last long. Clocking in at only 249 pages, it didn't explore enough of the possibilities that were possible, and in fact, the ending was so abrupt, I wondered if this was actually the final draft of the book. It's almost as if another round of revisions was needed; maybe the author was trying to meet a deadline and ran out of time. For example, Heller put several elements into the story that were never explored or even mentioned again. "Chekhov's gun" is a literary technique that basically means if you put something in a story, it should be there for a reason, and should be used later on. For instance, if a gun appears in the beginning of a story, a character should use it later on. Well, Heller has Taft sleep with a woman, a one-night stand, during his tour of America. I expected this to come up again as an issue during his campaign. It didn't. Then there was a scene where Taft was in a room with someone smoking pot. I thought, maybe he'd fail a drug test later on. Never mentioned again. Also a possible romantic relationship with his biographer, Susan, was continually hinted at, but never developed. Why was it even in the book? Basically, I guess what I'm saying is, there wasn't enough conflict in the book: Taft somehow returned from the dead, people wanted him to run for president, stuff happened, then the abrupt ending.
What I did enjoy was the writing, the humor, the likableness of the Taft character. Heller did a good job writing in Taft's voice, and describing Taft's early befuddlement with the advances in society, and also with his willingness to learn everything that had transpired in the last 100 years, not to mention the new social media. Taft's first attempts at Tweeting were hilarious. I also really enjoyed Heller's short in-between-chapters bursts of internet chatter, TV discussions, Taft's Secret Service agent's field reports, and Taft's great-granddaughter's (Congresswoman Rachel Taft) "to-do" notes to herself. Good stuff. Since the rest of the book was told from Taft's POV, this was a good technique that showed what everyone else was thinking.
To sum up, I liked this novel, but I wanted to love it. But it just left me wanting more.
This novel was fun while it lasted—unfortunately, it didn't last long. Clocking in at only 249 pages, it didn't explore enough of the possibilities that were possible, and in fact, the ending was so abrupt, I wondered if this was actually the final draft of the book. It's almost as if another round of revisions was needed; maybe the author was trying to meet a deadline and ran out of time. For example, Heller put several elements into the story that were never explored or even mentioned again. "Chekhov's gun" is a literary technique that basically means if you put something in a story, it should be there for a reason, and should be used later on. For instance, if a gun appears in the beginning of a story, a character should use it later on. Well, Heller has Taft sleep with a woman, a one-night stand, during his tour of America. I expected this to come up again as an issue during his campaign. It didn't. Then there was a scene where Taft was in a room with someone smoking pot. I thought, maybe he'd fail a drug test later on. Never mentioned again. Also a possible romantic relationship with his biographer, Susan, was continually hinted at, but never developed. Why was it even in the book? Basically, I guess what I'm saying is, there wasn't enough conflict in the book: Taft somehow returned from the dead, people wanted him to run for president, stuff happened, then the abrupt ending.
What I did enjoy was the writing, the humor, the likableness of the Taft character. Heller did a good job writing in Taft's voice, and describing Taft's early befuddlement with the advances in society, and also with his willingness to learn everything that had transpired in the last 100 years, not to mention the new social media. Taft's first attempts at Tweeting were hilarious. I also really enjoyed Heller's short in-between-chapters bursts of internet chatter, TV discussions, Taft's Secret Service agent's field reports, and Taft's great-granddaughter's (Congresswoman Rachel Taft) "to-do" notes to herself. Good stuff. Since the rest of the book was told from Taft's POV, this was a good technique that showed what everyone else was thinking.
To sum up, I liked this novel, but I wanted to love it. But it just left me wanting more.
February 27, 2012
This book was just pure fun to read. I usually shy away from political novels, but am so glad I made an exception. Reading his views, over 100 yrs later, on things such as television, cell phones, our food and other things was just so darn amusing. Since people are so discontented over our present political situation they even start a grass roots effort to get him elected again. Kept thinking how are they going to end this? The ending was satisfying if not a bit preposterous, but than again so is the whole concept. Heller did a great job with this vastly ironic satire.
January 21, 2013
Equal parts Frank Capra's MEET JOHN DOE, ENOCH ARDEN and BRAVE NOW WORLD, Jason Heller's TAFT: 2012 offers an insightful portrait of a true political moderate, gets in some deeply amusing and even poignant ruminations about the passage of time and the drift of 21st century western society, and orchestrates an unexpectedly brilliant meta-analysis and deconstruction of the "fat joke"... I, personally, wouldn't vote for Taft (I'm a socialist -- and anyway I'm Canadian), but I loved reading about him.
July 29, 2013
Lots of fun! Time travel and US Presidents... what's not to love? I was cracking up at Taft trying to use Twitter. There were a couple small things that bothered me in the book, but I didn't focus on them long enough to really put my finger on it, the idea was too much fun.
August 30, 2013
An excellent premise, well executed. This was a quick and interesting read that combined history, politics, and some laugh out loud humor.
January 6, 2019
I read this book during election season, as it seemed appropriate to read a campaign book. I’m not sure that I like how the timeline in the story erases Taft’s tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, although it’s implied that we ultimately get there.
This was far more charming than expected, and does a weird balance between making fat jokes while also disparaging fat jokes. Something that has always bothered me is the historical footnote that Taft has been relegated to because he was fat. You don’t get to hold two of the most powerful positions in the world (President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) by just being a do-nothing fat guy. This novel is a nicely researched bit of humanizing work that goes a long way to undo the damage of the endless string of historians who are unrepentant Teddy-fluffers.
This was far more charming than expected, and does a weird balance between making fat jokes while also disparaging fat jokes. Something that has always bothered me is the historical footnote that Taft has been relegated to because he was fat. You don’t get to hold two of the most powerful positions in the world (President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) by just being a do-nothing fat guy. This novel is a nicely researched bit of humanizing work that goes a long way to undo the damage of the endless string of historians who are unrepentant Teddy-fluffers.
February 16, 2012
This book was great. I like alternative history- because, well, it's alternative history. And I'm a nerd and like history. Anyway...
William Howard Taft- disappears while heading out to the White House lawn to hear Woodrow Wilson's acceptance speech....in 1912.. and never returns. All of a sudden, flash forward to 2012...and there's Taft! Back from wherever he was(it's never completely established, but that's part of the fun). To a completely new and unhinged(in his eyes, compared to 100 years ago!) society and world. You get to see his reaction to a double brisket sandwich and egg cream(egg cream!)being ten dollars, whereas "back in the day" it was around two dollars and 75 cents. Better yet- the reaction of the guy in the diner when Taft gives him a "generous" tip of 25 cents. Believe me, I laughed my ass off.
You meet Taft's Secret Service agent, Kowalcyk, who I can only hope Heller spins off into another novel(great, great, supporting character). You also meet Taft's grand-daughter Rachel, a Congresswoman, and a stubborn chip off the block. Susan, an author who wrote the "authoritative" book on Taft, and becomes his 'media escort'. The fact that Taft is back and a hit with the nation(which is in direct contrast to his presidency back in 1912) springs forth a new political party and followers- Tafties. Try saying that with a straight face. There's Taft's heartwarming friendship with a 106 yr old woman living in a nursing home, and who wrote letters of support to him when he was the president 100 years ago. You see Taft building a tenuous family relationship with his great-grandaughter Abby. It's a great book. Very easy to read and very funny. Another great debut.
William Howard Taft- disappears while heading out to the White House lawn to hear Woodrow Wilson's acceptance speech....in 1912.. and never returns. All of a sudden, flash forward to 2012...and there's Taft! Back from wherever he was(it's never completely established, but that's part of the fun). To a completely new and unhinged(in his eyes, compared to 100 years ago!) society and world. You get to see his reaction to a double brisket sandwich and egg cream(egg cream!)being ten dollars, whereas "back in the day" it was around two dollars and 75 cents. Better yet- the reaction of the guy in the diner when Taft gives him a "generous" tip of 25 cents. Believe me, I laughed my ass off.
You meet Taft's Secret Service agent, Kowalcyk, who I can only hope Heller spins off into another novel(great, great, supporting character). You also meet Taft's grand-daughter Rachel, a Congresswoman, and a stubborn chip off the block. Susan, an author who wrote the "authoritative" book on Taft, and becomes his 'media escort'. The fact that Taft is back and a hit with the nation(which is in direct contrast to his presidency back in 1912) springs forth a new political party and followers- Tafties. Try saying that with a straight face. There's Taft's heartwarming friendship with a 106 yr old woman living in a nursing home, and who wrote letters of support to him when he was the president 100 years ago. You see Taft building a tenuous family relationship with his great-grandaughter Abby. It's a great book. Very easy to read and very funny. Another great debut.
February 13, 2012
This book, the first by Jason Heller, is an odd combination of Science Fiction and Alternative History. As Science Fiction it requires us to believe an impossible thing; that William Howard Taft vanished after his one term as president and reappeared on the White House lawn in 2011. In point of fact, President Taft lived out a full and useful life and died on March 8, 1930. The Alternative History of the novel is the reaction of President Taft to finding himself alive in the twenty-first century and his actions in response to this event.
I feel that Mr. Heller succeeds masterfully at both portions of the task. Taft is remote and little known enough that the suspension of disbelief is easy to make. In a review of the history of Taft and his term of office I feel that his “Taft” is quite believable.
I was pleased by the development of the novel and surprised by the plot twist. The resolvement by Taft was dramatic and, in my opinion, in character.
If the novel had a flaw it was in its brevity. I felt that the section in which Taft encounters and adjusts to contemporary society could have been quite a bit longer. However, this may be based solely on my desire to see a good thing continue.
This was a fine novel and I would encourage everyone to read it. It is my hope that the author favors us with many more.
I feel that Mr. Heller succeeds masterfully at both portions of the task. Taft is remote and little known enough that the suspension of disbelief is easy to make. In a review of the history of Taft and his term of office I feel that his “Taft” is quite believable.
I was pleased by the development of the novel and surprised by the plot twist. The resolvement by Taft was dramatic and, in my opinion, in character.
If the novel had a flaw it was in its brevity. I felt that the section in which Taft encounters and adjusts to contemporary society could have been quite a bit longer. However, this may be based solely on my desire to see a good thing continue.
This was a fine novel and I would encourage everyone to read it. It is my hope that the author favors us with many more.
February 5, 2012
Taft 2012 is part history lesson, part political commentary, part indictment of the food industry, and part quirky fantasy. Taken individually, each part would be interesting enough, but as a whole, they blend into an odd little tale about the people we choose to lead us.
The story centers around William Howard Taft, his unexplained disappearance in 1913 and his sudden reappearance in 2011. Far from being just an unwilling time traveler, Taft is a reminder to the populous of what the nation used to be; his anachronistic presence is a catharsis for disaffected voters, who immediately form the Taft party, whose sole purpose is make Taft president once again.
Although the novel is fun and a good read, it is shorter than it ought to be. With such a premise, there could be so much more characterization and even plot, yet the book is a scant 320 pages, much of that given to fictional twitter posts and blog entries. At times, in the guise of a speech or monologue, the narrative is given over to idealistic preaching about what politics could be. Even with these flaws, the character of Taft is believable and larger than life and someone I could wish were in the running for the upcoming U.S. elections.
He'd have my vote.
The story centers around William Howard Taft, his unexplained disappearance in 1913 and his sudden reappearance in 2011. Far from being just an unwilling time traveler, Taft is a reminder to the populous of what the nation used to be; his anachronistic presence is a catharsis for disaffected voters, who immediately form the Taft party, whose sole purpose is make Taft president once again.
Although the novel is fun and a good read, it is shorter than it ought to be. With such a premise, there could be so much more characterization and even plot, yet the book is a scant 320 pages, much of that given to fictional twitter posts and blog entries. At times, in the guise of a speech or monologue, the narrative is given over to idealistic preaching about what politics could be. Even with these flaws, the character of Taft is believable and larger than life and someone I could wish were in the running for the upcoming U.S. elections.
He'd have my vote.
December 4, 2013
A high-concept political satire that imagines a 2012 presidential race after William Howard Taft inexplicably emerges from a 100-year hibernation. Taft's combination of progressive conservatism appeals to a politically polarized electorate and inspires the grass-roots "Taft Party" - an obvious nod to the Tea Party. The scenes of Taft's re-entry into the modern world are quickly dispatched with very little of the "OMG airplanes television cellphones Internet!" hoopla, which is welcomed. But the lack of development of supporting characters, multiple subplots that never develop, a brief and somewhat creepy digression into a road trip, and an underwhelming finale all disappoint. The style is breezy and the book is composed of both straightforward narrative and "mixed media" (news transcripts, biography excerpts, tweets, blog posts, etc.) which combine to give a good sense of 21st century fragmented attention. Fundamentally, however, the satire doesn't really bite - the chief "controversy" is related to the relatively safe and cartoonishly rendered processed food industry. In short, "Taft 2012" is a slightly amusing and somewhat clever but ultimately disappointing alternative history take that will have a short shelf-life.
February 12, 2017
Interesting little think piece. Worth a read if you already love politics, although Taft essentially seems like a stand in for Heller to say what he thinks about issues. quick read, decent plot, and a fun idea.
December 5, 2013
I had looked forward to reading this one for quite some time, but barely made it halfway through. I don't quit a book lightly, but I'm sorry. I think 146 pages is more than an adequate chance and I really, really wanted to like this. Unfortunately, this just wasn't doing it for me. I found the epistolary parts of the book much stronger than the author's attempts at straight prose, which seemed clunky and pretty unimaginative (save of course, for the central conceit of the book, which I suspect the author and editors seem to have mistakenly believed was enough on its own). Sadly, Taft's reappearance is taken so matter-of-factly so quickly that it starts to feel like an extraordinarily promising but quickly disappointing gimmick that may (or may not) have been better exploited in more imaginative hands.
December 16, 2011
I wanted to like this book. The idea was intriquing. Sad to say, I found it dissapointing. The little side writings of memos/news articles/TV commentary etc was distracting. They moved the story along, but were a cheap trick that a better writer would have avoided. After a jump of 100 years into the future, Taft ajusted to the 21st Century with little trouble. I pushed myself to finish this book.
March 11, 2012
This wonderful and unique book is perfect to read during this campaign season. Not only is it entertaining, it's really thought-provoking, causing me to re-examine my ideas about government, society, and life. Bravo!
September 4, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable with a great perspective on our political culture today.
September 22, 2019
I am a big fan of “what if” type novels….and “What if long dead President Taft appeared as part of 21st century life?” certainly seemed to fit that bill.
I was disappointed in “Taft 2012” however…because so many of the elements that tend to make this kind of book enjoyable (seeing today’s world through the eyes of someone used to 1913, seeing how long/how hard it is for them to adapt, seeing how the world is changed because of him, etc.) just weren’t that interesting.
Taft, upon waking from some sort of hundred year hibernation, just doesn’t seem to have much of a reaction to the modern world despite the millions of changes between his time and now.
“Taft didn’t flinch. What a novel development. Clearly, a white man and a Negro woman sitting together in a restaurant was of no matter in the twenty-first century. He was less surprised than perhaps he should have been.”
That was true all through the book. Taft, born in the nineteenth century, is always less surprised than he should have been by computers, cell phones, modern dress, landing on the moon, etc. There was so little of the wide-eyed shock/surprise/amazement that I had expected – it made the book a bit dull.
And his views of our modern society only rarely made me stop and think. “If there is a problem with America today – as I see it – it is that we look for self-worth in consumption, rather than in the pursuit of personal achievement.” Or, “We Americans are a good people – a very, very good people – but one of our weaknesses is an assumption, justified by a good many miracles that have saved us from egregious mistakes in the past, that we should always expect America to be healthy and strong on its own, because we believe that God looks after children, drunken men, and the United States!” True, but hardly shocking.
I wasn’t sure what the central message of the book was, either. It touches on corporate greed, inequality, mass marketing, big Agra, mass media, organic foods… I just couldn’t put my finger on what the author was trying to convey using this president and this premise.
I was disappointed in “Taft 2012” however…because so many of the elements that tend to make this kind of book enjoyable (seeing today’s world through the eyes of someone used to 1913, seeing how long/how hard it is for them to adapt, seeing how the world is changed because of him, etc.) just weren’t that interesting.
Taft, upon waking from some sort of hundred year hibernation, just doesn’t seem to have much of a reaction to the modern world despite the millions of changes between his time and now.
“Taft didn’t flinch. What a novel development. Clearly, a white man and a Negro woman sitting together in a restaurant was of no matter in the twenty-first century. He was less surprised than perhaps he should have been.”
That was true all through the book. Taft, born in the nineteenth century, is always less surprised than he should have been by computers, cell phones, modern dress, landing on the moon, etc. There was so little of the wide-eyed shock/surprise/amazement that I had expected – it made the book a bit dull.
And his views of our modern society only rarely made me stop and think. “If there is a problem with America today – as I see it – it is that we look for self-worth in consumption, rather than in the pursuit of personal achievement.” Or, “We Americans are a good people – a very, very good people – but one of our weaknesses is an assumption, justified by a good many miracles that have saved us from egregious mistakes in the past, that we should always expect America to be healthy and strong on its own, because we believe that God looks after children, drunken men, and the United States!” True, but hardly shocking.
I wasn’t sure what the central message of the book was, either. It touches on corporate greed, inequality, mass marketing, big Agra, mass media, organic foods… I just couldn’t put my finger on what the author was trying to convey using this president and this premise.
February 25, 2018
This is a very interesting book that imagines what would happen if former President William Taft suddenly came back to life in 2012. According to the story, Taft mysteriously disappeared after his failed reelection bid and was never heard from again. One hundred years later in 2012, Taft awakens in a muddy pit on the White House grounds and walks right into a presidential press conference. He becomes an instant phenomenon because of his resurrection and possibly a new presidential candidate.
The author does a great job of reasonably portraying how Taft would react to modern society. There are hilarious moments as he tries to catch up with politics, understand all of the social changes and deal with the public's response. There are also nostalgic and serious moments where he meets with an elderly person still alive from his previous timeline and discovers the results of his policies and the power of large corporations. I found Taft to be a very sympathetic character and was genuinely moved by this story. Great read.
The author does a great job of reasonably portraying how Taft would react to modern society. There are hilarious moments as he tries to catch up with politics, understand all of the social changes and deal with the public's response. There are also nostalgic and serious moments where he meets with an elderly person still alive from his previous timeline and discovers the results of his policies and the power of large corporations. I found Taft to be a very sympathetic character and was genuinely moved by this story. Great read.
September 1, 2017
William Howard Taft disappeared on the day of Woodrow Wilson's inauguration in 1913, and reappears suddenly on the White House lawn in 2011. Don't get too bogged down in how/why this happened, because really this book is about what would happen if this largely forgotten president showed up in time to affect the 2012 election. It's interesting to see how people pick and choose Taft's historic stances - as well as the historic events he lived through but did not necessarily endorse - to support whatever political narrative they see fit. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as it were. There were a few more fat jokes than I'd hoped, with repeated references to Taft's appetite, and the over-the-top Evil Corporation was a bit much, but all in all it was a light and pleasantly different read. Oddly, I did not leave it wanting to learn more about the real Taft. A decent diversion but probably of more interest to people who view elections as spectator sport.
July 6, 2017
This review was first published by The New York Journal of Books in 2012. I reproduce it here:
Our political system is a theater of the absurd. Would anyone disagree?
As we brace ourselves for the the yearlong election season, political humorists can rest assured there will be no shortage of material keeping them engaged and employed. But they must be careful not to settle for easy parody when their targets often do such a good job of parodying themselves.
Not for nothing can The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, after running a clip of a political figure, get laughs simply by staring into the camera—the politician’s words offering all the setup and punchline Stewart needs. Tina Fey infamously lampooned then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live by repeating verbatim Palin’s own words from an earlier interview.
These days, a satirist has to raise his game in a big way to make a point, and it doesn’t come much bigger than the subject of Jason Heller’s winsome novel Taft 2012. In the book, William Howard Taft, our 27th president, vanishes inexplicably on the day of his successor’s inauguration in 1913 and reappears just as inexplicably on the White House lawn in 2011.
After a skeptical nation is given proof that the robust man not seen in nearly a century is the former president, Taft is soon held up as a paragon of old-fashioned values and a newly-formed political party urges him to run in the 2012 presidential election.
This premise allows Mr. Heller to indulge in some whimsical—if obvious—fun, as Taft adjusts to a world that has advanced in unthinkable ways (“. . . the intrepid chefs had persevered by consulting an unseen scholar the agent had called Goggle or Google or something to that effect. God bless this encyclopedic Mr. Google, whoever he was.”) He speaks loquaciously to a society more accustomed to text messages and thinks tipping a quarter for a meal is “too kind.”
Helping Taft acclimate to his new surroundings are three people: Susan Weschler, a historian whose specialty is the Taft presidency; Ira Kowalczyk, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect Taft after first shooting him on the White House grounds; and most importantly, Rachel Taft, the president’s great-granddaughter who serves as an independent congresswoman in Ohio.
Taft spends his second life playing grandfather to Rachel’s daughter, embarking on a buddy-buddy road trip with Kowalczyk, and learning the ropes of the new political world with a fawning Weschler. All the while, a movement christening itself the Taft Party builds momentum.
At its best, Taft 2012 swiftly and astutely explores the fickle nature of political support, and why folks latch onto the candidates they do. Several times through the novel, the point is made that President Taft was a victim of bad timing, having served between the transformative administrations of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
Re-contextualized in our present climate, however, Taft’s formerly uninspiring credentials (an aversion to war, a 1 percent business tax) are just what a disenfranchised part of the electorate has been waiting for.
Interspersed through the narrative are notes and errata concerning the Taft phenomenon, interviews with talk show hosts and polls (one Fox News poll rates Taft as the biggest newsmaker of 2011, ahead of Casey Anthony). The book is also interactive: the last page invites readers to follow the campaign all year at a specially-designed website, where they will encounter all manner of political ephemera, as well as a link to the resurrected president’s Twitter feed.
But any satirical elements of the story prove underwhelming, because Taft 2012 doesn’t really play for those stakes. Mr. Heller gives too much credit to the cable news exemplars to be able to dispense worthwhile information rather than ratings-driven culture war, and as a modern day politician, Rachel Taft’s quixotic crusade against a processed food conglomerate seems naive.
Ultimately his satire fails because Mr. Heller simply doesn’t have the heart to bare enough teeth into his main character. He falls into the same trap as the Taft Party’s acolytes: holding the president up as a bastion of bygone values when a more ruthless satirist might have jumped headlong into the murky nature of generational conflict. Do a quick mental accounting of the major social changes of the last century and ask yourself how long it might take someone plucked from that era to adjust; Taft accomplishes it in almost no time at all.
Even more problematically, Taft is portrayed as a figure with seemingly no political agenda. This fits with the historian Weschler’s account of Taft as the reluctant president, the man with too much honor to get dirty on the campaign trail, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that the media and their immediacy may have changed, but the tactics have always been cutthroat.
So when Taft tells his followers in an impassioned call to arms, “The true work of good, honest government is more important than any one presidential campaign, than any one old politician ... more important ... than the name Taft itself,” it gives away Taft 2012 for what it really is: a fairy tale.
That might sound harsh, but it’s not meant to be. By choosing as his subject a U.S. president that nobody knows much about (besides his girth), Mr. Heller is able to impart on him a purity much like we’ve assigned to the Founding Fathers: figures from our mythologized past that remind us of how much progress we’ve made and what we can yet accomplish.
As a fairy tale, Taft 2012 is a welcome tonic to the bottomless cynicism that can consume our politics. If you’re after something more biting, all you need is your remote control.
Our political system is a theater of the absurd. Would anyone disagree?
As we brace ourselves for the the yearlong election season, political humorists can rest assured there will be no shortage of material keeping them engaged and employed. But they must be careful not to settle for easy parody when their targets often do such a good job of parodying themselves.
Not for nothing can The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, after running a clip of a political figure, get laughs simply by staring into the camera—the politician’s words offering all the setup and punchline Stewart needs. Tina Fey infamously lampooned then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live by repeating verbatim Palin’s own words from an earlier interview.
These days, a satirist has to raise his game in a big way to make a point, and it doesn’t come much bigger than the subject of Jason Heller’s winsome novel Taft 2012. In the book, William Howard Taft, our 27th president, vanishes inexplicably on the day of his successor’s inauguration in 1913 and reappears just as inexplicably on the White House lawn in 2011.
After a skeptical nation is given proof that the robust man not seen in nearly a century is the former president, Taft is soon held up as a paragon of old-fashioned values and a newly-formed political party urges him to run in the 2012 presidential election.
This premise allows Mr. Heller to indulge in some whimsical—if obvious—fun, as Taft adjusts to a world that has advanced in unthinkable ways (“. . . the intrepid chefs had persevered by consulting an unseen scholar the agent had called Goggle or Google or something to that effect. God bless this encyclopedic Mr. Google, whoever he was.”) He speaks loquaciously to a society more accustomed to text messages and thinks tipping a quarter for a meal is “too kind.”
Helping Taft acclimate to his new surroundings are three people: Susan Weschler, a historian whose specialty is the Taft presidency; Ira Kowalczyk, a Secret Service agent assigned to protect Taft after first shooting him on the White House grounds; and most importantly, Rachel Taft, the president’s great-granddaughter who serves as an independent congresswoman in Ohio.
Taft spends his second life playing grandfather to Rachel’s daughter, embarking on a buddy-buddy road trip with Kowalczyk, and learning the ropes of the new political world with a fawning Weschler. All the while, a movement christening itself the Taft Party builds momentum.
At its best, Taft 2012 swiftly and astutely explores the fickle nature of political support, and why folks latch onto the candidates they do. Several times through the novel, the point is made that President Taft was a victim of bad timing, having served between the transformative administrations of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
Re-contextualized in our present climate, however, Taft’s formerly uninspiring credentials (an aversion to war, a 1 percent business tax) are just what a disenfranchised part of the electorate has been waiting for.
Interspersed through the narrative are notes and errata concerning the Taft phenomenon, interviews with talk show hosts and polls (one Fox News poll rates Taft as the biggest newsmaker of 2011, ahead of Casey Anthony). The book is also interactive: the last page invites readers to follow the campaign all year at a specially-designed website, where they will encounter all manner of political ephemera, as well as a link to the resurrected president’s Twitter feed.
But any satirical elements of the story prove underwhelming, because Taft 2012 doesn’t really play for those stakes. Mr. Heller gives too much credit to the cable news exemplars to be able to dispense worthwhile information rather than ratings-driven culture war, and as a modern day politician, Rachel Taft’s quixotic crusade against a processed food conglomerate seems naive.
Ultimately his satire fails because Mr. Heller simply doesn’t have the heart to bare enough teeth into his main character. He falls into the same trap as the Taft Party’s acolytes: holding the president up as a bastion of bygone values when a more ruthless satirist might have jumped headlong into the murky nature of generational conflict. Do a quick mental accounting of the major social changes of the last century and ask yourself how long it might take someone plucked from that era to adjust; Taft accomplishes it in almost no time at all.
Even more problematically, Taft is portrayed as a figure with seemingly no political agenda. This fits with the historian Weschler’s account of Taft as the reluctant president, the man with too much honor to get dirty on the campaign trail, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that the media and their immediacy may have changed, but the tactics have always been cutthroat.
So when Taft tells his followers in an impassioned call to arms, “The true work of good, honest government is more important than any one presidential campaign, than any one old politician ... more important ... than the name Taft itself,” it gives away Taft 2012 for what it really is: a fairy tale.
That might sound harsh, but it’s not meant to be. By choosing as his subject a U.S. president that nobody knows much about (besides his girth), Mr. Heller is able to impart on him a purity much like we’ve assigned to the Founding Fathers: figures from our mythologized past that remind us of how much progress we’ve made and what we can yet accomplish.
As a fairy tale, Taft 2012 is a welcome tonic to the bottomless cynicism that can consume our politics. If you’re after something more biting, all you need is your remote control.
September 18, 2018
A sometimes humorous tale of an alternate reality in which President William Howard Taft awakens to find himself in a new century, and later at the head of the presidential ticket for a third party that carries his name. A satire that slaps both traditional parties, the actual (unnamed) president in 2012, corporate greed, and the gullibility of the American populace, the fictional story line finished as unfulfilling as a Fulsom dinner. I kept waiting for an explanation to tell me how, and more importantly why Taft unwittingly time-traveled, and for the link to materialize between two friends who are dead and the president who should be. Yet because it was short and often made me giggle, I rated it highly, and because it kept very true to the real Taft timeline, until his fictional disappearance in 1913.
December 3, 2020
William Howard Taft comes back from the beyond (in this version, he was hibernating under the White House lawn for a hundred years) and becomes the object of a populist movement to give him a second term, 100 years after the first.
It seems like it's not sure if it wants to be an examination of politics-- the kind of politics that gave rise to Trump 10 years after this book's flight of fancy-- or a fish-out-of-water story in which a past-century guy meets up with the mores of a new era, or just tell a lot of fat jokes and make fun of is best friend's last name. (Which was Butt.)
Short but scattered. Interesting primarily as a rumination on the parallels to our own age. A very 2020 book. Might have rated it lower if I'd started it at any other time besides waiting for the 2020 election results to come in.
It seems like it's not sure if it wants to be an examination of politics-- the kind of politics that gave rise to Trump 10 years after this book's flight of fancy-- or a fish-out-of-water story in which a past-century guy meets up with the mores of a new era, or just tell a lot of fat jokes and make fun of is best friend's last name. (Which was Butt.)
Short but scattered. Interesting primarily as a rumination on the parallels to our own age. A very 2020 book. Might have rated it lower if I'd started it at any other time besides waiting for the 2020 election results to come in.
March 19, 2019
This satire was very humorous. It centers on the strange premise that William Howard Taft wake up after 100 years and is suddenly living in our time. What he thinks of the present and how people react to him make for a very interesting story that is quite timely for our present day. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Taft's experience in world of the United States in 2012 is completely understandable and not very surprising. How he manages this "brave new world" is quite curious and I found myself wanting to push forward to the end of this very funny book.
January 6, 2021
Such a fun premise, brought to life with witty banter, interesting scenarios and history lessons. Sadly though, what makes the meat of the plot interesting, also becomes thinly veiled early on by incessant foreshadowing. Knowing full well where this story intended to go, the ride was still worth it and I feel many sentiments the book brings forth may ring even truer among the American people in 2020.
June 4, 2018
I liked it more at the beginning. Then it got a bit preachy. Then a bit weird (the NYE stuff). Then preachy again. Not that I disagree with what "Taft" was saying. I just didn't want it spoon-fed to me circa 2012 anyway. Especially now that the "different" candidate who stole the heart of the nation is an orange buffoon child.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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