House Divided: A Political Satire

by Bruce Campbell, Craig Sanborn (Illustrator)

In a country torn between left and right, two politicians are about to make history. How? By working together! In a nutshell, that’s the premise of this book.
House Divided is a political satire, but it’s really a political fantasy, because it takes two opposing candidates, who wouldn’t normally be caught dead together, and challenges them to spend a weekend in the remote Oregon desert – hiking together, camping together, even getting wasted together!
Having lived in rural Oregon for over twenty years, I can assure you that the characters presented in this fictional book are almost all based on actual people. In the Oregon backcountry, almost anything goes, so the idea that a “far-right” veteran and a “far-out” hippie might run for the same county commissioner seat is not as absurd as you might think.
While this book was not written to solve the country’s political problems, I do think we need to have a laugh at both sides and everything in-between – it’s time to put the party back into politics!
I hope you enjoy this book.

Regards,

Bruce

148 pages, Paperback

Published December 5, 2021

About the author

Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor, producer, writer and director. He is best known for his starring role as Ash in the Evil Dead trilogy of horror/slapstick movies, and has since become a B-movie icon.

His acting style is an "over-the-top" machismo that lends itself well to roles such as that of Ash Williams, whom Campbell himself has dubbed "an idiot and a jerk like the rest of us". This style is parodied in the film The Majestic where Campbell appears as Roland the Intrepid Explorer in the B movie Sand Pirates of the Sahara, written by Jim Carrey's screenwriter character. Campbell also excels at "reverse acting", a frequent filming technique of Sam Raimi's where action sequences are filmed in reverse of how they will appear in the film. Campbell offers advice about getting into the film industry on his website.

Campbell is well-known for his trademark sense of humor, which he often couples with deadpan (and somewhat sarcastic) comic delivery.

Reviews

[Shaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weird and goofy one. Bruce is always good for a giggle 😋

[Noah Sturdevant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little story.

[Tom Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sean and Alan are opposing candidates in a county commissioner race in Oregon. Polar opposites in ideology, they are maneuvered into a camping trip to understand one another. Mishaps and hilarity ensue.

This was a short, fun little read. The characters are initially portrayed as broad stereotypes, but gradually come to develop an appreciation for each other and acceptance of things that they previously considered anathema. It's a short book and does feel like it might have benefitted from expansion. I'd have rated it a little higher but for the numerous spelling errors throughout. The book could have done with a stronger edit before publication. Overall, though, it's still an enjoyable little view of politics of extremes and how judging people solely on their politics can blind you to the true nature of an individual.

[Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Bruce’s books, I enjoy him as a writer. But fiction wise he’s hit or miss, and unfortunately this was a miss. A political satire, that basically says “why can’t we all get along?” And “BOTH SIDES” in this political climate is just not the move. If this was written in 2008 maybe I’d feel differently, also it’s just kind of not that funny or interesting. But it’s less than 200 pages so it’s not that bad.

[Ryan Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read. Imagining the characters as you seen them on the cover makes it worthwhile. Probably had to be pretty high to write a few of the more farfetched segments of the book, but definitely filled with a fair share of goofs and gaffs. Would recommend over a movie if you're a Campbell fan and have a couple hours to fill with good-natured entertainment.

[Allan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a short fun little story. Stereotypes galore but all very on brand for Bruce.

[Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so groovy. Stick with writing memoirs ol’ Brucie boy. This ain’t the move

[Rhoades · Rating 4 out of 5]

For whatever reason this reminded of My Fellow Americans, a film I watched a few times in my childhood. This is kind of a cute and fun look at the polarized American political landscape, but also how similar must common people are.