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Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar
A year after a vice presidential campaign that remains as consequential as it was controversial, Sarah Palin is still the most dynamic yet polarizing Republican in America. Now Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe draw on their experiences as embedded reporters on Palin’s campaign, exclusive on-scene coverage of Palin’s post-election struggles in Alaska, and revealing interviews with former McCain/Palin staffers, top political minds, and Palin’s family, friends, and foes in Alaska to tell the remarkable behind-the-scenes story of her improbable rise—and its complicated aftermath. The result is a fair and fascinating portrait of Sarah Palin and of the American political process.
Sarah from Alaska illuminates both the talents that helped make Palin a superstar and the traits that became liabilities under the intense pressures of a divisive national campaign. It reveals in riveting detail how Palin’s vice presidential campaign became as dysfunctional as it was secretive, explores the circumstances behind her triumphs and baffling missteps, and provides new context for understanding her values, her political successes in Alaska, and her abrupt resignation from the governorship.
“It’s easy to turn Sarah Palin into a caricature of either a heroic everywoman or ridiculous dolt,” the authors say, “but the truth is that she is more complex than either her most passionate defenders or harshest critics give her credit for.” Palin remains ambitious and enormously popular among social conservatives, and her future will be intrinsically interwoven with that of the Republican Party as it struggles to redefine itself and recapture the necessary margin for national political victory in the next decade. That makes Sarah from Alaska essential reading for anyone interested in American politics.
Sarah from Alaska illuminates both the talents that helped make Palin a superstar and the traits that became liabilities under the intense pressures of a divisive national campaign. It reveals in riveting detail how Palin’s vice presidential campaign became as dysfunctional as it was secretive, explores the circumstances behind her triumphs and baffling missteps, and provides new context for understanding her values, her political successes in Alaska, and her abrupt resignation from the governorship.
“It’s easy to turn Sarah Palin into a caricature of either a heroic everywoman or ridiculous dolt,” the authors say, “but the truth is that she is more complex than either her most passionate defenders or harshest critics give her credit for.” Palin remains ambitious and enormously popular among social conservatives, and her future will be intrinsically interwoven with that of the Republican Party as it struggles to redefine itself and recapture the necessary margin for national political victory in the next decade. That makes Sarah from Alaska essential reading for anyone interested in American politics.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 12, 2010
This is a very well written very readable book about the new right wing super star. It is very complimentary and positive towards her, much more than I thought it would be.
But, in the end, you cannot keep the totally narcissic, totally unprepared, totally inept, totally self absorbed Sarah out of the book. Try as they might, it is hard to disguise that this woman belongs nowhere near a leadership position. While they can paint it any color they want, it is hard to disguise she went to five colleges ( dropping out of her first for racist reasons ), was an ineffective Wasila mayor that raised taxes and bankrupted her city, was an ineffective combative Alaska governor who raised taxes and created more enemies and quit in midstream.
Frankly, I was expecting worse - the authors were not out to dish dirt. They just could not sweep all of it under the rug - no rug is that big for Sarah Palin to hide under.
But, in the end, you cannot keep the totally narcissic, totally unprepared, totally inept, totally self absorbed Sarah out of the book. Try as they might, it is hard to disguise that this woman belongs nowhere near a leadership position. While they can paint it any color they want, it is hard to disguise she went to five colleges ( dropping out of her first for racist reasons ), was an ineffective Wasila mayor that raised taxes and bankrupted her city, was an ineffective combative Alaska governor who raised taxes and created more enemies and quit in midstream.
Frankly, I was expecting worse - the authors were not out to dish dirt. They just could not sweep all of it under the rug - no rug is that big for Sarah Palin to hide under.
August 12, 2014
I read this book simply to learn a bit more about Sarah Palin, since I find her a fascinating character, and think that her rise and fall exemplifies myriad issues including the state of modern politics, the status of women, evangelical Christianity, etc. After watching the film Game Change and Julianne Moore's masterful portrayal (which included the pivotal role Tina Fey had in characterizing Sarah as an Evangelical, moose-hunting dolt), I was intrigued enough to find out more about a woman whom many find divisive, but who also has rabid followers who feel she represents them and their values quite well. I do not in any way agree with her politics, but I like to be informed about all issues, not just the ones I agree with. This book helps explain why and how Sarah has become such a polarizing figure.
The authors focus on Sarah's life once she enters politics, so do not expect much information about her childhood, or even about the perplexing number of colleges Sarah attended before finally graduating with her journalism degree(I have no idea why the authors chose not to investigate this issue more, since it confuses so many people. I find it to be a pretty glaring oversight that the authors chose not to show how her childhood and young adulthood shaped her later life, or at least gestured towards some of her later failings). While the authors do a good job of showing that Sarah does have some sharp political skills and was able to accomplish some pretty impressive legislation despite the old boy's network of Alaska's politics-as-usual, they do a VERY poor job of explaining some of her major gaffes, such as the Couric interview. The authors claim that Sarah is indeed intelligent. Okay, then, please explain how she couldn't name a single newspaper or magazine she reads to keep informed, or how proximity to Russia alone counts as foreign policy experience? I am willing to factor in nerves and lack of preparation, but really, can't we just admit the woman is a little dim, because that sure seems to me to be the most parsimonious explanation? The authors go easy on her in these instances, and it simply isn't warranted. The book loses some of its authoritative stance when such public displays of incompetence are soft-pedaled.
Additionally, the book is a little too detailed about issues that are less important. We learn the names and positions of almost everyone who had a hand in Sarah's rise and fall, including minor players. While this level of detail shows that the authors interviewed many people and took their background research very seriously, this stance makes the book more lengthy and confusing, as knowing all of this information about each player isn't really necessary. Some of the authors' points are obscured by the sheer amount of information given, and yet, not much of it is very important. While I came away respecting Sarah a bit more, I felt that a good hundred pages could have been spared if the authors just got to the point, rather than giving the perspectives of nearly everyone affected.
While this book is in no way ground-breaking, I did enjoy it, and would recommend the book to anyone wanting a fairly balanced view of Sarah Palin and her role in politics and pop culture. I do feel that I know more about Sarah Palin and her record. Additionally, the authors did do a good job of predicting who would be major players in 2012, and what their strengths and weaknesses were as candidates. To their credit, they were even correct about the shifting role Sarah would have in politics/popular culture. However, the book was needlessly long and detailed, and pulled punches that should have landed square on the Pitbull in Lipsticks' jaw.
The authors focus on Sarah's life once she enters politics, so do not expect much information about her childhood, or even about the perplexing number of colleges Sarah attended before finally graduating with her journalism degree(I have no idea why the authors chose not to investigate this issue more, since it confuses so many people. I find it to be a pretty glaring oversight that the authors chose not to show how her childhood and young adulthood shaped her later life, or at least gestured towards some of her later failings). While the authors do a good job of showing that Sarah does have some sharp political skills and was able to accomplish some pretty impressive legislation despite the old boy's network of Alaska's politics-as-usual, they do a VERY poor job of explaining some of her major gaffes, such as the Couric interview. The authors claim that Sarah is indeed intelligent. Okay, then, please explain how she couldn't name a single newspaper or magazine she reads to keep informed, or how proximity to Russia alone counts as foreign policy experience? I am willing to factor in nerves and lack of preparation, but really, can't we just admit the woman is a little dim, because that sure seems to me to be the most parsimonious explanation? The authors go easy on her in these instances, and it simply isn't warranted. The book loses some of its authoritative stance when such public displays of incompetence are soft-pedaled.
Additionally, the book is a little too detailed about issues that are less important. We learn the names and positions of almost everyone who had a hand in Sarah's rise and fall, including minor players. While this level of detail shows that the authors interviewed many people and took their background research very seriously, this stance makes the book more lengthy and confusing, as knowing all of this information about each player isn't really necessary. Some of the authors' points are obscured by the sheer amount of information given, and yet, not much of it is very important. While I came away respecting Sarah a bit more, I felt that a good hundred pages could have been spared if the authors just got to the point, rather than giving the perspectives of nearly everyone affected.
While this book is in no way ground-breaking, I did enjoy it, and would recommend the book to anyone wanting a fairly balanced view of Sarah Palin and her role in politics and pop culture. I do feel that I know more about Sarah Palin and her record. Additionally, the authors did do a good job of predicting who would be major players in 2012, and what their strengths and weaknesses were as candidates. To their credit, they were even correct about the shifting role Sarah would have in politics/popular culture. However, the book was needlessly long and detailed, and pulled punches that should have landed square on the Pitbull in Lipsticks' jaw.
March 25, 2010
Written by two reporters who covered the Palin vice-presidential campaign, Sarah from Alaska reads a bit like Sarah Palin 101. Which is to say it's more of a basic introduction than an in-depth examination. But maybe that's just what's needed. Given the continuing saturation coverage of all things Palin and her rock-star like celebrity, it's odd how little most people actually know about her, either as a person or as a politician. This books sketches Palin's life and political career in broad outline, as well as taking a quasi-insider look at her vice-presidential campaign. In that, the book is breezy, a bit superficial, easy to read, and informative.
Still, this book doesn't really explain the phenonmenon that is Sarah Palin. No doubt the most famous failed vice-presidential candidate in history, Palin was able to use her failed candidancy to overshadow her running mate and to become a political superstar, one of those rare celebrities instantly indentifiable by just their first name. The fact that nearly three quarters of the American public apparently believes that she is not qualified to be President hasn't kept her from becoming a best-selling author, an influential opinion maker and one of a handful of serious prospects for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
Palin's thin resume, lack of experience on the national stage, post-campaign bad publicity from back home, her questionable decision to resign her governorship, her silly and unseemly squabbles with Dave Letterman and Levi Johnston, all of these have done little to blunt her influence or to reduce the size and fervor of the crowds she attracts wherever she goes. Maybe this is something that just can't be explained rationally. As Conroy and Walshe write, "Only the lives of the president and Hollywood A-listers rival Palin's in terms of public interest. Sarah Palin has "it," and "it' cannot be learned." Nor apparently can "it" be easily explained. But Sarah from Alaska is an entertaining attempt by two experienced politcal writers to do just that.
Still, this book doesn't really explain the phenonmenon that is Sarah Palin. No doubt the most famous failed vice-presidential candidate in history, Palin was able to use her failed candidancy to overshadow her running mate and to become a political superstar, one of those rare celebrities instantly indentifiable by just their first name. The fact that nearly three quarters of the American public apparently believes that she is not qualified to be President hasn't kept her from becoming a best-selling author, an influential opinion maker and one of a handful of serious prospects for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
Palin's thin resume, lack of experience on the national stage, post-campaign bad publicity from back home, her questionable decision to resign her governorship, her silly and unseemly squabbles with Dave Letterman and Levi Johnston, all of these have done little to blunt her influence or to reduce the size and fervor of the crowds she attracts wherever she goes. Maybe this is something that just can't be explained rationally. As Conroy and Walshe write, "Only the lives of the president and Hollywood A-listers rival Palin's in terms of public interest. Sarah Palin has "it," and "it' cannot be learned." Nor apparently can "it" be easily explained. But Sarah from Alaska is an entertaining attempt by two experienced politcal writers to do just that.
November 11, 2009
As someone who is by no means a Palin supporter, I thought this book was very fair and balanced, to borrow a term. The authors are just as likely to highlight a positive trait as they are to label a move a misstep. The story of her rise to power is truly impressive, but god help us if she ever becomes president.
January 4, 2010
Well researched and documented book about Sarah Palin. The writers did an excellent job of painting a picture of both the woman Sarah Palin is and her astounding rise to fame. The authors did a great job presenting information without tipping their hand as to their personal beliefs/opinions about their topic.
July 17, 2013
All I knew was that I disliked Sarah Palin, thought she was unelectable, but I didn't know why. Now that I've read her book, I find that she's a lot smarter and likeable than I thought, but I still don't GET her. Maybe that's a good thing. I feel like a lot of what she's about is untold in this book.
Read
August 5, 2011Overall, a balanced look at Palin's place in the 2008 presidential campaign. The book should be read in conjunction with Palin's own book GOING ROGUE. The bulk of the sources for this book are not from her side of the story which is why it should be read before or after her book.
November 9, 2009
A surprisingly balanced look at Sarah Palin. Lots of interviews with people who know her in Alaska. The authors were embedded with the campaign so they have a lot of behind-the-scenes information.
December 12, 2009
Some what negative.
February 1, 2010
I enjoyed it. The campaign bosses, not John McCain, held her back, squelched her, so she couldn't campaign the way she wanted. I believe it cost John McCain the election too.
June 8, 2011
After reading this book and I can no longer say that I hate Sarah Palin. But I still hate her politics.
December 3, 2013
Gossipy. Mildly interesting.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews