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Amazon review
4 stars out of 5
An Election of Patriots
April 30, 2012
By lbcr
Amazon Verified Purchase

WOW I have not been moved before to write a review but this book desires major attention. Not a fan of the short novel I did not expect much but was astounded by Mr. Jute's work. This work takes place when print media is at its height of influence but TV is fast moving in on the field. It shows one man with power and what he feels is an imperative to change the world as it is. This work is insightful, enlightening and has humor within it. If you have just a bit of history buff or election freak within you, please spend just a bit of time with this book and find a most enjoyable ride into the past. AN ELECTION OF PATRIOTS

Nice, Andre! Congrats!

I agree with "lbcr". It is an astounding book, not least for how much the author achieves in so few words, but also for seeing something really important plainly that no other historian has noticed in 70 years.

Nice.

Allan Regier's review of THE TIME-LIFE CONSPIRACY on LibraryThing and Goodreads:

"...a fascinating story about background influence and political intrigue at the pivot point in history when television drastically altered campaigning and politics. Those changes are still in force 60 years and 14 elections later. "

Though its power is waning, television's influences on mainstream culture is platitudinous. Rarely do we ask how it came to be the most powerful medium, and when. Andre Jute answers those questions in The Time-Life Conspiracy. The transition from print occurred earlier than I thought. The events in the story took place in 1952, about the same time as television became the most popular deliverer of the daily news. The story focuses on the schemes of Henry Luce, the co-founder of Time magazine and the most influential publisher of his day, to end the long drought of the Republican Party. It is Luce who determines Eisenhower can win the election, and helps persuade him to seek the presidential nomination for the Republican Party and orchestrates a television campaign to win the primary.

Revealing the barest plot summary shouldn’t hinder anyone from enjoying the novella. It is a fascinating story about background influence and political intrigue at the pivot point in history when television drastically altered campaigning and politics. Those changes are still in force 60 years and 14 elections later.

The novella was a bit hard to follow at times due to the number of characters in it, but that’s politics and can't be avoided. I was intrigued by the self-critical views of television people regarding soundbites, images and lack of in-depth reportage. I applaud their honesty and wish the visionary marketers of the internet were half as honest.

I read the novella An Election of Patriots, and quickly scanned through the screen and radio plays in The Time-Life Conspiracy omnibus. The author wanted to tell the story in the characters own recorded words, so the plays were good forms to achieve his objective. In the novella Jute uses dialogue very effectively to characterize the players and present historical events.

An Election of Patriots was an entertaining tale and I learned something; that makes it story worth adding to my bookshelf.


$4.99/£3.08/€3.80