That's not say that I think nonfiction is poorly written. I can appreciate a well-worded argument and a clever turn of phrase. And I can enjoy short articles. But getting me to read an entire 400-page nonfiction novel is like trying to get my dog to take a bath. There's only one reason I'll read a nonfiction book: my boyfriend is making me. (The things I go through for him ;) )
He tried to get me to read The Audacity of Hope, but about one third of the way in I stopped pretending to try and gave up. So when he asked me to read Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, I was skeptical. "It's much better," he insisted. "And the movie premieres in March on HBO." Well, I had to read the book before seeing the movie.
So I opened the book and gave it one chance to impress: the prologue. If the prologue is good, I'll finish the rest of it, I decided.
It can already be assumed if I'm writing this post, but here it is: the prologue rocked it. It was completely different from The Audacity of Hope. Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of strategy and the finer details of the campaign, Game Change presented the play out of the 2008 election for what it was: a story.
The prologue sets the scene for this story by offering a context of the 2008 election: "The drama played out against a backdrop that was itself vividly cinematic: a country at war, an economy on the brink, and an electorate swept up, regardless of party, in a passionate yearning for transformation" (10).
Extensive research has allowed the writers to tell what happened like it was a story. The narrative shifts from candidate to candidate, using dialogue and description. It paints a scene. The candidates, instead of being the idolized caricatures of political parties, are real characters. It's refreshing--and sometimes shocking.
The main draw of the book is the behind-the-scenes take on the campaigns. Through interviews with key players on the inside of each campaign, the writers were able to provide exact quotes of what was said between the candidates and their advisers. It gives insight into the thoughts of the candidates. It even includes bathroom conversations!
Not everything is flattering. In fact, much of what is written is harsh and critical. Sometimes, that's what the truth is. I will say that, somewhat disappointingly, the book seems to gloss over the flaws of Obama. Yes, it does show them, but it seems to avoid talking too much about them. The first half of the book focuses mainly on Hillary; the second half focuses McCain. Personally, as an Obama supporter, it's pretty cool to read that he seems pretty chill, intelligent and level headed. It's one of the reasons that I support him. But objectively, it does seem a little unfair that Hillary gets the harsh limelight focused on her campaign.
Admittedly, the book does present a huge problem that the Clintons faced: the media just didn't want to write anything bad about Obama. It does say, in no uncertain terms, that what the Clintons had to deal with in regards to press coverage was unfair. He got all the breaks and she couldn't cut any.
Humorously, the book also points out various random tidbits about the candidates. "[Romney] sometimes gave PowerPoint presentations instead of stump speeches" (294) and "friends of Bush would [...] say of Romney's chances, You've got to be kidding; he's in a cult" in reference to Romney's religion, Mormonism (294-5). The book also offers a unique insight on the Obama-Clinton relationship, which for the majority of the campaign was tense and bitter: "They had no idea what would happen next, where the narrative would take them. Indeed, for Obama and Clinton, the confusion was deeper still: they had no clue that their tale was a love story--or that it had been all along" (10).
Of Palin, the book has many unflattering things to say of her, particularly in regards to her lack of knowledge about her own country. As a potential Vice President, she's horribly unprepared and unqualified--and those on the Republican team knew it: "Some in McCainworld were ridden with guilt over elevating Palin to within striking distance of the White House" (416).
To be fair, the book also explains, "The truth was, the McCain people did fail Palin. They had, as promised ,made her one of the most famous people in the world overnight. [...] They were unprepared when they picked her, which made her look even more unready than she was. [...] They amassed polling points and dollars off of her fiery charisma, and then left her to burn up in the inferno of public opinion" (415).
Overall, the book is largely focused on providing a portrait of life behind-the-scenes. It does not spend much time discussing strategy or getting into the details over policies and issues. It gives people a sense of who these candidates are in person. In an age where politicians so often seem polished and studied, where they are constantly on stage and speaking and acting within their "brand," it can be difficult to know what type of people they really are. In that context, Game Change is as refreshing as it is juicy. What I think is most noteworthy is that, out of all the major candidates--Obama, Clinton and McCain--there is a sense that, despite whatever personality flaws they may have, at their core is a desire to make this country a better place.
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In March, HBO will air their film adaptation of Game Change. Starring Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin and Ed Harris as Senator McCain, the movie will focus mainly on the Republican side of the election, particularly Sarah Palin. It will air Saturday, March 10.
