Customer Reviews

America the Beautiful

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Kate Rosen and Emily Benton met in high school. They became friends while Kate believed Emily was going to go very far. Years later, now the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Emily runs for president with Kate, her closest friend, as her campaign manager and her ethical conscience magnet.

Kate is a religious person who finds the dirty tricks of running for high office depressing. She fears her morals are being corrupted, but wants to be there for Emily. When Kate has a chance to go negative, she hesitates, but the race is ruthless and she must choose between her friend and country vs. her beliefs in God.

This is a fascinating political thriller that stars two fully developed characters who have come a long way baby. Back in high school, super K and the Big E were idealists out to change the world; but neither realized how much compromise of a person's ideals occurs to be successful. The bottom line in this insightful tale is does Kate have the stomach to destroy the opposition (think Swift Boat) with half truths, innuendos and one humongous exposé; all this contrary to her deep belief in God and what is right for her country may not be good for her best friend's run. Is there room for a true believer in the politics of America the Beautiful?

Harriet Klausner

I was looking for a good book to read when I stumbled upon this one. And I was glad to find a novel in the Christian literature that wasn't a frontier romance. Also, since I've worked in politics some this book seemed like a perfect fit as it deals with the Presidential Campaign of Emily Benton, a lady from a reknown political family in Virginia, who is vying to become the first Female President. The main focus of the book, however, is the internal conflict that Emily's best friend and campaign manager/advisor, Kate, feels between her Christianity and being in the business of politics. As a Christian who has been in politics some, I can vouch for those internal conflicts. However, my main bone of contention with the book is that the author has really warped views of what those Christian conflicts are. Kate discovers one candidate nearly committed murder in his college days, and she feels guilty about revealing it? What in the world? Is the author really advocating letting potential murderers into higher office because apparently in her mind that is not a campaign issue? In one early chapter the author goes into detail about how Kate doesn't want to reveal a video of an opposing candidate with his pregnant mistress because of all the pain that would cause the unborn child, the wife, etc. She says it appears he really loves the child. (Yes, the parallel between that and the John Edwards story was obvious.) So , if I'm interpreting the author via Kate's views correctly, the voting public shouldn't see this sort of reflection of a candidate's moral character because she considers it mudslinging and that isn't a campaign issue. And forget any kind of standards of morality and personal character being qualifiers for higher office. And this is supposed to be a Christian viewpoint? Even Emily as the Presidential Candidate turns out to have been involved in graft during a highway building project as Governor of Virginia. And the author feels it is okay to sweep that under the rug? Does she really not see the implications of such behavior for the highest office in the land? It is almost as though the author espouses a view of Christianity in politics that says it is okay if candidates have scurrilous pasts as that is mudslinging (Which where is that in the Ten Commandments?)and all we as Christians should be focused on is the pat answers that the candidates have memorized for issue related questions. I'm sorry to differ so from the author's viewpoint. But I'm sincerely incredulous at what she espouses. I will say that the book captured my interest. It is quite simply written so it makes for a light easy read. And the political related topic was interesting to me. However, I'm stunned at the version of Christian conflict she seems to be espousing. I would think issues like honesty in government would be a focal point. But she just seems really concerned about letting people off the hook for their actions.

Emily Benton wants to be the first female President of the United States. Kate Rosen is her best friend, her chief of staff, her campaign manager and her moral compass. This first installment of the American Series by Laura Hayden covers the campaign through election night.

Emily is high-powered and will stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. Kate finds that politics often clashes with her Christian beliefs.

I found this to be an interesting story, especially as it came out during this last election. While the book doesn't come right out and say who is the Democrat and who is the Republican, it is clear that Emily is a classic liberal who not only believes she can change the world, but believes that she is what America needs. She is young, attractive and fresh, and comes from a famous Kennedy-esque political family with the requisite closet skeletons. Her opponent is a thinly veiled composite of Bush and McCain, portrayed as old and out of touch. I never really came to like or care about her. I did like that she was portrayed as a woman who gained the presidential nomination on her own. She wasn't a VP candidate, she wasn't a sidekick. She was the candidate on her own terms and her own issues. That was refreshing.

Kate, on the other hand, I liked. She's no-nonsense and while she truly believes that Emily is what is right for America, she has a hard time compromising her values to find the dirt on Emily's opponents and blackmail them before they can blackmail Emily.

The behind-the-scenes look at a presidential election was fascinating. Not knowing a great deal about the inside workings of political campaigns, I nevertheless found this to be insightful and educational.

There is very little preaching. Kate prays a lot and prays with those close to her: her mentor Wes, especially. The story shows how easily a person's faith is tested, especially in the murky world of politics where it is much too easy to lose sight of one's values.

Overall, an interesting, easy read.

America the Beautiful
By Laura Hayden
Review by Deborah Khuanghlawn




Emily Benton is on the verge of becoming the first female to be elected President of America. Her campaign manager Kate Rosen is doing whatever it takes to make Emily's lifelong dream come true. This means making Emily look to be the best candidate possible and proving to the voters that she has what it takes to run the nation. However, there are those that want to stop Emily with threats and shootings. Kate also has to face the dilemma of what to do when her faith conflicts with the dark side of politics.

This book is an insider's guide on what it takes to win the road to the White House. I was so glad when reading this book to see that the female candidate was running a campaign of her own AND doing very well. I was getting tired of reading books where the woman only becomes president by default of being Vice President. It was nice to see that a woman was winning votes on her own and not because she was tacked on to get more votes for someone else. It's hard to read this book and NOT see the similarities to the election that is happening in 2008. I happen to read this book during one of the key primaries, and it was fascinating to see fiction being portrayed in real life. One of the most interesting quotes I found in the book dealt with the theory of what if a male and female candidate both have the same ideas and goals. The public would vote for the male because that is what the country is used to in terms of tradition.

The book does not go into great detail about which party Emily belong too, therefore key issues that today's politicians face are not discussed. I think this was a wise decision because there would be a possibility of the book leaning too much to one side. The story is focused more on Kate and her role as campaign manager vs. Emily herself. The book deals with an important issue of what to do with your faith when you work in politics. I felt that Kate's character faced difficult decisions every day because she had to choose where to draw the line regarding Emily's campaign.

The writing in this book is top notch, suspenseful, funny, and it really makes you think about the lives of the candidates. There are lots of tidbits of political information throughout the book so it will not only entertain you but will educate you as well. This is one of the best political suspense novels I have ever read. I really hope that there is a sequel to this book. VERY highly recommended.

A well-written book with a really good look at the political scene from the inside. Makes interesting and timely reading, but it also shows how someone who means well but cannot be trusted can't really be considered the "best person for the job". Kate is trying to live her faith and stay friends with Emily, as well as help Emily get elected as the first woman President of the USA. But Emily is not a good choice for the job and Kate doesn't seem to be able to see that. This book has a sequal, "Red White and Blue" which is also good reading.

Emily Benton is on the verge of becoming the first female to be elected President of America. Her campaign manager Kate Rosen is doing whatever it takes to make Emily's life long dream come true. This means making Emily look to be the best candidate possible and proving to the voters that she has what it takes to run the nation. However, there are those that want to stop Emily with threats and shootings. Kate also has to face the dilemma of what to do when her faith conflicts with the dark side of politics. This book is an insider's guide on what it takes to win the road to the White House.

I was so glad when reading this book to see that the female candidate was running a campaign of her own AND doing very well. I was getting tired of reading books where the woman only becomes president by default of being Vice President. It was nice to see that a woman was winning votes on her own and not because she was tacked on to get more votes for someone else. It's hard to read this book and NOT see the similarities to the election that is happening in 2008. I happen to read this book during one of the key primaries and it was fascinating to see fiction being portrayed in real life. One of the most interesting quotes I found in the book dealt with the theory of what if a male and female candidate both has the same ideas and goals. The public would vote for the male because that is what the country is used to in terms of tradition. The book does not go into great detail about which party Emily belong too, therefore key issues that today's politicians face are not discussed. I think this was a wise decision because there would be a possibility of the book leaning too much to one side. The story is focused more on Kate and her role as campaign manager vs. Emily herself. The book deals with an important issue of what to do with your faith when you work in politics. I felt that Kate's character faced difficult decisions every day because she had to choose where to draw the line regarding Emily's campaign. The writing in this book is top notch, suspenseful, funny, and it really makes you think about the lives of the candidates. There are lots of tidbits of political information throughout the book so it will not only entertain you but will educate you as well. This is one of the best political suspense novels I have ever read. I really hope that there is a sequel to this book. VERY highly recommended.