Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs [Hardcover]

Levi Johnston (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 20, 2011

Best known as Bristol Palin’s baby daddy and Sarah Palin’s favorite whipping boy, Levi Johnston sets out to clear his name and—with any luck—end his run as Alaska’s most hated man. 

Promising hockey player and Governor Palin’s almost son-in-law, Levi Johnston was eighteen when Palin became the vice presidential nominee. His unique place as Bristol’s live-in boyfriend provided him a true insider’s view of what was going on behind closed doors.  And how Sarah’s public views were often at odds with her home values. It makes it all the more curious that Sarah eventually turned her anger directly on Levi, after losing her ticket to the White House 

    After being bullied, lied about, and outspent in the courts when he attempted to bond with his new son, Tripp, Levi Johnston now is ready to set the record straight. 

    Deer in the Headlights is a poignant, at times very funny, and fascinating tale of a boy thrust into the media spotlight and now figuring out how to be an adult and a dad. Johnston, ever honest, had a unique window into Palintology at a critical time; he sat in the family’s living room and paid attention. Not bitter and never petty, Levi shares his story.    

    As Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC so aptly put it: “I love that kid. He's honest, he's straightforward, he's not embarrassed.”

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Levi Johnston was born in a tiny Alaskan town perched on the edge of untamed wilderness. Johnston, twenty-one, has been an outdoorsman since he was big enough to hold a fishing rod and aim a rifle. He has worked as an electrician’s apprentice and roustabout in Port Valdez and on Alaska’s North Slope. After his appearance as an honorary Palin family member at the 2008 Republican National Convention, Johnston modeled for Playgirl and was profiled in GQ, Vanity Fair, and New York Magazine and a guest on Today, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, and Larry King Live. He is the father of a young son, Tripp, and lives in his hometown of Wasilla.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (September 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451651651
• ISBN-13: 978-1451651652
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.8 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an Alaskan hunter and fisherman. I also am the father of Sarah Palin's grandson. This has cast me in an unintended role in America's most delicious drama

I have gone from being Sarah Palin's second son, as she used to call me, to her favorite punching bag...little better than a pile of squirrel scat. To correct the image she's painted, and hoping I'll have decent access to my son, I'm revealing uncomplimentary information. I'm doing this so my boy, in a decade or two, will know the true story--and can feel good about his dad. It's a choice, Sarah or me.

To know how this strange mess came to be, readers need to learn who I am, where I came from, and where I'm going. My childhood in the Land of the Northern Star; my bond with the males of my family and my love for my mother and my sister--all play a part in my story. Reporting my tale makes me both laugh and cry; it is the truth.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

126 of 165 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just an Alaskan! September 22, 2011

By Alaska_Gal

Format:Hardcover

I just finished Levi's rendition of his 5 years of hell dealing with the Palin/Heath family. While his lack of sophistication is obvious, his love for Tripp is overwhelming. He tells his story with honesty and clarity, that may never win awards but is an "easy read" and so believable.
Living in Wasilla I know for a FACT that his story is valid, accurate, and humble. My only criticism would be the minimizing of his "wild-child" high school antics---remember I live here!

The Heaths and Palins are more despicable than we imagined. The lack of parenting has been a well-known fact around town but never realized how ugly Todd really is to people. Sarah's motivation for "quitting" on all the citizens of Alaska to line her pockets was confirmed. She has been heard saying she "hated" her job but now we see how utterly lazy Sarah Palin really is.

This is a "true" review. After reading how Sarah would "rig" reviews by having friends vote or write a favorable comment under a false name I would encourage you to read the book and make up your own mind.

36 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read October 8, 2011

By Chamisa

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a good book for some background on Sarah Palin and her family. I highly recommend it. It is earnest and very interesting. I have sympathy for Levi Johnston; it is hard to go against the power people in any community, and especially a small one. The tales Levi tells are typical of what happens in many small towns. What's not typical is how Sarah Palin and her "get them before they get me" outlook grew to such national prominence and influence.

56 of 76 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice young alaskan fellow over his head September 21, 2011

By Jean S. Davis

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this out of a curiosity about all the news stories
with conflicting viewpoints of this young man and his
relationship with Bristol Palin.
It reads like it was written by a young fellow, who I think Levi probably is. a young, fairly sincere fellow who loved the wilderness; hockey; and his family -- had a young girl friend with hopes for their future together. Her mother(sarah palin of course) all of a sudden became a "celebrity" and all their lives changed.
The book is this young fellow thinking about his last few years,
trying to defend his position against someone (Palin) who seems to be known for wanting revenge and perceiving her self as a victim- a tough position for a very young man. I admire how much he cares for his own family and at the end of the book I was left hoping he can have some quality time with his little son and be the kind of father it sounds like he grew up with- a loving, wanting the best for him, Dad. Good luck to Levi as he matures. The book gave me a better view of what life in Alaska/ the oil field, hunting, all that means to those residents.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of Time November 7, 2012

By CJG

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Super quick read as there's no deep and meaningful dialogue. Poor writing...wouldnt recommend and consider this one to have been a complete waste of my time and money.

45 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Written in good taste with an excellent insight from the Palins sideline September 25, 2011

By Zachary

Format:Hardcover

This was a great read, I literally did not put this book down. I read it in one sitting, I'd a fast read unlike Bristol Palin's book. The book read as if it was very raw and true to his heart.. "Her does eyes looked right into me. In that moment I swore I'd never shoot another deer." PG. 92. This book definitely changed my opinion of him. Book was written well and it's organized just a well. It's his way of trying to set the record straight, he's trying to get his side of the story out and let people know his view point. It's his closure to years of hell he endure from the Palins. As I believe he could have written the Palins in a much worse light, I do believe that this book was written in good taste. You get more from it than just, 'I hate my ex and her family.' (Which is what i got from Bristols book.) In honesty he doesn't say that at all...it's pretty straight forward...this is what happened, this is what is happening, this is what I'm doing about it, and this is what I would like to happen. I would definitely reccomend it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story, VERY poorly written October 15, 2012

By CJP

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read Bristol Palin's book and was interested to hear Levi's side of it....While very interesting to hear all his side of the details, it was VERY hard to read. It was so poorly written gramatically that it was difficult to figure out some of what he was trying to say. I am surprised it got through a publisher the way it did...Not only does it come across uneducated, but it makes it difficult just to get through the book because you constantly have to go back and re-read things to get the points he is trying to make and figure out who is talking and who is saying what (he NEVER uses quotation marks to show who is talking and when they stop).

63 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Bit of Sanity in Crazy Town September 22, 2011

By onislandtime

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was curious about this book because after Levi Johnston's Vanity Fair article I suspected he was actually Ok. I thought the mud slinging about his family, and his mother in particular, from Palin was extremely low class and it actually bothered me that someone so in the public eye with so much ability to manipulate the press would want to be so vindictive.
I am giving this book such a high rating because it seems to have performed an actual miracle. It is a straightforward story that concerns Sarah Palin that is obviously true and that does not rely on gossip or innuendo.
I do not blame Johnston for wanting people to be educated about him and his life since so many people had passed judgment on him without knowing much about him.
There is an added bonus to reading this story. This is one of the only true depictions of what it is like from the young man's perspective to have an out of wedlock child.