Going Rogue: An American Life [Hardcover]

Sarah Palin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2009

On September 3, 2008 Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech at the Republican National Convention that electrified the nation and instantly made her one of the most recognizable women in the world.

As chief executive of America′s largest state, she had built a record as a reformer who cast aside politics-as-usual and pushed through changes other politicians only talked about: Energy independence. Ethics reform. And the biggest private sector infrastructure project in U.S. history. While revitalizing public school funding and ensuring the state met its responsibilities to seniors and Alaska Native populations, Palin also beat the political "good ol′ boys club" at their own game and brought Big Oil to heel.

Like her GOP running mate, John McCain, Palin wasn′t a packaged and over-produced "candidate." She was a Main Street American woman: a working mom, wife of a blue collar union man, and mother of five children, the eldest of whom was serving his country in a yearlong deployment in Iraq and the youngest, an infant with special needs. Palin′s hometown story touched a populist nerve, rallying hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans to the GOP ticket.

But as the campaign unfolded, Palin became a lightning rod for both praise and criticism. Supporters called her "refreshing," "honest," a kitchen-table public servant they felt would fight for their interests. Opponents derided her as a wide-eyed Pollyanna unprepared for national leadership. But none of them knew the real Sarah Palin.

In this eagerly anticipated memoir, Palin paints an intimate portrait of growing up in the wilds of Alaska; meeting her lifelong love; her decision to enter politics; the importance of faith and family; and the unique joys and trials of life as a high-profile working mother. She also opens up for the first time about the 2008 presidential race, providing a rare, mom′s-eye view of high-stakes national politics - from patriots dedicated to "Country First" to slick politicos bent on winning at any cost.

Going Rogue traces one ordinary citizen′s extraordinary journey, and imparts Palin′s vision of a way forward for America and her unfailing hope in the greatest nation on earth.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

No good deed goes unpunished. Just ask Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s campaign manager and the guy who pushed Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate. Now, in Palin’s much-hyped book, he’s just a fat, smoking bullet-head who told her to “stick to the script.” The feeling running through Going Rogue is that Palin has been bursting to take a whack at those she believes didn’t do right by her during the campaign. (Katie Couric, we’re looking at you!) Before readers get to that, however, there’s personal biography. We’re introduced to Sarah the reader—loved to read—the basketball player, hunter, wife, mother. Then lots and lots of Alaska politics, which will probably be a little hard even for people from Alaska to plow through. (Scores are settled here, too.) Once Palin gets into the 2008 campaign, the tone is folksy, but the knives are out. Much has been made of her criticisms of Schmidt and another McCain staffer, Nicolle Wallace. But less has been said about Palin’s comments about Barack Obama. For instance, she notes that when she and husband Todd first heard Obama speak, they saw the wow factor but worried that his “smooth” talk would hide his radical ideas. She also implies that Obama wanted to shield only his own children from the press, though, in fact, in September 2008, he told CNN that Palin’s children must be off limits as well. Ronald Reagan’s name is mentioned by page 3 and invoked regularly throughout. There’s no doubt Palin sees herself as heir to his legacy. But many readers will see the Sarah Palin revealed in these pages as much closer to George Bush, someone you’d like to have a beer with. Or perhaps dinner: “I always remind people from outside our state that there’s plenty of room for all Alaska’s animals—right next to the mashed potatoes.” --Ilene Cooper

Review

Truly one of the most substantive policy books I’ve ever read (Rush Limbaugh )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (November 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061939897
• ISBN-13: 978-0061939891
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,375 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Political

More About the Author

Sarah Palin grew up in Alaska towns, from Skagway to Wasilla to Anchorage, while her dad taught science and coached high school sports. She and her future husband, Todd Palin, graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, and she went on to earn her college degree from the School of Journalism at the University of Idaho. Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council, then two terms as the city's mayor and manager, and was elected by her peers as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. She then chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Palin was elected Alaska's youngest, and first female, governor, serving from 2006 to 2009. While serving her state she was tapped as Senator John McCain's running mate in 2008, becoming the first female Republican vice presidential candidate in our nation's history.

The Palins reside in Wasilla with their five children, including a son in the U.S. Army, and one grandson. They enjoy an extended family throughout Alaska and the Lower 48.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

209 of 298 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sarah Palin in her own write, January 6, 2010

By 

M. A. Filippelli "Marc12074" (Roseville, CA, US) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Rogue: An American Life (Hardcover)

Review by a liberal

While I disagree with a lot of Palins Political beliefs I read this book with interest. Admittedly in the beginning I wasn't sure If I could make it through the book because of that but the way that she chronicled her life it really makes it an interesting read.

The book really covers the decisions she has made in her life both political and personal. The reader gets to know her as a person and a politician, her motivations in life.

She was fairly unknown outside of Alaska, thrust into the middle of a Presidential campaign that was already floundering. While she did breathe some life into the McCain campaign it wasn't enough. She was put in a tough situation. Clearly she felt that she didn't receive the kind of support that she needed to be an effective Vice Presidential candidate and she discussed that in this book. We get to read about all of the things we suspected were going on in the McCain camp that she wasn't able to talk about during the race.

She sacrificed a lot and her family sacrificed a lot from the demands of campaign from criticism on her political beliefs, the innuendo that the only reason McCain selected her as a running mate is because she is attractive, to the personal attacks about her decision to have her challenged son. She was criticized a lot during the campaign of nearly everything. She talks about the criticisms in the book in detail. She loves her State and tried to make it a better place. She loved it enough to resign thinking that someone else could do a better job running it with out all of the distraction that was heaped upon her by media following her every move both on the local and national front.

Palin talks about life under the media microscope, how it effects to this day her and her family. While most of us including me can't imagine the pressure she was under during the campaign, she lays it out on paper.

This is Sarah Palin speaking her mind, She talks about everything. While she didn't change my mind on the political issues that I disagree with her on. She did change my mind about the type of person she is. In her personal life. In writing this book she has subjected herself to more criticism. I applaud her for her strength and conviction. Regardless of your political beliefs you should read this book.

25 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Read first chapter, that's more than enough, March 1, 2011

By 

L. Hall (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Rogue: An American Life (Hardcover)

Written as though it was a 'young reader edition', this book is simplistic and embarrassing for any true Conservative to read. The writing and the vocabulary have been dumbed down to about middle school level.

193 of 286 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A review of the book, not the person., December 15, 2009

By 

lighten_up_already2 "lighten_up_already2" (Kirkland, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Going Rogue: An American Life (Hardcover)

I'll admit to being a fan of Sarah Palin, but that does not compel me to write a glowing review of this book. So, here's a try at a quick review of the book without venting my personal politics.

Reading this book is like having Sarah Palin over for coffee and having her tell you stories from her life, starting with her childhood and through her resignation from the governorship of Alaska.

That might be a pleasant and fun experience, but with a book you can't ask follow-up questions and get more information about a subject that particularly interests you, and with a conversation you can't expect it to be tightly organized.

So, I found myself wanting some more detail about some parts of her life, like what it was like during the campaign (although I got a good idea of why McCain's campaign failed, and I think he deserved to.) And, I wanted a bit more organization. I wanted the material divided into smaller, more focused chapters with a tighter chronology. And I wanted an index, so I find that exact page where she wrote about holding still-warm moose eyeballs in her hands.

The most revealing chapter to me was at the end where she described the use of what I can best describe as "terrorism by lawsuit" to bankrupt her personally and keep her from doing her job as governor. I got the impression that she had been rendered incapable of doing her job as governor before she actually resigned, so what her resignation accomplished was to free her up to do what she thought was important, and it got the state of Alaska a functioning governor again. And finally, this chapter made me glad I bought this book if just a bit of my money went to pay off her legal bills.

Somehow I doubt this will be the last biography of Sarah Palin.