The President's Secret IMs [Paperback]

Danielle Crittenden (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 24, 2007

Uncensored.

Unrestrained.

Un-politically correct.

It's a little-known fact that President Bush -- known to his Instant Messenger buddies as "Kickass43" -- has logged almost as much time chatting online as he has clearing brush at Crawford.

Now this hilarious collection of imaginary online correspondence between the POTUS and pals sheds light and empathy on W's tumultuous second term in office. Whether it's dodging Harriet Miers after the fallout of her Supreme Court nomination, hosting a live online chat with the nation's schoolchildren to disastrous effect, or the surprising late-night alliance with Bill Clinton ("Ladeezman42") because both wish to keep Hillary out of the White House, you'll never look at politics the same way again.

Gleefully poking fun at political figures on both sides of the divide, The President's Secret IMs is wickedly clever, deliciously irreverent, and in the words of Kickass43, "ttly awesum" and "gr8." Srsly.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Culled from an ongoing series at Huffingtonpost.com, author and blogger Crittenden (Amanda Bright @ Home) crafts a hilarious, eerily realistic behind-the-scenes online world where heads of state use instant messaging to discuss everything from world events to what's for lunch. Arranged as a series of "chats" between Kickass43 (George W. Bush) and a host of newsmakers like Ben16 (Pope Benedict XVI), Sxybritguy10 (Tony Blair) and Ladeezman42 (Bill Clinton, one of Bush's more frequent chatting partners), nothing is off limits. Holding IM meetings with his staff, Kickass43 discusses the Middle East (telling Condeleeza Rice "hi 5 GF!!; U ROCKD the Mideast!"), the State of the Union address ("we need sum 1 liners rite off the top") and the Harriet Miers nomination fiasco ("I wuz sposed 2 b nominatin u 2 the IRAQI supreme court"), among other prescient topics. Sharp throughout, Crittenden gives her targets full, consistent characters and keeps several running gags going; for example, vulgarity, emoticons and butchered spelling are reserved for world leaders, while underlings do their best to respond with poise. The premise (that these IMs have been "leeked" to the press) and formatting (computer-like graphics, extremely casual text) are clever, but can be hard to understand, and could grow tiresome for readers who aren't up-to-date on IM shorthand or current events.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416947493
• ISBN-13: 978-1416947493
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,377,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Danielle Crittenden is International Blog Editor for the Huffington Post Media Group. A longtime contributor to the Huffington Post site, her numerous articles and essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Daily Telegraph, and the Ladies Home Journal, among other publications. A former columnist for the New York Post, she has appeared on NBC's Today show, The O'Reilly Factor, ABC's 20/20 and Nightline, and network news shows, as well as numerous programs for CSPAN, MSNBC, PBS, CNN, Fox, NPR, CTV, and CBC. She is co-author of the cookbook, From a Polish Country Kitchen (Chronicle, Fall 2012), with Pulitzer-prize winning historian Anne Applebaum, and the author of three previous books: Her non-fiction book What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman (Simon & Schuster, 1999; Touchstone 2000), resulted in Vanity Fair describing Crittenden as "one of the most important new thinkers about women and family". She also has written two works of fiction: The President's Secret IMs (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2007), originally published on the Huffington Post; and Amanda Bright @ Home, the first novel ever to be serialized by the Wall Street Journal(Warner Books, 2003).

Crittenden is married to journalist and author David Frum, a former special assistant and speechwriter to President George W. Bush, and contributor to CNN and Daily Beast/Newsweek. They have three children and live in Washington, D.C. and Wellington, Ontario. You can email her at [e-mail]

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncanny perception or a secret source August 6, 2007

By frustrated conservative

Format:Paperback

Does the author have a secret inside source inside the White House, or has her teenage son hacked into Kickass 43's laptop? Whatever, this is a must read for those hooked on the vagagres on intentaional diplomacy. Yeah, I know it's computer-talk fiction, but the author has the likes of Tony Blair. Ladeezman Clinton and even Condy cutie-pie down pat. Hyey, Maybe the First Lady is the secret sourcce - remember her refering to her hubby as "Mr. Excitement.?" Whatever, a delicious book without malice but lots of perception. Even the Pope gets a laugh.

Frustrated conservative

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars High-larious! August 11, 2007

By pol junkie

Format:Paperback

What a fun and witty book this is! For all of you political junkies out there, no matter what side of the aisle, I hope you enjoy reading these IMs as much as I did.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read September 15, 2007

By Interested Party

Format:Paperback

What a clever and entertaining book! Crittenden gets so totally inside the heads of Bush and his cronies (including his super-secret IM buddy President Clinton), that you really feel you've accidentally logged into the White House computer system. She pokes fun at everyone (from Jenna Bush to Pope Benedict to the Emir of Kuwait) and everything (from self-important media types to scheming Washington bureaucrats to American foreign policy) in such a skillful, stylish, and refreshingly non-abusive way that I found myself laughing -- but sympathetically! -- at the foibles of public figures I thought I loathed. A terrific and fun read that people on both sides of the political divide will enjoy.

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant parody September 6, 2007

By ann wilson

Format:Paperback

this book is a hoot! It shows Bush and his cohorts exactly as we assume them to be, warts and all, but does it so amusingly I can't imagine even the subjects themselv es not being tickled by it.
Also a great way for the older generation to learn the arcana of Instant Messaing!

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars slighly humorous September 9, 2007

By Joseph Kibitlewski

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was perhaps expecting more humor. It did at times bring a smile to my face..