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122 of 164 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sarah Palin: An American Woman, September 10, 2008
As a foreigner to this country, I have been able to observe the American political process dispassionately, and yet with a very interested eye.
We can all safely say, now, that the Presidential Election campaign of 2008 has been the most singular, topsy-turvy presidential run in American history. Only 1912 comes close, for remarkably similar reasons -- a clash of ideologies and personalities which finally coincided one very special year.
What makes this election so very different, is that we have had not one, but now two women running for the highest positions in the land: something few people in the world would've imagined a scant 4 years ago. Combined with the intricate life story of Senator Barack Obama, the first black American to be nominated by a major political Party, and a war hero of the stature of Senator John McCain, it all makes for a potent message of change and diversity, no matter which side you favour.
I have bought this book twice. Once at Barnes & Noble, after learning that Amazon had sold out all its paperback copies. And now in Kindle format.
(If you have bought the Kindle format, you'll be happy to know that even the photographs are included, in the "Photo Insert" section in the Table of Contents. Of course, they are in the usual e-Ink, black and white version)
Since author Kaylene Johnson has been much in the news, notably interviewed by Greta van Susteren for a Fox News special on Palin, and of course, so has Governor Sarah Palin herself, one would think that this thin (145 pp) book might not be of use in learning about the Alaskan maverick.
Perhaps it might be thin, but it has some poignant revelations not just about her upbringing, but about her character.
Some points I can bring out, to whet your whistle:
- She is a voracious newspaper reader, and in fact, this contributed to her very early myopia and glasses-wearing. Her younger sister remembers Sarah Heath, as she was then, devouring books as well. She was a straight-A student, both in high school and in University.
- Her father, Chuck, was a legendary figure in her school, and taught all 4 of his children to enjoy the outdoors, to hunt, fish, and run even in negative 40 degree Fahrenheit weather. Her mother, also Sarah (known as Sally), was a happy, approachable woman, in many ways who her namesake resembles.
- She attended 4 not 6 Universities, as several rumour sites had it. University of Hawaii in Hilo (she and her 3 gal pals left due to incessant rain); Hawaii Pacific University (where she and 1 of the girls who remained, shared a flat, sometimes visiting the set of Magnum PI); North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene (where she did something naughty, requiring a visit to her Dean's Office); and finally, the University of Idaho, where she was graduated with a major in journalism, and a minor in political science.
- Her husband, a standout basketball player, is from native Alaskan stock and extremely hearty. Once when salmon fishing in bad weather, her fingers were crushed, but after Todd Palin deposited her in the mainland to be stitched up, she returned later and continued fishing.
- She has made a fair amount of enemies within her OWN Party, running as a reformer since the very beginning in the political cycle of PTA committee member, in the city council, as mayor and as Governor. One gets the sense that Alaskan politics, at once so exotic to so many of us, is full of the same entrenched power politics and corruption that plagues so many places.
There are many reasons to buy this book. It is neither a hagiography, nor does it portray a negative picture of Governor Palin either.
Unfortunately, the rumours which have surrounded this woman (in one site I saw over 71 of them, and even Snopes and Politifacts.com haven't been able to target all of them) since her candidacy was announced, make for a very confused portrait.
If you come to this book wanting dirt on her, I'd say it's a waste of your time. But if you come with genuine interest, and an open mind, I definitely recommend it to all.
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