Long May She Reign

A while back in the midst of Harry Potter frenzy, Anstrat had a post about what other books are you anticipating and this was my selection. The first book in this series, The President's Daughter, was an earlier pick of mine, as it and its two sequels were among my friend Krista's favorite books in junior high and high school. Now, nearly twenty years after the last sequel, Meg Powers, daughter of the first woman president is back. The story picks up soon after the end of Long Live the Queen with Meg and her family still dealing with the immediate aftermath of Meg's kidnapping and injuries. Eventually Meg realizes she needs to be more independent and goes away to college at Williams. This book, like LLTQ, isn't easy to read-- Ellen Emerson White is almost too good at depicting Meg's mental and physical anguish. But for long time fans of the series, there is a lot to find satisfying, specifically Meg's deeper, more adult conversation with her parents, Trudy, the family's former housekeeper, and Preston, a white house staffer who is also one of the first family's closest friends. White brings in a character from some of her other novels which I found distracting, especially in the face of the updated time period for this book compared to the first three. While I enjoyed the book, I'm not sure how someone who hadn't read the prequels would react and I may have had unrealistically high expectations.

A Heckuva Job:more of the Bush Administration in Rhyme

Every week Calvin Trillin's political poetry appears in The Nation. Works such as "George W. Bush's Approval Rating Sinks to 34 Percent", "A Member of Congress tries to Recall Jack Abramhoff" and "Watching Dick Cheney in Debate" (I must say this, in studying Dick Cheney:/ The man betrays no impulse to be zany,/ Resembling in his scowl and condescendence/ The stern vice principal who takes attendance.) Trillin skewers Washington and the White House house in particular. This is the third volume of his political poetry, following Deadline Poet, and Obliviously On he Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme.

Primary Colors

This book was originally published anonymously but Joe Klein has since admitted authorship. The story of a Southern governor and his steely wife’s ride through the campaign system not so subtly parallels that of the Clintons. The book (and movie of the same name) were hyped by this fact, especially since the presidential candidate is accused of fathering the baby of a black teenage girl. For me, however, the book works better as a look inside the day to day operations of a campaign on the road, the machinations and mercenary nature of the staff, and the truly strange ways we go about picking our nation’s leaders. The book was entertaining, though I wish some of the characters, especially Susan, the wife of the candidate, were more fleshed out.

Best American Political Writing

This series has become an annual purchase for me. It collects some of the best political writings from the past year from a diverse range of viewpoints. The collection includes pieces from newspapers, magazines, and internet sources and sometimes book excerpts are also included. I've found the collection edited by Royce Flippin to be pretty balanced. I'm a bit of a political junkie and it's sometimes hard to not just get the perspective of the people you agree with. This series does a good job of picking out the pieces from both sides that are less partisan diatribes and more thoughtful analysis of the issues. I was initially a little skeptical of the series because of the topical nature of political writing that can date itself fairly quickly, but most of the pieces I've read in these collections remain fresh and timely.

An American Voter: My Love Affair with Presidential Politics

In my honors US politics class in college, we had to read this, a book about Congress' attempt at tax reform legislation. Yes, it was as boring as it sounds, as I'm sure Shuttsie would confirm. Along with a few naps, I came away with a huge respect for former New Jersey Senator and failed presidential candidate Bill Bradley, though I no longer remember exactly why, other than he was basically the only political figure profiled in the book I ended up liking. When he ran against Gore for the Democratic nomination in 2000, it was the first time I ever closely followed a campaign. Joan Sullivan chronicles her experience working as a volunteer for the Bradley campaign in this memoir. Until signing up to work for Bradley's advance team, she had little interest and experience in politics. After her father's death from cancer, she finds solace in the relentless days on the campaign and a sort of substitute father figure in Bradley. She exposes the insulation of life on the campaign trail, where details like the height of a podium seem so important. While such an experience could easily lead to cynicism, Sullivan ends her experience with her idealism for the political process and for Bradley mostly intact. I was reminded of this memoir now that Bill Bradley is making the round promoting his own book, which I haven't had a chance to look at yet.

A Woman at the Washington Zoo

Marjorie Williams was a Washington political writer for a variety of publications, most notably Vanity Fair. This is a collection of her writings compiled posthumously by her husband after her death of liver cancer. The book is divided into three sections--one part political profiles, one shorter essays, and the final third more personal writings. I had read and admired many of the political pieces before without noting the author, including a scary profile of Barbara Bush and the great piece "Scenes from a Marriage" depicting the troubled relationship between Al Gore and Bill Clinton during Gore's campaign. Williams managed to get to the core of many powerful people and their motivations and find new angles on over covered stories like Princess Diana's death. As great as these pieces are, however, the real gems are contained in the last third of the book. Williams writes movingly of her complicated relationship with her alcoholic mother and of living with the diagnosis of cancer. She expresses gratitude for the privileges she has--connections, insurance, etc--to fight the disease while also lamenting the dehumanizing aspects of dealing with the medical system. There is a heartbreaking scene where Williams is helping her daughter get ready for Halloween while imagining her in the prom dress she probably won't live to see her in. Whether you come for the politics or the memoir aspect, you won't be disappointed.

Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

Molly Ivins died January 31st after a battle with cancer. Here is her New York Times obituary. On page two, it refers to a "sexually suggestive phrase" she used to describe a mass chicken killing. Come on New York Times, you can say it...she called it a "gang pluck" and that was the end of Molly Ivins working for the Times. This story not only illustrates that the New York Times is still a bunch of sissies, but that she was a damn funny woman, who always lived by her own advice to "raise more hell". This collection of her columns is in my opinion her very best, taking on Reagan, Bush, and local Texas politics, all without fear, as well as a memorable piece on covering Elvis' funeral, staying in university dorm with a cheerleading camp. Her intelligence and biting wit will be greatly missed. Let's get out there and raise hell in her honor.