Extraordinary, Ordinary People

In reading biographies and memoirs, I am always taken aback by how many varied people the subject knew. Condoleezza Rice is no different. Rice knew the girls killed in 16th St. Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham in 1963. She was friends with Denver Broncos players. She took a class taught by Madeleine Albright's father. And then, of course, there's all the political figures she met in her roles in the Reagan and Bush (41, she doesn't go into 43's administration) presidencies. 

This memoir, while including Rice's jobs, both academic and political, is the story of her family and the impact of her parents. Rice grew up in Birmingham, then moved to Denver when her father got a job at the University of Denver. After getting her PhD at the University of Denver, she went to Stanford. She also had several periods in Washington, D.C. As it's a story about her family, the book ends when her father dies. It doesn't include the last 15 years of her life. 

One of the funniest stories Rice related was when the Berlin Wall fell. She was working at the National Security Council. They were scooped by CNN and learned about the events on TV like the rest of America.

At the end, when her father dies, he knew she was going to become National Security Adviser, but never knew she would also become Secretary of State. This reminded me a little of Obama's grandmother dying just before the 2008 elections. Rice's father gave so much towards Rice's success that it's sad he never got to see her as Secretary of State. 

Rice's mother died of a brain tumor at 61, which hit a little close to home as my mother-in-law recently passed away from the same thing at 60. I cried through most of that chapter. 

I listened to the audio book, which Rice narrated. I liked the fact that it felt like she was talking to me.

All in all, Rice has a fascinating story. She has been a witness to many important historical events. I don't know what she's been up to in the past few years, but it's probably as diverse and interesting as everything in Extraordinary, Ordinary People.  

One downside of most non-fiction audio books is the lack of pictures included in the paper version. Luckily, my library had a copy of Extraordinary, Ordinary People. One notable exception: Tina Fey's Bossypants, which included some great photos in a PDF.

America, You Sexy Bitch

I really loved Dirty Sexy Politics and adore Meghan McCain despite our different beliefs, but was a bit disappointed by this. I'm still glad I read it. I enjoyed McCain and Michael Ian Black. 

America, Your Sexy Bitch is told in alternating chapters by McCain and Black, getting their different perspectives on issues they encounter on a road trip. Black provides the liberal commentary, while McCain represents the conservative side. 

The thing I found disappointing about this was the lack of a clear point to the story. The two were on a road trip to show and discuss the difference in liberals and conservatives, but it just seemed all over the place.  The two found many things they agreed on, which I think was what the book was trying to say: that despite our beliefs we really do have a lot in common.

 I never really got into the story and got a little sick of McCain's drinking stories. 

Some of It Was Fun

In my political science classes, I show an episode of the civil rights miniseries Eyes on the Prize about integration of Central HS in Little Rock, AR and Ole Miss. It's a fascinating documentary with many people who experienced these events first hand. One of the people interview is Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, author of Some of It Was Fun: Working with RFK and LBJ.

Katzenbach died last year and his obituary in the New York Times mentioned that he had written a memoir of his years in the Justice Department. I ordered it right away. Katzenbach was a major player in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and was there for so many of the key events, including integration of Ole Miss, standing toe to toe with Alabama Governor George Wallace (the scene was in Forrest Gump), and the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

Some of It Was Fun offered great insight on the changes that took place in soicety and in government during the turbulent years of the 60s. I thought Katzenbach was a really stand up kind of guy who  really moved progress along. I even thought the title of his book was something that showed off his personality. Obvisouly, as US Attorney General, he was very important in the political realm, but the title, to me at least, makes it seem like he didn't take himself too seriously.

I really enjoyed Some of It Was Fun and I really admire Katzenbach.

Taft 2012

Taft 2012 by Jason Heller is the story of William Howard Taft reappearing on the political scene for this year's presidential election. Somehow Taft had fallen asleep in 1913 on the way to Woodrow Wilson's Inauguration and then awoke in 2012.

Taft is shot by the Secret Service for walking around the White House grounds when we awoke from his 100 year sleep. Shortly after, they discover that he really is President Taft so he's given Secret Service protection and allowed to explore modern day America. He meets his great granddaughter, Rachel, who is serving in Congress as an Independent Representative from Ohio.

Taft 2012 is a pretty funny indictment of our modern political system. It's also the story of a man who has suddenly experienced life with everyone he knew gone. Taft feels grief for his long dead wife and he comes to terms with his relationship with teddy Roosevelt. This is a good election year book with an interesting premise.

Dirty Sexy Politics

For those of you who know my political leanings, you might be surprised but I LOVED this book. I read a blurb about the book and thought it sounded good despite the fact she is John McCain's daughter. I downloaded a sample for my Kindle and really enjoyed it, so I bought it.

She's so honest about this-is-who-I-am even how it doesn't fit the Republican party. She's pro life, but very pro contraceptives and is against abstinence only teaching. She's supports gay marriage calling it the civil rights movement of this generation, and is not particularly fond of the conservative Christian movement in the party, wonders why the Reps write off young voters and say silly anti-intellectual things. Plus, she doesn't seem to think very much of Palin. She sounds kind of liberal by my description, but mainly she seemed like an honest, candid moderate.

Even being the candidate's daughter, Meghan was carefully watched to make sure she fit the image that the campaign wanted. She writes, "I needed to be fixed-improved upon or polished up-or sent to Siberia. That was the basic message." She graduated from Columbia, which was maligned as a socialist school by her father during the election, which highlights how she felt she was treated.

She has lots of great insight about politics, campaigns, and the Republican party. It's also a great story about accepting yourself as you are--even when there's lots of pressure that you aren't ok as is.

I want to be her BFF. She's awesome. Her honesty and humor were great!

I'd love to hear what some of my more conservative friends think about it.

So You Want to Be President?

Oh my goodness this book is funny. I'm sure some of my enjoyment of it comes out of my interest in political science, but I'd recommend it to anyone who wonders how in the heck idiots turn in to the people running the country. I laughed out loud so many times, both at the ridiculousness of the book, but also at its crazy being so close to reality.

One of the funniest sections is merits to being qualified for President. Some of those merits?

-Shot a man in a duel (but not just to watch him die)
-Penchant for stovepipe hats
-Cartoonishly large ears
-Starred in a movie opposite a chimpanzee
-Having a very embarrassing sibling
-Having had "other priorities" at a time of war

Another good section is the one on Tim Russert, which sadly no longer applies.

The biographical blurb says that Warner is writing professor at Clemson. I'd love to take a class from him. (Well, if I wanted to take anymore classes, which I don't really.)

Well worth the read. Pick it up to get yourself in the 2010 election spirit!

Game Change: It's 2008 all over again.

Today I'm doing my second favorite volunteer activity: serving as an election judge. We're voting on a local option sales tax penny. In honor of this, I thought I'd share a book review on Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin since it's election related. (A presidential campaign is much more exciting than voting on a penny tax though.)


I'd heard about this book on NPR and the New York Times and thought it sounded fascinating. It was.

I usually don't pick up political books. They are too Democrats-are-evil or Republicans-hate-black-people for me, but this was a different kind of political book. It was about behind the scenes at the horse race rather than policy or having a obvious side in ideology.

I was amazed at the information about Sarah Palin. She withdrew into herself to the point that McCain aides were worried she was mentally unstable. And she was clueless. The book certainly cites the examples of this: She didn't know why North and South Korea were different countries, what the Fed did, and when asked thought Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11. OMG. What an irresponsible move by McCain. Really, he could have picked a 7th grader that knew more.

Obama seems arrogant, but if you think you could be President, you've got to have some confidence in yourself. He also remains calm, even when things go momentarily crazy and methodically plans and acts throughout the campaign. Michelle Obama seems about as great as I already thought she was.

John Edwards, fittingly, comes off as delusional with an ego the size of China.

The Clintons are an interesting pair in their dysfunction.

This book read like a novel. Even though you know what the outcome will be, the stories of the action behind the scenes make this a fascinating read. If it were fiction, you'd think NO WAY this would ever happen (black man, former first lady, candidate hiding his love child, Rep candidate almost choosing a Dem VP, etc, etc). And yet, we watched it all unfold.

While you saw it all on the news, I highly suggest this book. Whether they won the race or not, these people are all still very powerful. (Except maybe John Edwards, but who can turn away from such a train wreck?!)