If you are not one of the nearly one million people who have purchased and read Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue, An American Life, then you are missing out on one of the really great treats and treasures of our time.
One doesn’t actually read Going Rogue, they experience it. You experience Sarah Palin’s life as she takes you from a young girl growing in the rugged Alaska wilderness through her days as a championship basketball player, a city councilwoman, mayor, oil and gas regulator, reformer, Governor, and vice presidential candidate. All told in Sarah’s wonderfully enjoyable way.
The book is so much more than just an account of Sarah Palin’s life though. Rush Limbaugh has called it "truly one of the most substantive policy books" that he has ever read, and that it is. However, you won’t find a single chart, graph, or bullet point anywhere in the book. Going Rogue is a book of philosophy, and book of strategy. Going Rogue is a book of great inspiration, and of great triumphs.
If up to this point you have only relied on reviews from the old, corrupt Obamacentric media, to tell you about Sarah’s book, then you have been poorly served. Most of the dishonest media will have you believe this is some sort of vindictive "tell all" or "score settling" book. Whatever it takes to sell papers and get ratings, I suppose.
The truth is, Sarah tells her story, all of her story, but is very generous, even to those who served her poorly, or caused her grief. If you buy the book looking for fireworks, or to see her dishing up dirt, you’ll be sorely disappointed. This just isn’t Sarah Palin’s style. Frankly we have written more extensively and brutally about those in Alaska who have attacked her and her family than Sarah herself does.
Sarah touches on the attacks by the hate bloggers, and she mentions the ties they have to Barack Obama through his campaign chief-of-staff, now White House adviser, Pete Rouse. She talks about the fictitious "Troopergate" affair, and how things completely changed once Obama’s team got involved. She spends a few pages discussing how Obama’s involvement, and how Chicago thug politics poisoned the once friendly atmosphere of Alaska politics.
Sarah also spends some time discussing the McCain campaign. Again, if you are looking for mud slinging, you are going to be highly disappointed. Sarah tells her side of the story, discusses the events in great detail. She takes responsibility for her errors, and points out where she felt things could have been done better. Not a vindictive word to be found.
Instead, Sarah takes you through the process of being chosen as a candidate, and running for Vice President. It’s a fascinating behind the scenes look at how things work.
Sarah has nothing but high praise for John McCain in the book. You know that she has a great admiration and respect for the Senator and his family. This comes through loud and clear every time she speaks of John and Cindy.
The same can be said for the much talked about Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson interviews. She talks about them, tells you where she went wrong, how she felt they were a bad idea to start with, then moves on to more important things.
You'll find Sarah to be frank about things all throughout the book. This is a woman who is comfortable with herself and has no problem talking about the way she sees things. This is a strong, determined woman, who is also very open and candid as she tells her story.
Most of the book centers on her family and her remarkable life. Sarah takes us through her pregnancy with her beautiful son Trig. Here she lets us in on the intimate details, her inner most thoughts and feelings. You feel the love that Sarah has for all of her children in this book, and her great love and admiration for Todd as well. You can’t help but admire Todd as a wonderfully strong husband and father. A real man’s man, who supports Sarah in every way.
You’ll also be pleased to learn that Sarah’s wicked sense of humor shows up all throughout the book, making a good read into a great read.
This is what you really get with this book, a look at one of America’s most amazing women, up close, personal, and in her own words. You get a look at Alaska. You feel Sarah’s great love for her state, of the land, and of nature. You feel the magnificence of Alaska through her words.
Regular readers know that my background is not in politics, but in sales and management. While I’ve enjoyed reading books of all kind, I most enjoy books dealing with business, written by those great masters like Lee Iaccoca, Jim McKay, and Bob Lutz. Going Rogue is certainly this type of book. Going Rogue is truly a book on successful management, as well as business and political strategy.
If you read Sarah’s book, you will find it to be just as Limbaugh describes it, a substantial book on policy. Oh, she doesn’t go on and on for pages about how she will do things, there are no charts or bullet points. No lectures.
Instead, you’ll find that every page is a lesson in philosophy, policy, and strategy. All of this is intertwined with Sarah’s accounting of her life.
This is what makes Going Rogue one of those rare treasures of a book:
If you are a fan, who simply wants to know more about this remarkable woman, you will come away pleased and fulfilled. Sarah takes you through her life, and her style of writing makes you really experience it all. Her words have you visualizing the events as they unfold. You will come away with great admiration for Sarah and her family. You find these are truly nice people. Regular folks who you would like to have as your friends and neighbors.
If you are someone who is more interested in what makes Sarah tick, politically, well, you are certainly in for a treat! Again, there are no charts or graphs, but throughout the book, Sarah’s philosophy on life, and politics comes through. If you read Going Rogue, you will learn how she governed in Alaska, and how she would govern as President. How she looks at the world. What her policies on the economy, national security, and energy are.
If you are not already familiar with Sarah’s significant record of accomplishments, you will be by the time you are through. You will learn why Sarah had such a high approval rating (mid 80's) among some of the most independent minded voters in America. You’ll learn why the democrat/communists, as well as the Republican "elites" fear her, and why millions support her.
You’ll also learn that Sarah is not some far right ideologue. Instead you’ll find that common sense is what rules the day. You’ll find someone who is willing to work with anyone, as long as they are working toward a common goal, and some good old fashioned common sense is being employed. You learn that Sarah Palin is someone who knows how to get things done.
Something else, you’ll learn that Sarah Palin is a bold leader. Sarah is not someone who is afraid to do big things, or afraid to do things differently to get results, and her record shows she gets results.
In the end, if you don’t read another book this year, you should read Going Rogue. This book is a pure joy to read, and you will find yourself not wanting to put it down. You will find Sarah to be likable, and inspiring. After all, this is a woman who was literally raised in a log cabin on the rugged landscape of Alaska, who has become one of America’s brightest shining stars.
Going Rogue, like Sarah Palin herself, is a real American treasure.
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