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Product Description
Review
“A smoking new book. . . . The real revelation in Game Change: Campaigns turn our politicians into lunatics.” (Tina Brown, The Daily Beast )
“Heilemann and Halperin have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign. . . . It vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused Obama’s opponents to self-destruct.” (Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review )
“A thoroughly researched, well-paced and occasionally very amusing read. . . . The result is something that conveys the feel, or perhaps more accurately the smell, of one of recent history’s most thrilling elections, and it does so better than any of the other books already on the market.” (The Economist )
“I can’t put down this book!” (Stephen Colbert )
“Compulsively readable. Once begun, you can’t put it down. . . . Deeply and knowledgeably reported and presented with all the cool sophistication one would expect from two accomplished political reporters.” (Tim Rutten, The Los Angeles Times )
“Riveting, definitive. . . . A great campaign book. . . . Halperin and Heilemann got insiders to cough up astonishing artifacts, including emails and recordings. . . . Game Change is really interesting, and puts you deep in the middle of it.” (Kurt Andersen, Very Short List )
“The hottest book in the country.” (The Associated Press )
“Everybody talked. Anybody that tells you they didn’t is lying to you.” (A former top Clinton aide, to Politico’s Ben Smith )
“The best presidential political book since What it Takes by Richard Ben Cramer and Teddy White’s books. These are the types of books that got me into politics.” (Joe Scarborough )
“An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.” (Soledad O’Brien on Larry King Live )
“You’ve got to read Game Change. . . . I read each and every word. . . . Game Change is a great book.” (Don Imus )
“A fascinating account. . . . Heilemann and Halperin serve up a spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations. . . . Game Change leaves the reader with a vivid, visceral sense of the campaign and a keen understanding of the paradoxes and contingencies of history.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times )
“Riveting. . . . Its pages brim with scandalous tidbits. . . . This is a must-read for anyone interested in the cutthroat backroom hows and whys of a presidential campaign. . . . And it doesn’t hurt that Game Change reads more bodice-ripper than Beltway.” (Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly )
“The authors of Game Change succeed in creating a plausible account of the emotional tumult of the 2008 campaign as it might have been—perhaps even was—experienced by the candidates, their spouses, and their staffs.” (Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker )
“An amazing piece of work. . . . One of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22. . . . An absolutely gripping read . . . they can write.” (Clive Crook, The Financial Times )
“Heilemann and Halperin have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign. . . . It vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused Obama’s opponents to self-destruct.” (Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review )
“A thoroughly researched, well-paced and occasionally very amusing read. . . . The result is something that conveys the feel, or perhaps more accurately the smell, of one of recent history’s most thrilling elections, and it does so better than any of the other books already on the market.” (The Economist )
“I can’t put down this book!” (Stephen Colbert )
“Compulsively readable. Once begun, you can’t put it down. . . . Deeply and knowledgeably reported and presented with all the cool sophistication one would expect from two accomplished political reporters.” (Tim Rutten, The Los Angeles Times )
“Riveting, definitive. . . . A great campaign book. . . . Halperin and Heilemann got insiders to cough up astonishing artifacts, including emails and recordings. . . . Game Change is really interesting, and puts you deep in the middle of it.” (Kurt Andersen, Very Short List )
“The hottest book in the country.” (The Associated Press )
“Everybody talked. Anybody that tells you they didn’t is lying to you.” (A former top Clinton aide, to Politico’s Ben Smith )
“The best presidential political book since What it Takes by Richard Ben Cramer and Teddy White’s books. These are the types of books that got me into politics.” (Joe Scarborough )
“An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.” (Soledad O’Brien on Larry King Live )
“You’ve got to read Game Change. . . . I read each and every word. . . . Game Change is a great book.” (Don Imus )
“A fascinating account. . . . Heilemann and Halperin serve up a spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations. . . . Game Change leaves the reader with a vivid, visceral sense of the campaign and a keen understanding of the paradoxes and contingencies of history.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times )
“Riveting. . . . Its pages brim with scandalous tidbits. . . . This is a must-read for anyone interested in the cutthroat backroom hows and whys of a presidential campaign. . . . And it doesn’t hurt that Game Change reads more bodice-ripper than Beltway.” (Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly )
“The authors of Game Change succeed in creating a plausible account of the emotional tumult of the 2008 campaign as it might have been—perhaps even was—experienced by the candidates, their spouses, and their staffs.” (Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker )
“An amazing piece of work. . . . One of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22. . . . An absolutely gripping read . . . they can write.” (Clive Crook, The Financial Times )
Book Description
In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of Barack Obama. The shocking fall of the House of Clinton—and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines had been told—until now.
In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel.
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Most helpful customer reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating view of Presidential politics,
By
This review is from: Game Change: Obama and the Clintons McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime (Hardcover)
John Heilemann and Mark Halperin are two "insider" political reporters who have used their tremendous access to the 2008 presidential candidates from both sides to tell some really interesting stories. I will say that as a factual document, this book is probably 4 stars because there's a lot of hearsay rather than documented truth. I gave it five stars because it's actually a really interesting read, even if some of it is rumor. I think it probably does a really good job of capturing the manic fever that goes along with a US presidential election. Certainly, it reveals some details that are a little surprising. The main characters are:The Edwards- Of course, John Edwards is now infamous for cheating on his wife. What we didn't know was that his wife was very abusive towards his husband in private. Her verbal tirades are certainly shocking, and beg the question of whether they were the cause or effect of the transgressions (i.e., did she drive him away, or did she know about a history of transgressions we don't?). The Clintons- Bill was a really loose cannon who his wife admitted she couldn't control. It almost seemed to me like he was jealous of Obama for getting his old job back, whereas with his wife, he could've probably exerted greater influence on the White House. Bill takes a good chunk of the blame for ruining her "sure thing". The McCains- Another wife who might not have been as supportive as she seemed (possibly cheating on the side). I respected McCain prior to the election as being a straight-shooter, a war hero, and a moderate Republican. This book reveals that in some ways, this campaign warped those attributes as he progressively cashed in more and more of himself and his values in a bid to win the presidency. Sarah Palin- Which leads to Sarah. She really was as bad as we thought and worse. I got a chuckle of out some staff some staff members assigned to Sarah Palin by the McCain campaign suggesting she was mentally unstable. Yet it's undeniable that she has some charisma and certainly is able to attract huge amounts of media attention. What's really scary isn't that she turfed his campaign, but that she may have actually helped it with the end result being her as VP! Biden- Joe was viewed with caution, as his proclivity for gaffs was well known. Still, compared to some of the others in this book, he comes off relatively well. Obama- Finally, this book talks about how Obama was able to manage his public image, which is much more calm than his apparent personal behavior. His appeals to Hillary to join him were genuine and almost felt desperate (which means he was smart enough to recognize her importance in sealing the deal). So there you have it. There's lots more juicy tidbits in this book (including Senator Harry Reid's racist comments about Obama), but I'll leave them for you to find out. All in all, this was an entertaining look inside presidential politics, and even if half of it is true, it makes for one heck of a story. Jerry Springer could easily make a few shows out of the material in this book as the truth is better than fiction!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inside track,
By
This review is from: Game Change: Obama and the Clintons McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime (Hardcover)
Political books are usually either highly personal revisionsas of history, or a highly personal agendas for the future.As a result they tend to be for existing fans or the author, rather than neutrals and potential converts. For the non-fans they aren't much fun. This book is different in that is doesn't seek to rewrite either that past of the future, merely to reveal the story of the 2008 election from the inside. The public face of the campaign is one thing, but we all know that there is always stuff going on behind the scenes that would delight, appal, shock and entertain. This book tells these stories using privileged access and a healthy dose of cynicism to add much color to what was already a fascinating tale. If you have ever said, 'I wish I had been a fly on the wall at that moment,' then this is the book to buy. It doesn't have the most private moments, but it does have very real access to the hearts of the campaigns. Well written, fast-paced, and genuinely insightful, this is a treasure for the partisan and non-partisan alike. Highly recommended. Five stars.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Guilty pleasure,
By
This review is from: Game Change: Obama and the Clintons McCain and Palin and the Race of a Lifetime (Hardcover)
I'm a sucker for this kind of inside look at U.S. politics. Admittedly, the stuff is quite gossipy but it gives real insight into the personalities and a backroom look at the reasons people were behaving as they were during the fascinating 2008 presidential election cycle. There was one very curious oversight though. In dealing with the process for the Democratic nomination the authors did not deal with the schmozzle over seating the MIchigan and Florida delegates. The way the party handled that put the nail in Clinton's campaign and it was given no mention. Good read, though you feel a little guilty for enjoying it so much.
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