Political Books - Page 11

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Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning success of his latest novel, Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson has quickly become the voice of a generation. In this now-classic thriller, he and fellow author J. Frederick George tell a shocking tale with an all-too plausible premise.

There's no way William A. Cozzano can lose the upcoming presidential election. He's a likable midwestern governor with one insidious advantage—an advantage provided by a shadowy group of backers. A biochip implanted in his head hardwires him to a computerized polling system. The mood of the electorate is channeled directly into his brain. Forget issues. Forget policy. Cozzano is more than the perfect candidate. He's a special effect.

“Complex, entertaining, frequently funny."—Publishers Weekly

“Qualifies as the sleeper of the year, the rare kind of science-fiction thriller that evokes genuine laughter while simultaneously keeping the level of suspense cranked to the max."— San Diego Union-Tribune
“A Manchurian Candidate for the computer age.” —Seattle Weekly

Condor One

John Simpson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Contrived and Convoluted 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Six weeks before the General Election, Democrat David Windsor does not deny his homosexual orientation when questioned by his opponent. He is determined to be as honest as possible with the people. He wins and is quickly targeted by radical groups.

Luckily, the Secret Service knows how to do its job--and Windsor has a chance to fulfill his campaign promises.

While the concept of a gay President is not as far-fetched as we might think, I felt that this fact really did nothing for the story until it came to a B.S. climax. The story kept my interest, but I was still too distracted by glaring errors...perhaps typos that the editor ignored--maybe not.

The main story is jammed into an unrealistic two-week period. There is strong lack of character development. Seventy-five percent of the tale has President Windsor giving long speeches to other characters. Then 2 percent involves erotica. The rest is convoluted political reactions--with President Windsor acting much like how he described George Bush.

"Condor One" is a good concept without the payoff.

Editorial Review:

The Democratic Party's 2012 nominee for President, David J. Windsor, and America are equally shocked when he is outted by his opponent just six weeks before the Fall election. Following his heart, David chooses honesty over media spin and overcomes the obstacle to win the election. Despite that success, dark forces around the world begin to plot against him, and President Windsor's security is a must. Inside and outside the White House, Secret Service Agent Shane Thompson becomes the President's shadow, always present and silent, ever vigilant. As the two men grow closer, Shane does far more than just his duty - he becomes as vital to David's happiness as he is to the President's health. Together they realize they must find a way to balance the President and the Agent against David and Shane before stress and responsibility tear them apart.

Measuring the World: A Novel (Vintage)

Daniel Kehlmann

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I do not know what to make of this book... 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This book wants to be a historical novel, a novel based on biography of two of the greatest minds who lived in 19th century German lands. It is neither. It is a boring and shallow narrative with tidbits of biographical information. Having read Alexander von Humboldt's and Gauss' works in original and in translation, I can say with certainty that this book is not written to celebrate their accomplishments. Rather, it seems to mock their genius for the purpose of entertaining the reader. That's shallow at best.

If you are interested in Alexander von Humboldt's work and travels, read "Personal Narrative", "Island of Cuba", "Cosmos" or excellent accounts of his contribution: "Humboldt's Cosmos" and "The Humboldt Current". There is an excellent paperback edition of "Alexander von Humboldt - a metabiography" by Nicolaas A. Rupke which is an easy read. Same goes for Gauss. Read his works, instead of this bastardized "biography" which presents both men as if they were idiots who stumbled through life for the lack of anything better to do.

Possibly the best source is yet to be translated to English: "Aus meinem Leben" published by C.H.Beck Verlag. This book consists of Humboldt's own letters, notes and remarks, commented and collected by Kurt Biermann. I wish Kehlmann had the chance to read this book before unleashing his "Measuring of the World."

If I could give a negative number of stars, I would. Thankfully, there are other sources which are based on factual information, have depth (imagine that) and are a joy to read.

Update: After listening to this book on audio, I am now convinced that it is a complete waste of time. Minus five stars. Maybe the author will enlighten us one day on his sources and inspiration for this book.

Editorial Review:

Measuring the World marks the debut of a glorious new talent on the international scene. Young Austrian writer Daniel Kehlmann’s brilliant comic novel revolves around the meeting of two colossal geniuses of the Enlightenment.

Late in the eighteenth century, two young Germans set out to measure the world. One of them, the aristocratic naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, negotiates jungles, voyages down the Orinoco River, tastes poisons, climbs the highest mountain known to man, counts head lice, and explores and measures every cave and hill he comes across. The other, the reclusive and barely socialized mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, can prove that space is curved without leaving his home. Terrifyingly famous and wildly eccentric, these two polar opposites finally meet in Berlin in 1828, and are immediately embroiled in the turmoil of the post-Napolean world.

Right Turns: Unconventional Lessons from a Controversial Life

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Nationally syndicated talk-radio host and noted film critic Michael Medved has taken an extraordinary journey from liberal activist to outspoken conservative. Along the way he has earned millions of admirers—and more than his share of enemies—by advancing controversial, often counterintuitive arguments, including:

• Liberals love losing because it makes them feel virtuous
• America isn’t normal—it’s bizarrely blessed
• Hollywood has lost touch with America—and punishes people who point that out
• Conservatives are both happier and nicer than liberals
• Talk radio is a source of hope, not hatred
• Business isn’t exploitative—it’s heroic
• There is no such thing as “planned parenthood”
• A more Christian America is good for the Jews
• Do-it-yourself conservatism provides the only cure for save-the-world liberalism

In the candid, electrifying Right Turns, Medved chronicles the adventures that taught him these and many other lessons—the startling events that propelled him from Vietnam protest leader to optimistic promoter of American patriotism, from secularism to religion, from adventurous single guy to doting husband and father. In the process he skewers leftist orthodoxy, revealing why the Right is right and why his former colleagues on the Left remain hopelessly wrong on every cultural, political, and social issue.

Medved enters today’s ideological fray armed with experience as, among many other things, a campaign aide for radical Democrats, a minority recruiter for police departments, a Hollywood screenwriter, a Bobby Kennedy volunteer, a teacher at religious schools, a world-champion hitchhiker, an expert on bad movies, and a veteran TV host on PBS and a British network—who declines to own a TV himself.

Medved relishes the contradictions behind the high-profile controversies in which he’s played a leading role—as a prominent movie reviewer who attacked the film industry in a bestselling book, as an observant Jew whose radio show is a favorite with evangelical Christians, as a writer once designated the “Bard of the Baby Boomers” who now expresses contempt for his generation’s arrogant indulgence, and as a fearless battler who has sought advice from both Rush Limbaugh and Hillary Clinton and has given advice to both Mel Gibson and Barbra Streisand.

Right Turns displays the slashing argument and disarming wit that have made Medved’s radio program America’s number one show on politics and pop culture.


From the Hardcover edition.

No Way to Treat a First Lady: A Novel

Christopher Buckley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Buckley eviscerates a certain presidential power couple 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a riot. The ever delightful Buckley details what happens when philandering President Ken MacMann (not based on any recent presidents) dies after being hit by a silver Paul Revere spittoon thrown by edgy, lawyer First Lady Beth Tyler MacMann (bearing no resemblance to any recent first ladies) after being caught sneaking back into their White House bedroom at 2:30 a.m. from the Lincoln Bedroom, where he was building a bridge to 21st century Hollywood donations with actress, singer, activist and serial Lincoln bedroom visitor Babette Van Anka. (She's not based on any real characters, either.)

As he's found dead in the morning, his forehead bearing the reverse imprint "Revere" where the spittoon hit him, Beth MacMann is charged with assassinating her husband. She turns to the nation's top trial lawyer, Shameless Boyce, who also happens to be the fiance she dumped to marry MacMann a quarter century before in law school.

In the ensuing Trial of the Millenium. Boyce successfully chips away the government's case, until his client insists on testifying - to rehabilitate her image so that she can later run for office - and all hell breaks loose.

If you ever suffered from either Clinton or OJ fatigue (or, likely, both), you won't be able to put down this delicious satire. With the finest of literary scalpels, Buckley eviscerates politicians, TV-trial commentators, spin managers, jury analysts, Hollywood activists, preening superlawyers and mostly the once and seemingly future occupants of the White House.

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Elizabeth Tyler MacMann, the ambitious First Lady of the United States (and known in the tabloids as “Lady Bethmac”), is on trial for the death of her philandering husband, and the only man who can save her is the boyfriend she jilted in law school—now the most shameless defense attorney in America. Published to rave reviews, No Way to Treat a First Lady is a hilariously warped love story for our time set in the funniest place in America: Washington, D.C.

Red Rabbit (Jack Ryan)

Tom Clancy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 613 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Hubris at its finest 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Jack Ryan's evolution has followed that of the author. In the earlier books Jack Ryan was a well intentioned, if reluctant, hero who had a simple rubric for determining right from wrong. As Tom Clancy has "evolved" from a fiction writer to a "personality" we have seen Jack Ryan go from a simple CIA analyst to President of the free world. Along the way he became a foul mouthed, boorish individual who bases his decisions on Catholic doctrine and conservative dogma. I guess this is what happens when the author thinks people actually care what he thinks. This reader doesn't.

The saddest thing about this book is the depiction of Cathy Ryan. She once was depicted as a classy lady. Now she is a nasty individual who would easy (and fairly) characterized by the use of the "b" or "c" word. The only good thing about the book is her character disappeared half way through. It was one half too many.

My days of feeding Clancy's ego are over. He can get rich off other people who think what he says is important. He should take some lessons from John Grisham and build baseball fields in needy communities. And most importantly, keep his opinions to himself.

Editorial Review:

Jack Ryan's first days with the CIA may be the Pope's last days alive.

Grass Roots (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)

Stuart Woods

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Grisham-like Drama with Left-leaning Political Overtones 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

In Grass Root, Woods produces a novel that John Grisham must have taken cues from. While it is nowhere near as good as any Grisham novel, it is a fairly enjoyable read.

We are unfortunately forced to learn too much about Woods' left-leaning politics however. His characterization about republicans and conservatives as described by the senatorial candidate Calhoun is grossly unfair. Depicting Calhoun (the republican candidate) as a KKK-sympathizing fundamentalist religious hypocrite borders on Michael Moore type propaganda. In the novel, Will Lee's campain speach before his rival's church congregation sounds like a replay of a Ted Kennedy tyrade. This story in this novel tends to follow that of the 1986 senate election of Wyche Fowler in Georgia - a career politician who served one term in the senate. The political climate is the same - democrats ruled the roost.

Despite that this novel preceded the Grisham successes, Woods could learn from Grisham's lack of bias and overt political declarations. Grisham's political candidates are rarely identified with parties and his true political leanings are seldom revealed. With Woods, nothing is left to the imagination.

Editorial Review:

Will Lee has returned to his roots to kick off his campaign for the Senate. A prominent lawyer, he has come back to his hometown of Delano, Georgia, to plan his strategies, and to argue an explosively controversial case that could seriously damage his fledgling political career. For Delano is a town with a dark secret -- a smoldering hotbed of racial hatred and moral outrage, held in the thrall of a sinister group called The Elect. Its violent, evil forces will stop at nothing to keep the candidate out of office. But Will Lee isn't about to back down, even though it may cost him his career -- and his life.

Man in the Middle

Brian Haig

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Little Plot 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Excessive wordiness and too much like a history lesson in why to fight any war. America has gone into many wars unprepared and with our belief in our own self-worth. Why should this one, Iraq, be any different? I was expecting a mystery/thriller and got neither.

Okay for a winter's eve 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

When the snow flies I like to curl up in front of the fire with an interesting book, and this year I discovered Brian Haig.

Haig's premises and settings are interesting: a career Army operative becomes an attorney due to injury and always seems to be up a level on the bad guys and the situations he runs into.

My snowy ventures took me thru all of Haig's books and none disappointed until I came to Man in the Middle. I really shouldn't say it was a disappointment, but perhaps a bit more tedious than I thought necessary. Haig has a nice touch of incorporating a bit of law, a bit of history, s plausible situation, and enough sex and sarcasim to keep you turning the pages. Man in the Middle, however, stuck me as being written by an author who had something he wanted to get off of his chest.

Passages of the book tended to bog down in details while others clearly expressed Haig's views on the war in Irag. The book is certainly readable, but I'm glad I read this one last Start with his first, and work your way to this one. I think he's a good author, but likely wouldn't have look forward to any of his other writings if this had been my first exposure to him.

Editorial Review:

Dispatched to investigate the suicide of one of D.C.'s most influential defense officials--an ardent, early supporter of the war in Iraq--Drummond and his female partner find themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war between Washington's most influential power brokers and his own personal allegiance to the soldiers dying overseas. What he uncovers are the secrets that led to the war, secrets that once exposed would destroy public support and undermine the presidency. Now, Drummond faces the greatest moral quandry of his life: What is the true meaning of patriotism?

American Savior: A Novel of Divine Politics

Roland Merullo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 57 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What if Jesus suddenly appeared and announced that he planned to run for President of the United States? Yes, that Jesus. And what if a well-meaning but utterly inexperienced band of disciples not only helped him mount a seat-of-the-pants campaign but also ran it well, getting millions of people to support him and in the process throwing the other two major party candidates—as well as the world's news media—into a frenzy as they scramble to discredit him?

Roland Merullo's bitingly clever satirical novel about the state of American politics follows one man's campaign to bring back goodness and kindness (real goodness and kindness this time) in a country that has fallen into a divisive state of fear and hatred. Merullo takes us into the heart of "a nation in grave spiritual danger" as the Son of man sets out to make everyone realize that "politics as usual" is no longer an acceptable alternative.

American Savior is a remarkably innovative novel that challenges our perceptions and beliefs while it wags a finger at the folly of our self-righteousness. It is sure to cause controversy among those for whom politics itself has become a kind of religion.

Stephen Coonts' Deep Black: Jihad (Wheeler Large Print Book Series)

Stephen Coonts, Jim DeFelice

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A great find 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Techno thrillers are pretty much a guy thing. It is also surprisingly subjective. For example, I do not like the Clancy books, and I hate the W.E.B. Griffen books. However, the Coonts series of Deep Black books has struck a cord in me, and I devour them. There is just the right blend of plot, character, and technology, to ring true for me.
I like the fact that we blow away Arabs and muslims, something they all richly deserve. Mr. Coonts just needs to write many more of this series.

Editorial Review:

The word’s most effective anti-terrorist force has the tools to monitor every move the enemy makes. They’ve planted a listening device inside a terrorist’s skull, and activated a video spy drone disguised as a bird. But knowing is only half the battle…
 
Multi-lingual, nerves-of-steel agents Charlie Dean, Lia DeFrancesca, and Tommy Karr prowl the winding streets of Istanbul to the crowded airports of America to stop terrorists in their tracks. Hooked into a real-time, high-tech system, this army of three goes head-to-head with the most dangerous people in the world. 
  
Al Qaeda is launching a series of devastating attacks against the West—and the ultimate strike is aimed at the heart of the USA! In a war where both sides operate in deep disguise, Deep Black must fight a world where betrayal, trust, faith, and doubt collide….