A Book Review from My Wife

Hello All. This is Eric’s wife, and he has asked me to do a guest blog about Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue, An American Life. Let me first say that I love Sarah Palin. I love how ambitious she is, how dedicated she is to her family, but most of all, I love an underdog. Although I don’t agree with all of her political views, I love that she is a conservative woman who is not an elitist. She is the very essence of what conservatisms should be and I respect that she sticks to her guns and does not falter.

I can remember the day John McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be his running mate. I spoke to Eric on the phone and told him it was a colossal mistake. However, as the months drug on and I learned more and more about Sarah, mostly through the liberal looking glass, I began to find something in her that I respected and wanted to know more about. As such, when I heard that she was releasing a memoir, I immediately logged onto Amazon and pre-ordered myself a copy. I had high hopes for her book, but I am not sure those high hopes were met. Don’t misunderstand, I believe her book to be an excellent representation of who she is, but at the same time, she was on the defensive for a good amount of the book and I found that off-putting.

She discusses many of her experiences working her way up the ladder in Alaska politics and at the same time being a mother. There is no doubt she had a lot on her plate, but she loved the challenge and worked hard at everything she promised to do. She was very conscientious of finances and waste while she was Mayor of Alaska and reduced the budget, including her own salary as Mayor, dramatically. She stuck to her beliefs and did not waiver. She also spoke of her stint as Governor of Alaska and how that gig had to come to an end following her Vice Presidential run because of unfounded ethics complaints that were costing Alaska, her home and the state she loves, too much money. However, she also spent a good portion of the first pages of her book discussing the troubles she had with individuals in her cabin and how she was constantly struggling against a political wall. I found this information interesting, but have to admit that I became bored and began to skip pages.

Sarah also discussed her family and the many trials she has been through on that front. I personally find this sort of information intriguing and did not skip a single page. Sarah is an avid running and quite concerned with fitness. As anyone who has seen her knows, she is very fit and takes care of herself. She speaks about her life growing up in Alaska and her courtship with her husband Todd. She is also quite candid with the reader about her pregnancy with Tripp, her some with Downs Syndrome, and the trials she went through when she found out about his special need. When speaking to these issues, she seems very down to earth and friendly.

Finally, after many pages of discussing her political past and her family, Sarah speaks about her experience with the campaign. There are many juicy details, including her calling out some campaign staffers by name and stating their sins for the public to see. I can understand that she probably felt so beaten up by the end of the campaign, leaving a bad taste her mouth, so she used her book to rid herself of that bad taste. Taking what she represents in the book at face value, I cannot blame her for that. It is her time to speak, since she explains how she was silenced through the entire campaign, and she is not holding back. However, the most telling aspect of the book, in my opinion, is the fact that Sarah did not once speak badly about John McCain directly. She does criticize the campaign and how it was run, but she never once says anything negative about the man who moved her career forward at lightning speed. I believe this to be the best representation of who Sarah is and the respect that she has for the political process. I would not be the least bit surprised to see Sarah Palin throw her hat into the ring in 2012 and I would be even less surprised to see her giving her acceptance speech on election night. I hope it happens.

So there you have it. I recommend the book if you have any interest in getting to know more about Sarah and her life, but I doubt this book will go down in history as one of the greats. I understand many people don’t like Sarah Palin because of her political views. However, I would implore you to respect Sarah Palin as a person and read her words directly without the filter of the media and then make your own decision. I know my opinion is different having read her book, and yours might be as well.