“And I can see Russia from my house!” Ever since Tina Fey uttered those words on “Saturday Night Live,” looking irrefutably like a Sarah Palin clone, America has never been the same. Palin and her counterpart may have lost the 2008 presidential election, but unfortunately that didn’t cause her to slink away with her tail between her legs. Instead, the self-proclaimed “maverick” hockey mom has stayed at the forefront of the American media, releasing a book and becoming a commentator for Fox News.
Determined to disprove some of the many, many false statements Palin has made and unbelievable actions she has taken, two editors from The Nation, Richard Kim and Betsy Reed, recently released their own work of nonfiction, “Going Rouge: An American Nightmare.” At first glance, this book looks remarkably like Palin’s personal literary contribution, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” Everything, from the cover to the title, easily passes for its conservative counterpart. While the introduction in “Going Rouge” claims the title similarities were mere coincidence, there is no doubting the editors’ tongue-in-cheek intentions behind choosing the epithet.
Beyond the title and graphic design choices, though, there are no other similarities to speak of between the two books. “Going Rouge” is a collection of works by a number of noted journalists and bloggers, pointing out the many flaws in the well-crafted persona Palin seeks to exude. Organized into chapters, the lexicon explores the rise and fall of Palin, from her effect on feminism and the Republican party, to her collection of somewhat amusing but incomprehensible comments (referred to as Palinisms). Her track record as mayor and governor of Alaska is examined, as well as Sen. John McCain camp’s reasoning for choosing her as his running mate.
“Going Rouge” will surely be labeled as a form of liberal backlash by conservative Palin supporters. But it should be noted that Palin’s own direct quotes are used to point out the inconsistencies in her policies and ideologies. An entire chapter, entitled Palintology, is simply a compilation of quotes and a fact-vs.-fiction section. The publication is not merely a collection of opinions but rather a hybridization of opinions and solid facts.
The fact that there are so many voices present in “Going Rouge” is refreshing. There are many writers who take a moderate stance, some who attack her wholeheartedly and yet more who take a loathsome perspective on the American public for not only allowing someone so unqualified for the job to get so far but for touting her as a breath of fresh air. Some readers won’t always agree with everything written (that’s politics, after all), but the work does present an overwhelming amount of indisputable facts that do not present Palin in a positive light.
The major downside to this piece of political commentary is that there is a great deal of repetition. The evidence speaks for itself, so it seems unnecessary to continually talk about how Palin can “field dress a moose.” While the structure of the book, with many pieces written by a variety of authors, lends itself to some amount of redundancy, it’s likely only political die-hards will stay engaged right up to the very last page.
Rating: W W W
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