Women

Folksy, homespun Sarah at her best, presenting herself as a likeable, common-folk individual with common-sense values. She presents herself as a Reagan Republican, someone interested not in the big government, but as one who believes in self-reliance and in doing the right thing for the right people and the right reasons.

She seems to play the "victim" at times, trying to offset bad perspectives from the presidential campaign. There's plenty of blame for campaign strategists, esp. McCain's lead guys, and complaints about media distortions, liberal bias, and bias by omission. But if she's asked about what publications she reads to stay current on national policies and foreign policy, and can't come up with an answer, that really isn't the fault of the media. In a presidential election, stakes are high, and preparation is mandatory. But to some extent, she's probably right, the media does often seem to want to create controversy. Also, the public did seem to want to learn more about her experience, or lack of it, when considering her for national office. Saying you can see Russia from parts of Alaska isn't the answer the media, or the nation, was going to consider as strong foreign policy experience. It's not unfair. And I don't think the media "omitted" to explain the $100,000 wardrobe issue, as she states. I certainly read that it wasn't she who ordered the clothes, but was the RNC, and that the clothes were returned. I understood that before I read her book. So some of the whining she did sounded more like a complaint about any media outlet that wasn't Republican friendly such as Fox news.

The book is probably successful in its intent, carefully crafted to present Sarah as someone likeable enough so that those who think her background, training and experience is too limited for the significantly more burdensome challenges of higher office may well disregard all that and say, "what the heck, she can't do much worse than the standard male politician". But parts of the book seemed to be stolen from the handbook of the ideal American, embellishing her story to the point that I just couldn't buy into it all. I still haven't found anyone else in real life with comparable claims of their first childhood memories of going to school of being proud to learn to recite the Pledge of Aliegance, and then have her recite it in the audiobook version of the book.



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This book was ghostwritten to promote Palin's political career. You already know if you'll like it or not. ( )

Disappointing in regard to revelations of much of anything new - but the book did help me make a decision that while Sarah may have some important things to say (things that should be paid attention to by Americans and the news media without name-calling or immediate dismissal or ridicule), I most likely would not support her as a presidential candidate ( )

Very well written an informative. I see this as Palin's Doctrine. ( )