Books that Rock the Vote

It's midterm madness for #97

Nov 06, 2022

Real talk: being a political candidate must suuuuck.

Not being an actual elected official, although that’s probably not easy either, but at least you’re theoretically trying to do good things for people? But being a candidate? Ugh. I mean, I guess some people love that particular cocktail of spotlight + begging for votes/donations + verbal dodging and weaving + constant attacks on your character, but I guess some people like grapefruit, too. I just can’t understand it.

I don’t even like running as exercise, much less a political process. Fun fact, in high school, I was nominated for the prom court, and there was an honest-to-god VOTING SCANDAL which resulted in one girl being sent home from school in complete hysterics. I absolutely don’t have the stomach to be out there, y’all! I don’t have the cholesterol!

Why aren’t more books set in and around political campaigns, though? Sure, there are biographies of America’s forefathers, virtually all by the preposterously prolific Doris Kearns Goodwin, none of which I’ve read. And every modern candidate has their manifesto-masquerading-as-a-book, like - I can read the transcript of your stump speech, okay? But as a setting, it feels like an untapped dramatic center.

In honor of this week’s US midterm madness (though UK has its share, so don’t get smug), enjoy some selections involving campaigns and elected officials. Note: I’ve read neither Election by Tom Perrotta nor All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, and boy, wouldn’t those have made sense to talk about here?

Nevertheless, like our fragile democracy, we soldier on because the alternative is unthinkable and I like to think there’s valor in the effort. Let me know any great suggestions in the comments. And Americans - thanks for voting. You’re heroes, and we will get through this together the way humans always have - by looking out for each other.

Don’t the Obama years feel like ten lifetimes ago? Becoming is such a best-selling book that I’ve never thought to recommend it. But for the four of you who never read it - it’s an exemplar of the (celebrity) memoir. A few things are great about it:

It’s frank: Particularly about her childhood, her thoughts, and her relationship with Barack. It feels a little more guarded during the White House years, but what an incredible lens into a reluctant First Lady and the grind of the campaign trail.
It’s well written: kudos to MO and whatever uncredited team of ghostwriters, because it’s exceedingly readable.
It’s specific: so many memoirs just you “and then this happened, and then this happened, etc”, but Becoming does a terrific job of bringing moments to vivid life, whether it’s her childhood, her first days meeting Barack, or the night that the Supreme Court let gay marriage stand.

Note: lamb ratings are not about quality of book, but about comfort level. Find out here!

The President’s Daughter, a YA book from 1984 (and not the one by Bill Clinton) probably shaped my writing and verbal stylings as much any other input. It was an indelible part of my formative years.

Power summary: 16-year-old Meghan Powers’s mother is running for President.

That’s all you need to know. Yes, it’s YA in plot but it has a mature tone and writing style; it always felt like an adult book written about a 16-year-old. (I mean, LOOK AT THIS COVER!) The parents are as well shaded as the protagonist, and the mother-daughter tension is beautifully, empathetically realized. It’s not a comedy but there are witty, sarcastic flourishes throughout the dialogue. And the tension, the awkwardness, the absolute abnormality of living under the microscope as a White House family is so well rendered.

You thought I was going to bring up Red, White and Royal Blue AGAIN, didn’t you? Mais non! Even though that fits perfectly into this theme. Instead, my suggestion for a sexy, funny political fairy tale rom-com is Party of Two.

Power summary: Olivia Monroe moves to LA to start her own law firm and happens to meet a handsome stranger at a hotel bar. When he turns out to be a popular senator, how will she handle the attention that comes with a high-profile relationship while still maintaining her own identity?

Generally speaking, Jasmine Guillory has the perfect light touch for this genre - clever dialogue, fun characters, strong protagonists, charming idiosyncracies, and a clear sense of place that really grounds her novels in reality. (Although, you can skip her latest, Drunk on Love, you’re welcome.) Half of you would never read this kind of book and the other half will love it, so sort yourselves accordingly.

Let’s Not Do That Again is a perfect entry for this week’s theme, plus a compelling satire/romance/family drama.

Power summary: Nick Harrison swears off the campaign life until his mother, a Senatorial candidate on the eve of an important election, enlists him to rescue his sister who’s been caught lobbing Molotov cocktails into a fancy restaurant. They need to find Greta and save the campaign before it’s too late.

While a fun read, this novel is darker and less idealistic than the premise would lead you to believe, which is one of the reasons it’s interesting. The resolution left me with more questions than answers about what we will sacrifice for what we think is the greater good.

Curtis Sittenfeld found her milieu in imagining the thoughts and alternate paths of women, and I’m here for it. Both Rodham (which I enjoyed and wrote about before) and American Wife, a fictionalized telling of a Laura Bush-type, are excellent portraits that try to understand what could have been, and what was, with modern political players.

In American Wife, we’re confronted with a mysterious First Lady whose inner life belies the thoughts she artfully conceals from her husband, his powerful family, and the American people. in order to be a “good girl.” Compare this to Rodham, in which the protagonist is a flawed, outspoken, and engaged actor in her life. They’re almost mirror images of each other, The First Lady and the Woman Candidate, with both of them making morally murky choices to pursue what drives them.

Final thoughts:

Almost every link goes to bookshop.org, which supports indie bookstores and where you can find most of my past recommendations. The President’s Daughter is not at Bookshop.org and not at my local library and therefore Amazon is an acceptable way to shop for books if you ask me which you really didn’t.
To find selections in many other genres, check out the archive.
Apologies, especially to Marc, for this being so long. Elections bring out the passion in me.