Going Rogue audiobook

I'm sure we all wouldn't be surprised if conservatives give this book a 5 and liberals a 1. Having said that, I contend I am conservative through and through. So it might not be a surprise that I gave the book 4 stars. Before you just suppose it is because of my political leanings, let me explain:I had no idea who Sarah Palin was when she gave her speech at the GOP convention. I was impressed and was intrigued by her. She seemed a lot like me: mom of many and pretty down to earth. I also liked what values she espoused. Then, the campaign took flight and my opinion of Sarah went downhill. The Katie Couric interview was not good. Then I read all over the net and on the news about her 'issues': pregnant daughter, new baby, wardrobe extravagance, troopergate, banning books, etc. You all remember. My opinion of the lady at this point was not high. I tried to weed through rumors, and realized many were not correct. Still I wasn't sure she was 'national office' material. I was totally surprised when she resigned as governor. I was surprised that the woman who wanted to become our next VP was 'giving up' on her current job. I was disappointed, too. In my mind, if you are elected into office, your campaign is your pledge to serve your constituents, come hell or high water. Maybe the pundits were right and she wasn't ready for higher office?Still my curiosity drove me to put the book on hold at the library- after 2 months I got it last week.I give the book 4 stars because I couldn't put it down (that's my 4 star criteria). Sarah was articulate and to the point. Even funny. More importantly, I got to hear, from her perspective, what all the fuss/controversy was about. Regardless of race or gender, you've got to admire a person who works their way up- after all there are only 50 governors of the 300+ million people in America- so her story isn't common at all. I felt totally enlightened about how things ran on the campaign trail and the back stories behind all the 'scandals.' I definitely respect the lady a lot more now. I've almost forgiven her from resiging from office. I think I am a bit more disgusted with politics in general too. And the media, definitely disgusted with the biased media.I recommend the book if you are curious about her and want to hear her side (it is definitely all her side)- especially since most of the media are hard-core Palin bashers. If you aren't offended by the conservative propoganda (it's definitely all over), you'll learn a lot about the political process. You might even come to respect the lady like you did after her speech at the GOP National Convention. Just don't picture SNL skits and you might like her again.

I was drawn to Sarah Palin’s GOING ROGUE: AN AMERICAN LIFE because I was interested in finding out the true story behind the apparent buffoon the media loved to hate during the 2008 presidential campaign.Admittedly, I have never hitherto read a political autobiography, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I found the book both interesting and illuminating.The first part of the book describes her personal life and antecedents. We see her as a high school athlete, and we see her working on a commercial fishing boat and at similar jobs. For much of their marriage, her husband Todd worked on the North Slope and at other jobs simultaneously to support the Palin’s growing family.Meeting the members of her extended clan and understanding what they actually did and who they were helped put what followed into perspective.After two terms on the Wasilla City Council, she was elected mayor and used her considerable personal and people skills to rid the city of inefficiency and corruption.As governor of Alaska, she defied the party bosses to get rid of corrupt legislators (most of them Republican). Always energetic and independent, she stood up to the oil companies and won, and she slashed large amounts of pork from the state budget. She even reduced her own salary, gave back the state-provided car on the grounds that she already owned one, and unlike her predecessors, stayed in modest hotels.In her campaign to become Vice President, her very strengths worked against her. Fiercely independent, she was now at the bidding of party operatives, who often disagreed amongst themselves and who often told her nothing at all. She was criticized for going “off-script” when their was no script, the absence of which left her feeling free to say what she thought, even though sincerity is not often a valued quality in politics.When she was preparing to debate Joe Biden, for instance, she was handed a large stack of 5X8 index cards with a question on the front and six or eight evasive “nonanswers” on the back. As McCain staffers grilled her on the questions, she was at times criticized for giving the wrong one of the possible answers, even though the staffers had written them themselves.She also readily admits that she messed up. One big mistake was that she let it show when she was getting annoyed if the same interviewer asked her the same question 20 times in a row, or when she unexpectedly had back-to-back-to-back interviews. When she would appear on the news, only the silly or inarticulate parts would appear, and all the rest would be tubed.I assume that Sarah Palin didn’t write GOING ROGUE any more than John F. Kennedy wrote PROFILES IN COURAGE. (In the acknowledgements, she thanks the woman who helped her in “getting the words on paper,” which could mean anything.) Nonetheless, the style is straightforward and the ideas are expressed in plain language that any reader can understand, just as I imagine Palin’s own style would be.I’m not naïve, but to me the book exudes sincerity. Are all the “facts” strictly true? Got me, but I am inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. Naturally, every political autobiographer wants to put his best foot forward, and other participants might tell the story differently, but I see no reason not to, provisionally at least, take her at her word.Despite her weaknesses, I’m convinced that Sarah Palin is the American patriot she says she is, and I recommend this book to anyone open-minded enough to want to hear the other side of the story.

I was compelled to get and read the book because I knew Sarah in college. In fact we had the same major and completed the Broadcast Journalism program at the University of Idaho at the same time. She had also visited my church and college youth group. There are many reviews on this book already. And almost all of them seem to bring their preconceived notions to the table. What a NON-shock to find that liberal newspapers call it "trailer park trash". What further NON-shock to find that most conservative media outlets praise the book a "brazen and refreshing." What most reviews seem to miss is the deep effect her writing will have on its readers. This book is likely to serve as the full for the "T.E.A. Party movement." Governor Palin, is just an average American. She got to where she is by just becoming active in activities she was passionate about. Her work will cause people to get involved.What critics read as hypocrisy, I believe average Americans will read as honest sharing and find it inspirational. An example of this is Sarah's writing about the personal turmoil she (as a pro-life advocate) felt when she found out she was pregnant with a downs syndrome baby. It is not hypocritical to question ones own beliefs or to reason with yourself about the consequences of following your principles.Honest and good hearted people do this all the time.The deepest criticism is that Sarah doesn't address some of our current cultural topics (War in Iraq, President Bush or Obama policies, Free Trade, and Immigration) but she does cover energy policies quite nicely. So read the book and give consideration to her viewpoints.

I don't understand why so many people hate this woman. I admit that I like her - even more now that I've read this memoir. I learned things I never knew about Palin: how she got scholarship money to go to school, how she suffered a miscarriage, how she eloped, how she entered public service, how she believes so strongly in the "what" she believes. And she's a smart cookie, too. Her plain-speak may come across as dumb or simple. She's neither. But she wasn't ready to catapulted upon the National stage when McCain picked her as his running mate. This is her answer to her detractors and enemies. Going Rogue: An American Life is her story.

So I’ve been reading “Going Rogue” so you don’t have to.About a quarter in, Palin shares her thought process in deciding if to run for Governor of Alaska. At one point she seeks counsel from a friend, Rich Halford, a quiet and deeply thoughtful former State Senate president and quintessential Alaskan: an outdoorsman and private pilot.What advice does such a deeply thoughtful outdoorsy Senator give to the nascent Palin?He asks her, “Do you remember the story of David and the five stones?”“You have the five stones. You have the right positions on ethics, on energy, on government’s appropriate role. It’s an out-of-the-box idea and you won’t get the establishment support, but I think you should run for governor. Our state is ready for change.”For those keeping track at home, the five stones are:1. Ethics2. Energy3. Government’s appropriate rollI am encountering many bizarre and amusing things about Sarah Palin by reading her book Going Rogue.For instance, she eloped. She and Todd even had to “recruit” seniors from the old folk’s home across the street to be their witnesses, focusing on those in wheelchairs who could be easily transported to the courthouse.And the reason she named her son Tad? Because it is a combination of her husband, Todd, and her other son, Track. But is Tad a combination of Todd and Track? Wouldn’t that be Tradd? Or Tock? Certainly not Tad…But some anecdotes are more misleading and disheartening than taking liberties with language conflation or taking advantage of the elderly.Recalling her run for Alaska Governor, Palin recalls, “Every part of our campaign shouted ‘Change!’…A change from emphasizing politics to emphasizing people. A change from smooth talk to straight talk – even then.“We were amused a couple of years later when Barack Obama – one of whose senior advisers (come to think of it) had roots in Alaska – adopted the same theme. Kris and I joked about it; ‘Hey! We were change when change wasn’t cool!’”Please dear readers, correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t it the McCain campaign that utilized the theme “Straight Talk Express?”How could Sarah Palin confuse such a thing? It was her campaign!Palin harbors a significant grudge about the c-word. Relating her experience immediately after the announcement of her joining the McCain ticket she explains, “It struck me as ironic that the Obama campaign had captured the theme of change. I’d always run on a platform of change, and I quickly wondered how I could start interjecting that ‘We were change when change wasn’t cool’ theme.”It strikes me as ironic that Palin is so bitter about Change. Sore loser? Change is politics 101, right up there with being against crime and pro-children.Though I am not quite finished, I have formulated several different opinions about Sarah Palin while reading Going Rogue.One is this: I like Sarah Palin.But I also judge people by the company they keep and Sarah Palin was too quickly co-opted by the Republican machine. She would have been much better off had she chosen to serve our country as a leader like Ralph Nader or Ron Paul. Maybe it’s not too late.Another snap judgment: Sarah Palin is naive. Hopefully, was. She reacts to every negative experience with shock and disappointment. Again, I like Sarah Palin. She is gritty and real. She is experienced and successful. She is practical and endearing. But what kind of magical world is Alaska? Do the bears snuggle with the salmon? Do oilmen scrub themselves clean after a hard day’s work with the exfoliating effervescence of North Slope clouds?Yes, politics is dirty. There is media distortion. Special interest spin. Government lies. People are selfish. There is abuse, collusion, and manipulation. Going Rogue grows quite tiresome as Sarah Palin spends paragraph after paragraph expressing passive-aggressive surprise at the culture around her but acknowledging none of the valid inquiry into her own behavior.And then there are the parts in Going Rogue that make it even easier to dislike Sarah Palin:“In Alaska, we view change a bit differently. For example, wildfires in the Lower 48 are often treated as natural disasters. Up here, we often let them burn, knowing that from fire-blackened lands new growth will spring.”You’ll have to excuse us, Sarah, but yes, we pretentious, out-of-touch, pinko-commie-hippies down here in the Lower 48 prefer to have our fires extinguished. Because we have something down here that we don’t want to burn:OUR HOUSES!It’s where we keep our stuff.Sarah Palin spends a significant amount of time in Going Rogue bemoaning the misleading manipulation perpetrated against her by the media.It’s difficult to resist such tactics when she gives us these gems:“One morning, I was showering when Bexie knocked on the door. ‘Rick Warren’s on the phone again,’ she called out. ‘He’s been trying to track you down and has called twice.’“She handed me the phone in the shower, and I turned off the water so it wouldn’t be so obvious where I was standing. The well-known author and pastor shared some encouraging words, then offered to pray right then for strength during the campaign. I said, absolutely! Pray away! I would never turn down prayer even with limited hours in a campaign day, standing in a few inches of water with a shower curtain for a wardrobe. You do what you’ve got to do.”Absolutely! Pray away!I have really enjoyed reading Going Rogue. In much the same way I enjoyed high school. It was instructive and a bit bizarre and I wouldn’t want to do it again.I wouldn’t wish such a reading experience on any of you. Because Sarah Palin is painfully naive, obtuse, and annoying. Even though this memoir was certainly heavily edited, if not completely ghostwritten, there is no escaping Sarah’s charm. Charm like a sandpaper turd.What I have enjoyed most about reading this book is telling people that I am reading it and quoting from it: “We had turned the idea of commercializing our natural gas for Alaska’s economic future from pipe dream to pipeline.”Yee haw!And am I the only one who knows what rogue means???1 : VAGRANT, TRAMP2 : a dishonest or worthless person : SCOUNDREL3 : a mischievous person : SCAMP4 : a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave5 : an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variationSo sure, Sarah, you go rogue. Go real rogue.Our concern with Sarah Palin is that she is clearly not going away anytime soon. A Ross Perot she is not. She confirms this in her Acknowledgments: “Next time, the focus will not be on me.”Next time?!?!???Focus will not be on you? Good luck.Because Sarah Palin spends 403 pages ranting and raving about publicity, unwanted attention, smear campaigns, ethics inquiries, freedom of information requests, invasion of privacy, and then once she retires as Governor of Alaska, observes this: “We did not expect the wall-to-wall national coverage that exploded over the next week.”Really?Be honest.Tell me the truth.You really didn’t expect that?Okay, well then you’re an idiot, Sarah Palin.“One ought to recognize that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting at the verbal end. If you simplify your English, you are freed from the worst follies of orthodoxy.” – George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language,” 1946Our dear Sarah Palin has recently committed some amusing linguistic gaffes via Twitter. I only know about it because even a big, stinky Palin bowel movement is newsworthy these days. But also because I agree with Mr. Orwell and pay attention to how my nation’s (supposed (elected)) leaders (and popular figures) use language.(Their words tend to be indicative of their thoughts.)First, Palin used refudiate instead of repudiate. Then had the gall, not to simply giggle, apologize, and correct herself, but to compare herself to Shakespeare and remind all of us simpletons that English is a living language.Golly gee.Then she used cackle instead of gaggle.These are all understandable blunders. Just the other day I conflated “goodbye” with “later” and ended up telling a friend, “Glater!”These things happen.But with Sarah Palin they happen frequently and with a disappointing focus on being clear, concise, and correct. But most of all honest. And sincere.This poor command of diction is no surprise however to those close to her who fear she may be suffering from a debilitating relapse into the confusing and tormenting world of a Salvia addiction.

In ‘Going Rogue: An American Life‘ by Sarah Palin, do you find an American life, to be sure; a mother’s story, no doubt; an outlet to tell her side of the story, without question.This was a very encouraging read. Even for those who oppose her opinions, her politics, or even her decision to step down from her position as Governor of Alaska, there is little doubt that anyone could say this was not written in ‘optimistic’ mode.Some people are just born seeing the glass as half full. Sarah Palin is one of these people. Each chapter if filled with wit and humor and stubborn optimism leaving me to think if I had not known the gender of the writer (and having the mother references removed), I would have thought Ronald Reagan wrote this book.She begins by describing where she was when the call came from John McCain informing her she had been chosen to as his Presidential running mate in the 2008 election. She was at the Alaskan State Fair with two of her four children in tow.What follows is an honest, authentic view of what she recalls during the years that led up to that moment and the whirlwind ride that was to become her brief but memorable trek alongside John McCain in the Presidential campaign.I am not sure I would have selected this book had it not been on the ECPA bestsellers list; still I am glad I did. I cannot remember reading such an idealistic, uplifting book (especially from a politician).Though I do not line up verbatim with her middle of the road approach to politics, I found her views respectable and doable in many ways.If I were asked what the core problem with the campaign was, I would have to respond by saying “Sometimes you can be so accommodating with your opponents, you leave the door wide open for either side to pounce.” Such was the case with this campaign.Sarah Palin writes exceptionally well with great command of the dynamics of the language. This is, of course, is to be expected as she’d dreamed of being a journalist at one time. Coupled with her down to earth blue collar view of politics, she writes of her family, her friends and her life with genuineness not often found from politicians.There were several portions where she admits errors and also exposed attacks. She corrected the record on many things providing the reader with her views. Again, I am glad I read it as I would certainly never had heard these from the mainstream media.Is this an evangelical book? Is it one that details and promotes the cause of Christ and Christianity? Sarah Palin does reference her faith often. She describes her salvation experience and many times of prayer. Her faith is displayed in many of the decisions she recounts, but I would not call this an evangelical book.I would recommend this book to anyone who would care to read the ‘rest of the story’ and from the participants point of view, but I would caution the read that it does contain some foul language, not vulgarity, but several bad choices.

Sarah Palin can write rather well, it was obvious that she was always interested in writing, and keep journals throughout her life. Her descriptions of life in Alaska are what made the book especially enjoyable and appealing, I learned alot about how life in "The Last Frontier" is different from that in the lower 48, and how it is similiar. I wish there was more about the history of Alaska, and life in Alaska. I didn't realize, for example,or never stopped to think about how big Alaska is (1/3 the size of the continental US), or how long it takes to fly from one part of the state to another (at least 4 hours). It is especially informative as to the Alaskan pipeline and Alaska's store of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. She certainly brought about alot of effective change in the short period of time she was governor while giving birth to a Down's syndrome child, supporting her daughter who gave birth while still in high school, supporting her husband who was on the slopes a good part of the year, giving up some of the personal staff in the govenor's mansion (a cook, for example), and running for VP of the US - all in the same year! One certainly has to respect her for that.The rest of the book seemed to be her answer to all the attacks by the media while running for VP, and certainly she had more than her share, and was at times attacked unfairly. She spends alot of time justifying what she did and said while campaigning, blaming campaign headquarters, and answering her critics. One has to ask, where was John McCain during all this - after all, this was his campaign. While I can understand her position, and admire her for restraining from attacking or even mentioning Levi by name, I still can't help wondering why she left her position as governor, and why she is writing the book. Did she think the attacks would stop once she left? Have they? Or has she brought about a new series of investigations or charges? I guess now she can devote all her time to defending herself (without affecting the time she needed to spend on Alaska as governor) and she has the money from the sale of the book to do this now. Plus, she can test the waters, chart her path for the future, and keep her name in the spotlight. When does book #2 come out?

Where I don't agree with this woman politically, I have to admit this a well written book and fun to read.

Surprisingly, I found that Sarah Palin is a very articulate woman. She writes her story well - she does admit it was a painful exercise. I may not agree with all of her political views, but she shows good common sense. Thank you, Sarah, for letting us see the real you.

Very insightful and enjoyable read about the magnetic and super phenomenon that is Sarah Palin. This book is well written, intricately woven with enough personal details to give the reader a sense of who she is and what makes her tick. A little self-indulgent? Some may argue that is the case here. However, I don’t blame her for trying to defend every nook and cranny of her very publicly-mocked life. The media has had her under heavy surveillance, scrutinizing every aspect of her life....hardly leaving any rock left unturned. Someone had to set the record straight, and it sure wasn’t going to be Mr. Leg-thrill himself, Chris Matthews. Palin had a right to some vindication. If I had teams of reporters and hackers sent clear to my state to dig up dirt, create frivolous lawsuits, and make mountains out of molehills, I’d be on the defensive too.Defending her family and personal stances was cleverly done with a sort of “by the way, here are the facts” sort of attitude. It’s not griping; it’s stating facts. It was also nice to actually learn of her many accomplishments. It seemed that the press was too busy worrying about who the real mother of her special-needs child is or her wardrobe than to busy themselves with actually looking at her impressive record.Sarah has a great sense of humor, able to laugh at herself and her missteps (which yes, she openly admits). This book gave an honest look into her life, and I enjoyed the personal touches she gave that allowed greater insight into how she became “Sarahcuda”. Palin is as real as it gets. She is genuine and down-to-earth. She is normal; HUMAN. Like any other average Joe, she has ups and downs, big decisions, stress, precious moments, and ones that rip your heart out. She is certainly not your typical elitist politician, handed everything on a silver platter. No. Sarah had to do everything the hard way–the American way–which is to work for everything she wanted from the ground up. She epitomizes the American Dream. Rather than fill her autobiography with BS or a facade of sunshine and lollipops, she keeps it real.I’m still trying to figure out why the Left hate her so. Is it her frequent references to God and religion? Is it her pro-life stance? Maybe it’s the fact that such a beautiful woman who seems to have it all is so successful in the conservative movement. Whatever it is, she is obviously not a “nothing” they proclaim her to be. Why else bother to tear her down?I’m stumped as to how they find Ms Palin green or “inexperienced”. Yet these same people have no problem with Obama’s mere handful of days in the Senate and fluffy resume as a community organizer. I’d say her two-term experience as mayor and couple of years as governor of a very large and diverse state trump anything our current POTUS claims to have accomplished.I also find it interesting that 11 AP reporters were summoned to comb through the contents of this book, only to turn up with ZERO fallacies. Funny that not one AP reporter was asked to do the same with Hillary Clinton’s book, nor either of Barack Obama’s, nor Edward Kennedy, etc. Proof positive that yes, the lame-stream media is in fact biased and vengeful. (Hey. How about expending that much energy investigating the 2000 page health care monstrosity going through Congress right now? Or questioning our Commander-in-Chief’s horrendous decision to bring the 9/11 masterminds for trial in NYC? Just a thought.....)The criticisms of Palin are unfounded. The facts speak for themselves. The abuse and vitriol tossed at her and her family are repugnant, probably the worst ever seen in American history. I understand why Palin had to step down from her responsibilities as governor. I respect her decision to put family and state first, rather than love of title, power, and fame. She is first class and above the cut of the majority of politicians across the globe. I certainly hope to see her in the public arena again. Like she quotes her father: “Sarah’s not retreating; she is reloading.” God speed Sarah.