Going Rogue
America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag |
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Going Rogue: An American Life (2009) is a personal and political
The book became a
Writing process
The book deal was announced in May 2009 when Palin was still
Palin announced that although she would have a ghostwriter to help, she would be doing a lot of the writing herself, employing her journalism skills and the personal diaries and notes that she had kept throughout her life.[3] Critics questioned whether Palin could write a book.[6]
Responding to concerns that writing and promoting the book would interfere with her duties as governor, Palin said she would only work on the book after hours and would promote the book "schedule permitting".[3] The Alaska law department issued a legal opinion which okayed the project, stating: "A book publication project is compatible with your position as governor so long as it does not interfere with your official duties".[3]
Conservative journalist and author
Summary and themes
The first part of the book is devoted to Palin's life before the 2008 campaign; the second part details her life as a candidate for national office.[10] The book is written in a personal tone similar to Palin's manner of speaking. Palin discusses the disagreements she had with campaign advisers of her running mate John McCain, criticizes the national media, and talks about the importance of religion and family life.[11]
The "Going Rogue" part of the title refers to criticism leveled at Palin by McCain campaign advisers that she was straying from their carefully crafted message[10] and publicly disagreeing with McCain on several issues.[12] The subtitle, "An American Life", mirrors the title of President Ronald Reagan's 1990 autobiography.[13]
Palin ends the book by quoting her own father saying, "Sarah's not retreating, she's reloading.", suggesting she would return to public life.[10][14]
Commercial and critical reception
The book was available for pre-order between $9 and $10 during a price war among online retailers
Less than two weeks after its release, sales of the book exceeded the one million mark, putting it in a class with memoirs by Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.[2][17][18] The print run was extended to 2.8 million copies from 1.5 million.[2] Going Rogue attained sales of over 2.7 million by December 1, 2009,[19] and was number one on The New York Times' Best Seller list for six consecutive weeks.[20] As of January 21, 2010, it was #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list after 9 weeks in the Top 10.[21]
According to campaign records, late in 2009, Palin used $63,000 of donations from SarahPAC, her political action committee, to purchase copies of her book, "Going Rogue". The expenditures were listed as, "books for fundraising donor fulfillment". Meghan Stapleton, Palin's spokeswoman, stated the purchased books were autographed and awarded to donors contributing more than $100 to Palin's PAC.[22]
Analysis and reactions
A team of eleven reporters for the Associated Press challenged some of Palin's statements as factually incorrect, such as her assertions that she traveled frugally, avoided large campaign donors, was against the Wall Street bailouts of 2008, and entered politics for purely altruistic reasons. Their analysis concluded by speculating that the book was "a pre-campaign manifesto".[23] According to Fox News, an AP spokesman "confirmed 11 people worked on the story . . . but refused to say if similar number of journalists were assigned to review other political books, or if Palin has been treated differently".[24] Fox also reported "The (AP) organization did not review for accuracy recent books by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, then-Sen. Joe Biden, either book by Barack Obama released before he was president or autobiographies by Bill or Hillary Clinton."[24] Conservative talk show host John Ziegler objected to the AP piece, saying that the AP is extremely biased and "badly missing the most important points of Sarah Palin's book".[25]
The
Palin replied: "as is expected, the AP and a number of subsequent media outlets are erroneously reporting the contents of the book".[27]
Former McCain campaign aides "hit back", according to Politico, "calling the former vice presidential nominee's soon-to-be released book 'revisionist and self serving' 'fiction'."[28]
A representative for Katie Couric responded to the book's assertion that Couric had badgered Palin during their infamous 2008 interview by saying, "The interview speaks for itself".[29]
Reception
The book received a variety of reviews.
- Positive reviews
Conservative radio talk show host John Ziegler[30] praised Going Rogue as "the best book and greatest literary achievement by a political figure in my lifetime" and as showing honesty "the type of which can only come from someone incredibly courageous, grounded, and self-aware".[31] Republican radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh called the book "truly one of the more substantive policy books I've read".[32] Stanley Fish, writing for The New York Times Opinionator blog, explained that "while I wouldn't count myself a fan in the sense of being a supporter, I found [the book] compelling and very well done".[33]
- Mixed reviews
- Negative reviews
Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press said the book was "less the revealing autobiography of a straight-shooting maverick and more a lengthy campaign speech — more lipstick, less pit bull." Like other reviewers, Kennedy felt "Palin reserves most of her attacks for McCain's advisers."[37] Michael Carey of the Anchorage Daily News said "there is a big something missing from Palin's narrative: the voice of a leader".[38]
The
Book tour
Palin was interviewed in rapid succession by
In addition to the book tour, a web-based campaign directed ads for the book to people searching for Palin's name on Google. Palin also used her Facebook page (accessible to non-subscribers) to promote her book.[44]
Parodies
Going Rogue has inspired a number of parodies and satirical interpretations. Roy Edroso of the
South Park featured a parody of the book in the episode Dances With Smurfs called, Going Rogue on the Smurfs.[51] The website http://goingrogueindex.com leads to a proper-name index for Going Rogue (which was published without one)[52] that features satirical trappings, such as a photo collage of several historical figures quoted in the book, and an embedded German song that translates to "Madonna in Hell".[53]
The book
References in popular culture
The book and its surrounding promotion have been mentioned on late night comedy shows, including Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live![54] David Letterman had a recurring segment, "Things More Enjoyable than Reading the Sarah Palin Memoir", including such things as "getting run over by a lawnmower" and "driving into a tree".[55] On December 11, 2009, William Shatner read excerpts from the book on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien followed by Palin reading excerpts from Shatner's autobiography, Up Till Now.[56]
Additional works
Palin published a second book, America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag, in November 2010.[57]
References
- ^ Jennifer Schuessler (December 3, 2010). "Inside the List". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Associated Press (2009-12-01). "Sarah Palin Book Goes Platinum Former Vice Presidential Candidate's "Going Rogue" Joins the Ranks of Top Selling Political Memoirs by Obama and the Clintons". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05.
- ^ a b c d Cockerham, Sean (2009-05-12). "Palin signs deal for memoir to be published in 2010". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2009-07-13.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Cockerham, Sean (2009-10-27). "Palin's book retainer: $1.25 million (Updated)". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2010-01-21.
- ^ Weinman, Sarah (2009-11-10). "Sarah Palin's memoir: Why the math might not add up for HarperCollins". Daily Finance.
- ^ "Sarah Palin agrees to book deal with HarperCollins; memoir due out in spring of 2010". New York: Associated Press. 2009-05-13. Archived from the original on 2012-09-09.
- ^ a b Italie, Hillel (2009-09-28). "Palin finishes memoir, 'Going Rogue,' out Nov. 17". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Fitzpatrick, Laura (2009-10-07). "How Did Sarah Palin Write Her Memoir So Fast?". Time. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ^ Palin, Sarah. "Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ^ a b c d Kirkpatrick, Melanie (2009-11-16). "Book Review: 'Going Rogue': Her Side of the Story/ McCain aides kept her out of the loop, focusing instead on 'packaging". Bookshelf. The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2009-11-17.
- ^ Palin did not include an index at the back of the book. Indexes are standard fare in political books because "in Washington the real-life characters included in such books appreciate the ability to quickly check the back to find out where they're mentioned". Kehe, Marjorie (2009-11-12). "A sneak preview of Going Rogue". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2009-11-20. WebCite archive
- ^ Dickerson, John (2008-10-20). "Palin's Campaign vs. McCain's: When Sarah Palin disagrees with John McCain, it means something. Or does it?". Slate. Archived from the original on 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ Geier, Thom (2009-10-06). "Sarah Palin's new memoir: Gosh that subtitle sounds familiar". Shelf Life. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-12-24.
- ^ Dreher, Rod (November 17, 2009). "A Conservative Read On Palin's 'Going Rogue'". NPR. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ Rich, Motoko (2009-10-20). "In Book-Pricing Battle, How Low Can They Go?". The New York Times.
- ^ Calabrese, Dan (2009-09-30). "'Tough sell' Palin the biggest seller ever? Allow me to explain". North Star National. Archived from the original on 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Sarah Palin Tops New York Times Best Seller list with 'Going Rogue'". HispanicBusiness.com. 2009-12-09.
- ^ Reither, Andrea (2009-12-01). "Sarah Palin's 'Going Rogue' sells 1 million. How does it stack up to Barack and Billary's books?". The Dishrag. Zap2It Blog.
- ^ a b Wright, David; Sheila Evans; Andrew Miller (2009-12-01). "Sarah Palin Uses Private Jet Between Stops on Cross-Country Bus Tour to Promote Book". ABC News, Good Morning America. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. 2010-01-08.
- ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ^ Mosk, Matthew (February 1, 2010). "Sarah Palin Uses PAC to Buy Her Own Book". ABC News. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ^ Woodward, Calvin; Matt Apuzzo; Sharon Theimer; Tom Raum; Rita Beamish; Beth Fouhy; H. Josef Hebert; Justin D. Pritchard; Garance Burke; Dan Joling; Lewis Shain (2009-11-14). "Palin's book goes rogue on some facts". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
- ^ a b "AP Turns Heads for Devoting 11 Reporters to Palin Book 'Fact Check'" By Robert Shaffer FOXNews.com November 18, 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
- ^ Ziegler, John (2009-11-12). "AP Blows it in Palin Book Analysis". Mediaite.
- ^ Dunn, Geoffrey (2009-11-13). "The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue". The Huffington Post.
- ^ Palin, Sarah (2009-11-15). "Really? Still Making Things Up?". Sarah Palin's Notes. Facebook.
- ^ Barr, Andy; Martin, Jonathan (2009-11-14). "McCain camp: Palin account 'all fiction'". The Politico.
- ^ Ward, Kate (2009-11-16). "Sarah Palin Book: Rep for Alec Baldwin and Katie Couric Responds to 'Going Rogue'". Hollywood Insider. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20.
- ^ Woodham, Scott (2009-11-16). "Palin pre-release reviews". Alaska Dispatch.
- ^ Ziegler, John (2009-11-17). "John Ziegler's Review of Going Rogue". Mediaite.
- ^ Costa, Robert (2009-11-13). "Limbaugh: 'Rogue' Is 'Truly One of the Most Substantive Policy Books I've Read'". National Review. Archived from the original on 2009-11-18.
- ^ Fish, Stanley (2009-12-07). "Sarah Palin Is Coming to Town". The New York Times.
- ^ Kakutani, Michiko (2009-11-14). "Memoir Is Palin's Payback to McCain Campaign". The New York Times.
- ^ Continetti, Matthew (2009-11-16). "Will Sarah Palin's 'Rogue' tactics work? On the right: Unapologetic look at '08 race proves she's still a national contender". The Washington Post.
- ^ Jordan, Tina (2009-11-17). "Sarah Palin's 'Going Rogue': The EW Review". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Kennedy, Mark (2009-11-16). "Review: Sarah Palin's memoir a mostly tame affair". The San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press.
- ^ Carey, Michael (2009-11-18). "Sarah Palin's lack of leadership shows in 'Going Rogue'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Stein, Sam; Shapiro, Lila (2009-11-13). "Sarah Palin "Going Rogue": Takes Aim at McCain Campaign". Huffington Post.
- ^ Frank, Thomas (2009-11-17). "The Persecution of Sarah Palin Her memoir is full of vindictiveness and score-settling". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ CBS Staff Writer (2009-11-14). "Palin "Vindictiveness" in Her New Book?". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2009-11-16.
- ^ a b Fernandez, Maria Elena (2009-11-16). "Sarah Palin will dish on Oprah". Show Tracker. Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Walsh, Kenneth T. (2009-11-16). "Do's and Don'ts for Sarah Palin's Book Tour". US News.
- ^ a b Wallsten, Peter (2009-11-14). "Palin's Book Tour Builds on Effective Web Strategy". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Tipton, Tori; Palsha, Rebecca (2009-11-13). "'Going Rogue' defies conventional wisdom about Sarah Palin". KTUU. Archived from the original on 2009-11-19.
- ^ O'Toole, James (2009-11-22). "Palin fans turn out in droves for autograph session". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ Lutey, Tom (2009-12-08). "Fans meet Palin, get coveted autograph in the book". Billings Gazette.
- ^ Edros, Roy (2009-11-12). "Exclusive: 6 Hot Excerpts from Sarah Palin's Going Rogue!". Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2009-11-15.
- ^ Frank, TA (2009-11-15). "Sarah Palin's Going Rogue – uncut". London: Guardian UK. WebCite archive
- ^ Lowman, Stephen (2009-11-06). "Going Rouge': The Sarah Palin coloring book". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2012-09-29.
- ^ "South Park Season 13 Episode 13:Watch Dances With Smurfs Online". TV.SpreadIt.org. Archived from the original on 2009-11-14.
- ^ Kehe, Marjorie (2009-11-12). "A sneak preview of "Going Rogue"". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2009-11-20. WebCite archive
- ^ Maddow, Rachel (2009-11-19). "Holy Mackerel Stories". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02.
- ^ "Funnies: Oprah and Palin Go Hunting". ABC News. 2009-11-15. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Leo, Alex (2009-10-13). "Letterman's 'Things More Fun Than Reading The Sarah Palin Memoir'". Huffington Post.
- ^ "Palin makes surprise appearance on 'Tonight Show'". Associated Press. 2009-12-11. Archived from the original on 2009-12-14.
- ^ Italie, Hillel (2010-05-12). "Sarah Palin's book, 'America By Heart,' out Nov. 23". USA Today.
External links
- Sarah Palin page at HarperCollins Publishers
- James, Randy (2009-11-17). "Sarah Palin's Going Rogue: The Early Reviews Are In". Time. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009.
- Sarah and Her Tribe Jonathan Raban review of Going Rogue from The New York Review of Books
- Amazon.com's book reviews and description
- Barnes & Noble's editorial reviews and overview
- OnTheIssues.org's book review and excerpts