"Sarah"

After the news of John McCain picking Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate, the country has been roaring over this selection. As one would expect, publishers, in light of her popularity with voters and with America in general, were quick to release anything and everything on the politician.

One such publication is "Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down" by Kaylene Johnson. The book is, well, short. And it should be. It was released just weeks after the suprised announcement of the McCain campaign. It is well researched, but quick and easy. There are a number of pictures, a lot of quotations from interviews and news articles, and written in a way that is easy to read, easy to follow, and straight to the point.

And for good reason: I doubt that the author was prepared to write an indepth book on the vp candidate as if she, or anyone, knew that she was going to be chosen. According to the "in" crowd, Palin was not on the shortlist. I doubt that people were getting ready with the research done to release books and the rest on her. She was a surprise to say the least, and it is obvious that this is a book that was put together fairly quickly. However, it's content is good, it's research is thorough, and overall, the book is good.

I am a fan of Palin for a number reasons. I will not elaborate here. One thing that was clear about Palin's approach to politics after reading this book was that she couldn't care less what others think about her, including her party. She would much rather loose an election end her career than to act like the typical politician in our day. She seems to really want to reform government wherever she is.

Furthermore, it is clear that to Palin, her family is more important than her job. And I have great respect for that. The author mentions the story when Palin had Vice-President Dick Cheney on the phone, then someone else called on a different phone, and then one of her kids came in asking her a question, immediately the mother of five put everyone on hold and focused on her child. Now that is what I wish more politicians were more about.

Overall, this is a good book. It is short and gives a great overview of her entire life up to her annoucing that she was running with John McCain in this year's Presidential election. However, I look forward to another book that is more thorough, a little deeper, and has had more time to prepare. But in the meantime, I recommend this book.