Game Change

Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime

By: John Heilemann, Mark Halperin

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

"This shit would be really interesting if we weren't in the middle of it."--Barack Obama, September 2008

In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rise and historic triumph of Barack Obama.... The shocking fall of the House of Clinton - and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world.... The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin.

But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines has yet been told. In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country's leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. How did Obama convince himself that, despite the thinness of his résumé, he could somehow beat the odds to become the nation's first African-American president? How did the tumultuous relationship between the Clintons shape - and warp - Hillary's supposedly unstoppable bid? What was behind her husband's furious outbursts and devastating political miscalculations? Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate? And was Palin merely painfully out of her depth - or troubled in more serious ways?

Game Change answers those questions and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. This is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel.

©2010 John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (P)2010 HarperAudio

One Of My Favorites

I bought this book on a whim after it was featured by Leo Laporte on a couple of his netcasts and after seeing it listed on the main page of the Audible website. (Yes that was a while ago, but I am a tad slow to write reviews).

I would like to first point out that I am extremely non-political and normally uninterested in all things politics, but few can disagree with the significance of the first African-American president.

I truly enjoyed listening to this book and learned more then I ever would have normally cared to or believed to have been possible from an audio book. I felt that the narrator did a wonderful job and listening was easy and enjoyable. The authors laid out a lot of information on the Clintons and others whom I've know but knew little about.

I would easily recommend to all.

Truly Fair and Balanced

This book very well summarizes the Obama/Biden, Edwards, Clinton and McCain/Palin campaigns warts and all. It's nice to see truly fair and balanced information in the historical record of this campaign. Highly recommended for any news junkie, politico, historian, or journalist who really wants the inside scoop of the 2008 elections.

Instant Classic

From start to finish this was an incredibly exciting peak behind the curtain of the most significant election in the nation's history. Game Change is an inside the circle of power account of how to choose the leader of the free world and simultaneously how to destroy the credibility and reputation of a national hero. The only thing bigger than the egos of the key players in this story are the stakes they are all vying for, the Presidency of the United States and all the power and responsibilities that come with it. Easily the best book of the year and worthy of Pulitzer consideration.

Shows what the politicians are like

Interesting reading. Gives a good look at the people who would lead this country. It shows that in most cases they will lie, exagerate, cheat and mislead the american public to gain positions of power. Before reading this book, I felt that they all were a pack of thieves in the pockets of special interest groups. Now I am more convinced then ever

Great Entertainment

Now that we know the outcome, this connects a lot of the dots that were in question. As avidly as I followed the 'Race', I was surprised at how much is revealed in retrospect. This is an interesting book that is revealing and doesn't hurt anyone.

Great insight into a fascinating election

I have been following John Heilemann since I saw him on Real Time with Bill Maher last year. I appreciate his work, and Game Change lived up to all my expectations. The election was fascinating, viewed through the mass media lens. It is ten times more fascinating viewed through the eyes of the people that are on the bus, in the meetings, and rubbing shoulders with the candidates.

5++++ Stars

I enjoyed every minute of this book. The cast of characters is amazing. I had thought the media had covered everything there was to know about the candidates, and there wasn't more to know. But Heilemann and Halperin expose their human side, as well as that of their spouses and their campaign staffs. Fascinating! Engrossing! Sorry that I've finished the book - but I'm pretty sure that I'll listen to it again in another month or two and still learn new things.

graham

Enjoyed every bit from start to finish.
a handful of jaw dropping incidents exposed that will change so many myths.
Did not want it to end

Great Narrator

I'm not a person who likes politics. I would say I probably will never read this book but I love this audiobook. It's narrated in a very intriguing way such that people who like to listen to stories would love this book.

Game Change (Unabridged) is a winner

I could not stop listening. This book gives listeners an exciting behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the 2008 Presidential Race.
A fascinating book.