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teokajlibroj's review against another edition
3.0
The amount of research and private information in this book is amazing, but the authors fall down in how they use it. Entire chapters are devoted to people who never even ran while a handful of pages are given to people like Bachmann and Cain who had a much bigger impact. Ron Paul gets a single sentence. It was also seriously unbalanced, taking 200 pages to get to the Iowa vote while rushing the actual Presidential race itself.
There is also the bizarre thing that not a single reference is made to policies or ideas in the entire book. Instead the book reads like a gossip column detailing who said what about who. The is a complete absence of analysis and review and the media, ordinary people and everything else outside the campaign bubble gets hardly any mention. Its like the authors watched The West Wing and thought that politics was solely comprised of backroom gossip. There is also the silly nicknames the authors give everyone.
There is also the bizarre thing that not a single reference is made to policies or ideas in the entire book. Instead the book reads like a gossip column detailing who said what about who. The is a complete absence of analysis and review and the media, ordinary people and everything else outside the campaign bubble gets hardly any mention. Its like the authors watched The West Wing and thought that politics was solely comprised of backroom gossip. There is also the silly nicknames the authors give everyone.
bobednj's review against another edition
4.0
Well researched. Learned many things I did not already know, but in the end the election was not very close, making the book a little less exciting than Game Change. Did not know Rick Perry was haing severe back problems during the time he could not remember which government departments he wanted to eliminate (oops!)j.
dobbydoo22's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely seemed to be a step down in quality from 'Game Change.'
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this follow up to Game Change. It continues the review of the election cycle and contains the same intelligent writing, which is drafted with research, care and a readability, which is not often found in non-fiction writing.
Unlike non fiction books which follow the Devil in the White City format of fictionalized non-fiction, this book still feels like non-fiction. It develops characters, but not in a fictionalized style. The writing is crisp and you know that the characters are real, but you also understand that they are human in a fictionalized format, based upon the political arena they inhabit.
I will say that I learned less this time around. It was not as mind blowing to read some of the material. I think this is linked more to the news cycle and my TV watching than to the actual writing, or quality of research.
If you are interested in a flawed system, in flawed people and in the way we think and don't think about actions, I'd read this book.
Unlike non fiction books which follow the Devil in the White City format of fictionalized non-fiction, this book still feels like non-fiction. It develops characters, but not in a fictionalized style. The writing is crisp and you know that the characters are real, but you also understand that they are human in a fictionalized format, based upon the political arena they inhabit.
I will say that I learned less this time around. It was not as mind blowing to read some of the material. I think this is linked more to the news cycle and my TV watching than to the actual writing, or quality of research.
If you are interested in a flawed system, in flawed people and in the way we think and don't think about actions, I'd read this book.
stevenyenzer's review against another edition
4.0
Exciting, fast-paced, and salacious. Hampering and Heilemann have an ear for details that invest political reporting with a novel-like suspense. I didn't have the same problem as others did with the style; while the authors sometimes used oddly esoteric vocabulary, it was sporadic enough not to bother me.
eliaszuniga's review against another edition
4.0
Double Down is actually a fairly interesting book. Not for the gossip, but for the insights it gives into the race for the highest office of the land. Halperin paints vivid portraits of Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and, surprisingly, Bill Clinton. I was most impressed by his chapters on the presidential debates; Halperin is good at explaining Romney's mastery of the first debate, and Obama's disastrous showing. Finally, his portrayal of Chris Christie as an arrogant bully is more than timely, given his current troubles. (For example, Christie refused to let Mitt Romney raise funds in the entire state of New Jersey until Christie officially endorsed him, a power play without precedent.)
I do wish the book would've been a little heavier on analysis, but admittedly it doesn't aspire to be that. Still, if you're a political junkie like me, it's definitely worth a read. 4/5 stars.
I do wish the book would've been a little heavier on analysis, but admittedly it doesn't aspire to be that. Still, if you're a political junkie like me, it's definitely worth a read. 4/5 stars.
wanderlustqueen's review against another edition
3.0
very well written and a fascinating read, but the authors' phrasing is sometimes bizarre to the point of distraction from the storyline.
mergito's review against another edition
2.0
Nowhere near as much fun as Game Change 2008, without Hillary or Sarah Palin.
ktredshoes's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, like eating a bucket of popcorn at the movies