A mere five days after Confidence Men sees the NZ release of a political book of an entirely different nature. The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin is marketed as an investigative chronicle but has been characterised by advance reviews as “a gossipy tale”, “the embodiment of the hatchet job”, and “a sketchily sourced compendium of low blows and inconsistent accusations.”
McGinniss has a long history in this kind of personal journalism, having previously authored The Selling of the President 1968, a hugely successful account of Richard Nixon’s marketing campaign during the 1968 presidential campaign. However where that was acclaimed as a classic of political journalism, The Rogue has so far unified critics in their dismissal of the book as a populist biography full of unsubstantiated rumours and conspiracy theories.
The Rogue includes a variety of salacious allegations, involving sex, drugs, and even bad parenting! While Sarah Palin the Presidential candidate might be worried about such an expose, that scenario is looking less and less likely. Meanwhile the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad press speaks volumes, and Sarah Palin the media star goes from strength to strength.
The Rogue doesn’t look set to go down as a great in the pantheon of political writing, but it might make an easy and fun read for those particularly interested in the all-encompassing cultural behemoth that is Sarah Palin.