This book is a compilation of the weekly (or more frequent) articles written during the 2008 US primaries and presidential campaigns by Guy Rundle for Crikey, an Australian on-line daily (M-F) newpaper. As a Crikey subscriber, I read most of these articles as they appeared in my inbox, and enjoyed their description of a US phenomenon, as seen by a smart, knowledgeable and savvy Australian journo (that's Australian for journalist). My son gave me the book for Christmas, so I read the whole series again, sitting in the sweet warm air of Margaret River, while the frozen US prepared for Obama's inauguration. What a great read it is - for Australians, for others around the world who have been captivated by this amazing process and outcome, and for residents and natives of the US.
Australians will find the book a terrific introduction to the abstruse and complex process by which the US determines candidates for public office, and a blow by blow description of the 2008 election campaign. In addition, Australians will come to understand a great deal about the US - its society with its generosities and meannesses and complexities. Other readers, not from the USA, will find the book a very interesting read for similar reasons, though the Australian-centric references might be a very slight barrier for some matters to all but Kiwis. But for citizens of those US of A this book is a wonderful opportunity to understand at least a little why the rest of the world (yes, that's more or less all of it other than the 50 states) would still see Obama as a politician of the centre. Rundle has created in this book a mirror for Americans, one which shows the generosity of spirit and inherent goodness that is so evident when one meets Americans individually, but also one which places US politics and society into an international context, and in this context a key role for Government is to provide core services for citizens, and core services go beyond law and order to include health care, education and even (gasp) information and knowledge. Finally, the energetic writing is a joy to read. A great book, recommended to all. ( )