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	===Analysis and reactions===		===Analysis and reactions===
	A fact check article by the '']'' called into question a number of statements made in the book, such as Palin's claims of frugality, her avoidance of large campaign donors, her understanding of and previous position on the financial bailouts of 2008, her characterization of the 1980s recession and the tax environment of that period, issues related to competitive bidding in the ] infrastructure, hypocrisy in her criticism of the previous administration in Alaska, flip-flopping on her response to the 2008 Supreme Court ruling on the ], and misconstruing Alaska's dependence on federal aid. Woodward questioned the book's repeated claims of Palin's altruism, stating that the book "has all the characteristics of a pre-campaign manifesto, the requisite autobiography of the future candidate."<ref>{{cite news\|		A fact check article by the '']'' called into question a number of statements made in the book, such as Palin's claims of frugality, her avoidance of large campaign donors, her understanding of and previous position on the financial bailouts of 2008, her characterization of the 1980s recession and the tax environment of that period, issues related to competitive bidding in the ] infrastructure, hypocrisy in her criticism of the previous administration in Alaska, flip-flopping on her response to the 2008 Supreme Court ruling on the ], and misconstruing Alaska's dependence on federal aid. Woodward questioned the book's repeated claims of Palin's altruism, stating that the book "has all the characteristics of a pre-campaign manifesto, the requisite autobiography of the future candidate." ( Do not worry folks, the CIA has no intention of letting this religious wack job take the wheel. It would be a disaster every time she opened her mouth. The overtime that would be needed to develop damage control strategies would be incalculable) <ref>{{cite news\|
	\|title=FACT CHECK: Palin's book goes rogue on some facts		\|title=FACT CHECK: Palin's book goes rogue on some facts
	\|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLFgBj6DDx8XIrIzwkDPki8paaPgD9BUTLBO0		\|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLFgBj6DDx8XIrIzwkDPki8paaPgD9BUTLBO0

Revision as of 00:51, 20 November 2009

Not to be confused with Going Rouge: Sarah Palin An American Nightmare.

Going Rogue: An American Life

Author	Sarah Palin with Lynn Vincent
Language	English
Genre	Autobiography
Publisher	HarperCollins and Zondervan
Publication date	November 17, 2009
Publication place	United States
Media type	Hardcover
Pages	432
ISBN	0061939897

Going Rogue: An American Life ( ISBN 0061939897 ) is a memoir by former American Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, co-written by ghostwriter Lynn Vincent of San Diego, and edited by Adam Bellow, son of novelist Saul Bellow, for HarperCollins. The book was released on November 17, 2009. The book's title is a reference to a phrase that arose during the latter part of the 2008 presidential campaign. Palin embraced it after the question, "Has Sarah Palin 'gone rogue'?", appeared in the lead of an article in the magazine, Slate. The subtitle, "An American Life", is the same as the title of Ronald Reagan's autobiography.

Overview

According to Time Magazine, the book is split into five long chapters. Key areas the book focuses on include the role of faith in her life and upbringing, criticism of the national media, and refutations of accusations made by McCain staffers. No index is included in the book, though some publications have created their own indices.

Commercial and critical reception

Two days after the book's date was changed to November 17, 2009, by the publisher, the book achieved best-seller status. After becoming available for pre-order in late September, the book spent three days on Amazon.com's Top 100 list before becoming the #1 best-selling title across all categories on September 30, 2009. The book also became the Barnes & Noble #1 best seller based on pre-orders. Dan Calabrese, for the North Star National, called the sales "an absolutely unprecedented performance for a non-fiction book so far in advance of its release date."

Three weeks before becoming available, Amazon offered the book for a sale price of USD$9.00 through pre-order, with the normal retail price expected to be $28.99. As of October 22, 2009, the book was the #2 bestselling title on Amazon, but as of November 6, 2009, it has returned to #1. Pre-orders were estimated at 40,000. To break even, Harper-Collins needs to sell 400,000 volumes overall. As of November 13, 2009, the book was #1 on the USA Today best seller list.

Locally, Palin's book has set new pre-order records in the bookstores of her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska.

Reviews

The book drew mixed reviews ranging from very positive to very negative. Reviews agreed that the book attacked McCain's campaign strongly and that it did not indicate her plans for the future. Bret Baier of Fox News has called hypercritical reviews of the book examples of "Palin Derangement Syndrome".

Conservative radio talk show host John Ziegler wrote the most positive review of the book for Mediaite. According to him, "this is by far the best book and greatest literary achievement by a political figure in my lifetime." In particular, he praised Palin's honesty, which he claimed "goes way beyond typical political self-deprecation and into the realm of instructive human introspection, the type of which can only come from someone incredibly courageous, grounded, and self-aware." He also enjoyed the book's critique of the media. Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has called the book "truly one of the more substantive policy books I've read."

The Wall Street Journal's Melanie Kirkpatrick described the book as "more a personal memoir than a political one," stating that "Mrs. Palin emerges as a new style of feminist...This is not the prejudiced, dim-witted ideologue of the popular liberal imagination." Kirkpatrick thought Palin was "too gentle" on the McCain campaign staffers and McCain himself, adding that, "It is disappointing that Mrs. Palin devotes so little of Going Rogue to the issues that she and Mr. McCain ran on."

Michiko Kakutani, writing for the New York Times, called the book "erratic," and "part cagey spin job, part earnest autobiography, part payback hit job" that made Palin appear like "an eager player in the blame game." Kakutani noted that the book was more critical of the McCain campaign than Democrats, depicting it as "overscripted, defeatist, disorganized and dunder-headed." Kakutani said "its most compelling sections deal not with politics, but with Ms. Palin’s life in Alaska and her family," and that it did a "lively job of conveying the frontier feel of the 49th state."

The Washington Post used a "dueling review" format with two writers to represent the left and the right. The "left" review was written by Air America's Ana Marie Cox, who admitted to having "skimmed" the last 150 pages. She cited the apparent lack of policy detail. The "right" review was written by Matthew Continetti, who'd written a book on Palin himself. Continetti said the book was "everything you'd expect from a politician who has no intention of leaving the national scene." He concluded it "won't do much to change any minds. But for what it reveals about our current political culture, Hans Robert Jauss would say it can't be beat."

Entertainment Weekly gave the book a "C," praising the first chapters about Palin's life as "down-to-earth and funny" while concluding she'd "delivered a mediocre, unsurprising, self-serving memoir." Mark Kennedy for the Associated Press, said the book was "less the revealing autobiography of a straight-shooting maverick and more a lengthy campaign speech — more lipstick, less pit bull." He pointed out that the book was split into two halves: her life and the campaign, and mentioned, "More often than not, Palin spends large chunks of time reciting campaign pablum." Like other reviewers, Kennedy felt "Palin reserves most of her attacks for McCain's advisers."

In its review, the Huffington Post characterized the book as "one giant complaint about the conduct of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign." Los Angeles Times drew comparisons between Reagan being a "sincere phony" and Palin's book, saying it "suggests that while she may be overreaching when she aspires to the Great Communicator's mantle as leader of the conservative movement, she may well be able to claim his facility for convenient sincerity." Michael Carey of the Anchorage Daily News, writing in the LA Times, said "there is a big something missing from Palin's narrative: the voice of a leader." Thomas Frank, writing for the Wall Street Journal, panned the book: "This is the memoir as prolonged, keening wail, larded with petty vindictiveness."

Newsweek Senior Editor Michael Hirsh has said "she seems to be mainly out for repudiation of her critics here, and what you see is a lot of self-involvement" and that the book would "help her with her base...I don't know if it helps at all with what she would need to actually be elected president." Palin, the LA Times, and other commentators have accused Newsweek of sexism for their choice of cover in the November issue discussing Palin's book: "It's sexist as hell," wrote Lisa Richardson and Taylor Marsh of the Huffington Post called it "the worst case of pictorial sexism aimed at political character assassination ever done by a traditional media outlet." The cover comes from a photo of Palin used in the August 2009 issue of Runner's World.

Analysis and reactions

A fact check article by the Associated Press called into question a number of statements made in the book, such as Palin's claims of frugality, her avoidance of large campaign donors, her understanding of and previous position on the financial bailouts of 2008, her characterization of the 1980s recession and the tax environment of that period, issues related to competitive bidding in the Alaskan Pipeline infrastructure, hypocrisy in her criticism of the previous administration in Alaska, flip-flopping on her response to the 2008 Supreme Court ruling on the Exxon Valdez disaster, and misconstruing Alaska's dependence on federal aid. Woodward questioned the book's repeated claims of Palin's altruism, stating that the book "has all the characteristics of a pre-campaign manifesto, the requisite autobiography of the future candidate." ( Do not worry folks, the CIA has no intention of letting this religious wack job take the wheel. It would be a disaster every time she opened her mouth. The overtime that would be needed to develop damage control strategies would be incalculable) Palin replied to the article by stating on her Facebook page that, "as is expected, the AP and a number of subsequent media outlets are erroneously reporting the contents of the book." The AP responded to the accusation: "We've read the book; we've read it carefully—and we stand by our reporting." Conservative talk show host John Ziegler also objected to the piece, saying "the AP is either purposefully or out of their own profound unconscious bias, badly missing the most important points of Sarah Palin’s book."

In reference to the book's treatment of Palin's experience in the 2008 campaign, The Politico reported, "Top aides to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign hit back at Sarah Palin Friday and Saturday, calling the former vice presidential nominee’s soon-to-be-released book 'revisionist and self serving' 'fiction.'" Writer Geoffrey Dunn released a critical list entitled "The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue".

Hillary Clinton replied to her mention in the book, in which Palin speculates about having coffee with her, on November 15, 2009, by saying on two Sunday morning news shows, "I absolutely would look forward to having coffee" and "I think it would be very interesting to sit down and talk with her." A representative for Alec Baldwin, mentioned in the book as part of Palin's visit to the set of Saturday Night Live, has said how several of Palin's ideas for the SNL skit were turned down by the actor. The representative for Katie Couric has responded to the book by saying, "The interview speaks for itself."

David Axelrod has said he'll borrow a copy of the book from David Plouffe. Current Alaska Governor Sean Parnell has said he will read the book.

Publication

The book deal was announced in May 2009, when Palin was still Governor of Alaska, triggering some speculation about the terms of the agreement and logistics of her promoting a book while in office. Lynn Vincent reportedly wrote the book for several weeks in San Diego, California, working with Sarah Palin shortly after resigning the governorship in the summer of 2009, and then for several days in New York City. The speed with which the book was written surprised many observers, but publisher HarperCollins attributed it to Palin having left office and devoting full time to the writing process. Palin received an advance of $1.25 million for the book. In addition, she will receive 2 additional payouts of between $2.5 and $5 million each.

HarperCollins had planned publication for Spring 2010, but later moved the date to November 17, 2009, as the book was completed earlier than expected, and ordered a first printing of 1.5 million copies. The initial print run was considered "a very high number."

To promote the book, Palin was interviewed for the The Oprah Winfrey Show, her first ever appearance on the show. The interview was broadcast on November 16. On November 17, an interview between Palin and Barbara Walters aired. Palin also gave interviews with Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. The interviews were the start of a 3 week national book tour to promote the autobiography that focused on small and mid-size towns. Eleven of the states she visited are considered political battle-grounds for 2012. The first event of the book tour drew several hundred people.

In addition to the book tour, there was a web-based advertising campaign focusing on Google and Facebook. Specifically, her book was advertised to people who search for her name or whose web pages mention her via Google Ads.

Related books and parodies

The release of Going Rogue coincides with the writing and publication of several other books about Sarah Palin, some of which were directly inspired by her memoir's pending release.

On November 3, Scott Conroy and Fox News reporter Shushannah Walshe released Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar. The book was based on interviews with former members of Sarah Palin's administration and Alaskan politicians and not Palin herself. The book relates several behind-the-scenes anecdotes, such as McCain's decision to bar Palin from delivering a concession speech on election night and how the campaign staffers prepared her for national interviews.

On November 12, Mathew Continetti of The Weekly Standard released The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star. The book focuses on the criticisms of Palin, specifically those coming from the "elite media" and paints her in a sympathetic light. Shawn Macomber of American Spectator said Continetti's book "contextualizes Palin into a fascinating case study of the politics of personal destruction as employed by the left-leaning cultural and media elites who constantly tsk-tsk the politics of personal destruction." Of the two books - Sarah from Alaska and Persecution - the former has been called "more balanced."

Progressive publishing house OR Books released Going Rouge: Sarah Palin An American Nightmare, a collection of critical essays about Palin with a title and cover design mimicking Palin’s memoir. The paperback, variously described as a faux-memoir and a political counterpoint, was released on the same day as Palin’s book. Going Rouge was compiled by Richard Kim and Betsy Reed, two editors of The Nation, and includes essays by Katrina vanden Heuvel, Naomi Klein, Gloria Steinem, Robert Reich, and nearly two dozen others.

Geoffrey Dunn has penned The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power that will be released in spring 2010 by St. Martin's Press. Frank Bailey, a former aide to Sarah Palin who was involved in the Troopergate controversy, has begun writing Renegade: Sarah Palin's Hatchet Man, documenting his time in Palin's administration. Journalist Joe McGinniss is also working on a book.

Going Rogue has inspired a number of parodies and satirical interpretations. Roy Edroso of Village Voice "reviewed" the book by writing fake excerpts as a parody of the content. TA Frank of The Guardian similarly parodied the contents with a faux first draft complete with fake notes between Palin and her editors.

Going Rouge: The Sarah Palin Rogue Coloring & Activity Book is a 48-page paperback by cartoonist Julie Sigwart and radio host Micheal Stinson that was released November 17, 2009. The activity book hit #50 among Amazon's Humor category and sold out in the first day. Joey Green, formerly of the National Lampoon, is releasing Sarah Palin's Secret Diary, which satirizes Palin's life.

References in popular culture

Comedian Tina Fey has announced she will resume her impersonation of Sarah Palin because of the memoir.
The book and its surrounding promotion have been mentioned on many late night comedy shows, including The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brian, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
South Park featured a parody of the book in episode 13 of Season 13, Dances with Smurfs.