Sunday, September 14, 2008

If only real elections were this good

Here's a feel good book just in time for the election season. But it's more than just that. Perkins weaves together an exquisite cultural sensitivity into her Presidential election drama, drawing on personal experience and what I can only describe as a really big heart. The characters: An adopted South Asian teen. A flower child mom who is a church-going political liberal! Her husband: the kindest, most tolerant Republican Presidential candidate (since Abe Lincoln), but not a church goer. The opponent: Hill sans Bill, with a handsome son to boot. But the best character of all is Uncle Mohamed. I can't wait for him to reappear in the sequel.
And yes, there are "bad guys"--an over-the-hill (at 30!) media know-it-all, and the usual paparazzi.
While marketed as a teen novel, ADULTS WILL REALLY WANT TO READ THIS as an antidote to the evening news. Perkins is clearly anchored in reality, even as she tries to bring out the best in (nearly all) of her characters.
First Daughter, Extreme American Makeover, by Mitali Perkins
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/014241154X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

2 comments:

Tay Tay said...

I know her, she's my best friends' mom!

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