A Rogue autobiography

Palin account is about more than vote-getting | Susan Olasky

I wasn't eager to read Sarah Palin's Going Rogue (HarperCollins). Most political autobiographies are boring because the candidate is afraid to write anything that might lose a vote, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the first half is vivid and revealing. Palin (helped by WORLD senior writer Lynn Vincent) describes her Alaska childhood, her teenage years, meeting Todd, working her way through college, eloping (and rustling up a couple of witnesses from a nursing home), and having babies. Meanwhile she was developing her Christian faith and a libertarian-leaning political philosophy that eventually led her into local politics.

Some readers are more interested in Sarah Palin, national political candidate. They will probably focus their attention on her score-settling with some McCain campaign staffers. I understand why she felt she had to defend herself from anonymous attacks, but that part of the book seems old, although she does include some weird tidbits: For example, McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt was apparently concerned that Palin was on the Atkins diet and told her to stop, adding that the campaign was going to bring a nutritionist on board to teach her how to eat.