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Thursday, October 2, 2008

Political books



Can one predict political outcomes by looking at book sales?
Probably not, but it is amusing to look at the ratings of books penned by or about current candidates, and see how they are doing.
Kaylene Johnson, author of Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned the Political Establishment Upside Down, must be delighted with her unexpected success of her subject, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, lauded by Fox News as "a politician of eye-popping integrity." Sarah is currently ranked 171 on the amazon.com list.

Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, has a book out called Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics. He has a longer tale to tell, a reader finding the book "one of the best ... eye-witness accounts of the most significant events of the past thirty-five years." The book is ranked 16,584, which might augur badly for the debate (9 pm Eastern Time, October 2).
So how are the presidential candidates doing? Both have two memoirs on sale.

John McCain's Faith of My Fathers stands at 1890, while Why Courage Matters is ranked 2639.

Barack Obama has a pen with popular appeal: Dreams from my Father is ranked 210, while Audacity of Hope is standing at 120.

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