This feels like a very real memoir about a very short period of time for a girl in her early 20s who had an experience few will ever have. Given her vantage point, and my realistic expectations about this book, I found it to be refreshing and enjoyable. Meghan seems like a genuine person whose mouth is consistently getting her into trouble-she mentions vulgarity a few times, but my guess is that her bluntness and lack of conformity brings the most friction. She has a take it or leave it type of attitude, but does not come off as arrogant or vapid. She has no problem praising people when she feels their due, and likewise, is not shy about offering sharp critiques about political tactics or even her own republican party. And although this is not a political book (in terms of policy or deep historical retelling), this criticism, and her viewpoints on moderates, is rare to hear from within, and refreshing to those outside.Politically, she seems to embrace the ideology of her party, but her own independence and voice as a young woman seem to be viewed as a liability, and when it wants to be girded by the campaign, it drives her nuts. For a person who is not afraid of dissent, this mute button that others want on her is a tough pill to swallow. That's not her only issue though.She doesn't understand how a political opponent can play dirty and lie about an out of wedlock child one day, and then the next day, that opponent is your friend who must be supported. She can't grasp why her hair and body, given to her by God, are so inappropriate. She doesn't know why you must be labeled a RINO just for questioning a single value or perceiving a misstep. She says the republican party has been hijacked by an antiquated conservative rhetoric, and she calls Karl Rove a creep. Basically, she says what millions of other people are thinking.This book is fast and enjoyable, and is really just a brief experience piece with a little behind the scenes info and political questioning sprinkled in. I was happy with the end result, and am not sure why there are so many negative reviews.If you are looking for a Henry Kissinger style of political expose, then you will most certainly be disappointed; but the entitled and spoiled character that others have described was not heard by me on the audio book (perhaps because I could listen to her tone and delivery?). On the other hand, some of the visceral disgust may be due to her appearance, and I wonder if Meghan was less attractive, if she would receive less hate.Others questioned where the editors were, and I can say that they certainly were not working on the audiobook, as this is one of the least profesionally produced books I have ever heard. Meghan stumbles on a few words, gets the name of her dad's book wrong (says Faith of our Fathers rather than Faith of my Fathers), and on occasion, you can even hear her turning pages. Pedantic mistakes, perhaps, but it's obvious that her publisher never even listened to the book. I'll start off by saying that I am not a terribly political person. I voted in the last election, watched some (not all) of the debates, and did some homework before blindly choosing a candidate. I'm not particularly tied to any one party- I think both have strengths & weaknesses, but in general I think our (meaning America's) 2 party system is inefficient and needs an overhaul.That being said, I'm not quite sure what I expected from this book. I knew who Megan McCain was, and knew that she was somewhat being branded as a new voice for/within the Republican party. I figured if I was going to attempt anything dealing with politics, one of her books would be a good start. While the book does touch on some political topics, it's 90% her experiences and feelings during her father's run for president. The biggest issues I had were not content-based, but rather the editing/flow of the book. Chronological order is always the best order, IMO, so the fact that that timeline wasn't followed made things a bit confusing for me. There were also some little anecdotes that just seemed...out of place. I really didn't feel as though they added anything to the book (stories dealing with her friends, etc, that didn't even occur during the campaign).She has a very clear, concise writing voice that I enjoyed- I feel as though her personality shown through and everything seemed to be stated very naturally and truthfully (from her perspective, anyway). She was easy to relate to, and felt as though she was the kind of girl who would be easy to talk to and be friends with. The way she described the town halls and other events made me understand why some people are so into politics- it really seemed to come alive and *matter.* I think that's something that a lot of the country, including myself, lacks. We go through the motions, but there's no true passion for the process. That leaves only the over zealous to get things done, which is not always the best way to handle things.She spoke a lot about her problems with the way the Republican party is being ran today (I mean come on, she was told she had "stripper hair" and therefore didn't look Republican enough). It makes me sad that many of the things she listed as issues in the 2008 campaign (not focusing on young voters, leaning to far to the Christian Right and ignoring the moderates, etc) and hoped to have corrected by this year's election seemed to have been ignored by the Republican leaders. If anything, they went the opposite direction and steered even more into that far Right direction. It's frustrating when someone is ignored simply because of age or gender or looks (all of which she has experienced), especially when the things she listed comprise the majority of reasons most of the people who voted for Obama leaned left in this past election. I can only hope that someone will wise up and pay attention to what this intuitive young woman has so clearly realized.
What do You think about Dirty Sexy Politics (2010)?
Meghan is very candid in her book. Enjoyed it.
—dawdie
