Michiko Kakutani
…a spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations and allegations…Though this book focuses on personal matters, not policy concerns, and though some of what will be its most talked about passages fall into the realm of gossip and reflect the views of chatty and, in some cases, bitter, regretful or spin-conscious aides, the volume does leave the reader with a vivid, visceral sense of the campaign and a keen understanding of the paradoxes and contingencies of history.
—The New York Times
Jacob Heilbrunn
Heilemann, a columnist for New York magazine, and Halperin, the senior political analyst for Time, have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign, longer on vignettes and backstage gossip than on analysis. But if their racy account provides little context for Obama's rise, it vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused his opponents to self-destruct. The narrative also reinforces the familiar argument that a presidential campaign provides one important test of a candidate's ability to govern.
—The New York Times Book Review
Alan Wolfe
…[Heilemann and Halperin] not only tell the story of the 2008 campaign in an engaging and readable way, they come up with some real reporting. Much of that reporting, it must be said, is of the gossipy sort, such as Harry Reid's by-now famous comment about black speech. Still, although I had some sense of the dimensions of the Palin disaster before reading this book, the authors' account of how she failed to prepare for her debate with Joe Biden is chilling…I doubt that any other book about the 2008 election will top this one in narrative drive.
—The Washington Post
From the Publisher
A smoking new book. . . . The real revelation in Game Change: Campaigns turn our politicians into lunatics.” — Tina Brown, The Daily Beast
“Heilemann and Halperin have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign. . . . It vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused Obama’s opponents to self-destruct.” — Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review
“A thoroughly researched, well-paced and occasionally very amusing read. . . . The result is something that conveys the feel, or perhaps more accurately the smell, of one of recent history’s most thrilling elections, and it does so better than any of the other books already on the market.” — The Economist
“I can’t put down this book!” — Stephen Colbert
“Compulsively readable. Once begun, you can’t put it down. . . . Deeply and knowledgeably reported and presented with all the cool sophistication one would expect from two accomplished political reporters.” — Tim Rutten, The Los Angeles Times
“Riveting, definitive. . . . A great campaign book. . . . Halperin and Heilemann got insiders to cough up astonishing artifacts, including emails and recordings. . . . Game Change is really interesting, and puts you deep in the middle of it.” — Kurt Andersen, Very Short List
“The hottest book in the country.” — The Associated Press
“Everybody talked. Anybody that tells you they didn’t is lying to you.” — A former top Clinton aide, to Politico’s Ben Smith
“The best presidential political book since What it Takes by Richard Ben Cramer and Teddy White’s books. These are the types of books that got me into politics.” — Joe Scarborough
“An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.” — Soledad O’Brien on Larry King Live
“You’ve got to read Game Change. . . . I read each and every word. . . . Game Change is a great book.” — Don Imus
“A fascinating account. . . . Heilemann and Halperin serve up a spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations. . . . Game Change leaves the reader with a vivid, visceral sense of the campaign and a keen understanding of the paradoxes and contingencies of history.” — Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“Riveting. . . . Its pages brim with scandalous tidbits. . . . This is a must-read for anyone interested in the cutthroat backroom hows and whys of a presidential campaign. . . . And it doesn’t hurt that Game Change reads more bodice-ripper than Beltway.” — Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly
“The authors of Game Change succeed in creating a plausible account of the emotional tumult of the 2008 campaign as it might have been—perhaps even was—experienced by the candidates, their spouses, and their staffs.” — Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker
“An amazing piece of work. . . . One of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22. . . . An absolutely gripping read . . . they can write.” — Clive Crook, The Financial Times
The Economist
A thoroughly researched, well-paced and occasionally very amusing read. . . . The result is something that conveys the feel, or perhaps more accurately the smell, of one of recent history’s most thrilling elections, and it does so better than any of the other books already on the market.
Tim Rutten
Compulsively readable. Once begun, you can’t put it down. . . . Deeply and knowledgeably reported and presented with all the cool sophistication one would expect from two accomplished political reporters.
Tina Brown
A smoking new book. . . . The real revelation in Game Change: Campaigns turn our politicians into lunatics.
Stephen Colbert
I can’t put down this book!
Associated Press
The hottest book in the country.
A former top Clinton aide
Everybody talked. Anybody that tells you they didn’t is lying to you.
Kurt Andersen
Riveting, definitive. . . . A great campaign book. . . . Halperin and Heilemann got insiders to cough up astonishing artifacts, including emails and recordings. . . . Game Change is really interesting, and puts you deep in the middle of it.
Soledad O’Brien on Larry King Live
An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.
Joe Scarborough
The best presidential political book since What it Takes by Richard Ben Cramer and Teddy White’s books. These are the types of books that got me into politics.
Tina Jordan
Riveting. . . . Its pages brim with scandalous tidbits. . . . This is a must-read for anyone interested in the cutthroat backroom hows and whys of a presidential campaign. . . . And it doesn’t hurt that Game Change reads more bodice-ripper than Beltway.
Clive Crook
An amazing piece of work. . . . One of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22. . . . An absolutely gripping read . . . they can write.
Hendrik Hertzberg
The authors of Game Change succeed in creating a plausible account of the emotional tumult of the 2008 campaign as it might have been—perhaps even was—experienced by the candidates, their spouses, and their staffs.
Don Imus
You’ve got to read Game Change. . . . I read each and every word. . . . Game Change is a great book.
Soledad O’Brien on Larry King Live
An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.
Soledad O'Brien on Larry King Live
An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner.
The Associated Press
The hottest book in the country.
on Larry King Live - Soledad O'Brien
"An explosive new book. . . . An absolute page turner."
FEBRUARY 2010 - AudioFile
In a sea of direct quotes, supported by the authors' comments and opinions, GAME CHANGE reprises the run-up to the 2008 presidential election. The hundreds of intimate conversations among candidates and aides—some of them during phone calls—must have been recorded, because no mere human could remember such details. The incessant leaps from camp to camp and state to state challenge listeners' abilities to stay oriented. Narrator Dennis Boutsikaris delivers right from the page—a technique many readers prefer—without any characterizations of the well-known sources. His reading of the frequent "F" word aloud magnifies its potential to offend. One McCain tirade has the word 15 times. J.A.H. 2011 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
