Before his rise was even a twinkle in Barak Obama's eye, there was John Edwards. Despite being a multi-millionaire trial lawyer, he campaigned in 2004 and 2008 as a spokesperson for the "common man," trying to speak on their issues. When this was coupled with an eloquant speaking style, he became attractive to a certain part of the Democratic Party in the US.
This book was written by one of his operatives in North Carolina (Edwards's home state). It chart's his rise in politics after his decision to run for the senate in the late 1990s, his politics once in office, and the chaos that surrounded parts of his campaign after his wife discovered that he was having an affair and fathered an illegitimate "love child" (something that Mrs Edwards refuses to believe).
I found the book infuriating. Anyone who knows American politics knows that Edwards could have been a real contender in both 2004 and 2008. Had he used the good sense he was born with, Edwards would probably be Vice-President now. Throughout the book, you're going to think "Hello, wakey wakey you don't think you'll get away with this do you?" I was an active Edwards supporter in 2004 and 2008 (he seemed the only person likely to help the Democrats win in the South), so felt particularly let down by him when his affair became public. Anyone who lived in America during the Bush presidency and who found Edwards even slightly appealing will find the book as infuriating as I did.
That having been said, the book is well written. It rattles along at a fair old rate and is accessible enough for most people to read pretty quickly. You'll probably need an interest in American politics to read this book, but if you have that you'll probably enjoy it.
