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The Real Romney

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 312 ratings · 105 reviews

Mitt Romney has masterfully positioned himself as the front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Even though he’s become a household name, the former Massachusetts governor remains an enigma to many in America, his character and core convictions elusive, his record little known. Who is the man behind that sweep of dark hair, distinguished white sideburns...more Mitt Romney has masterfully positioned himself as the front-runner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Even though he’s become a household name, the former Massachusetts governor remains an enigma to many in America, his character and core convictions elusive, his record little known. Who is the man behind that sweep of dark hair, distinguished white sideburns, and high-wattage smile? He often seems to be two people at once: a savvy politician, and someone who will simply say anything to win. A business visionary, and a calculating dealmaker. A man comfortable in his faith and with family, and one who can have trouble connecting with average voters.

In this definitive, unflinching biography by Boston Globe investigative reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, readers will finally discover the real Romney. The book explores Romney’s personal life, his bond with his wife and how they handled her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, and his difficult years as a Mormon missionary in France, where a fatal car crash had a profound effect on his path. It also illuminates Romney’s privileged upbringing in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; his rejection of the 1960s protest culture; and his close but complicated relationship with his father.

Based on more than five years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, The Real Romney includes a probing analysis of Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, one of the world’s leading private investment firms, where staggering profits were won through leveraged buyouts that helped create jobs but also destroyed them. This penetrating portrait offers important new details, too, on Romney’s failed Senate race against Ted Kennedy, his role leading the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics, and his championing of universal health care in Massachusetts. Drawing on previously undisclosed campaign memos, e-mails, and interviews with key players, Kranish and Helman reveal the infighting and disagreement that sunk Romney’s 2008 White House bid—and his conscious decision to switch tactics for his 2012 run.

In The Real Romney, Kranish and Helman delve searchingly into the psyche of a complex man now at his most critical juncture—the private Romney whom few people see. They show the remarkable lengths to which Romney has gone in order to succeed in politics and business, shrewdly shifting identities as needed, bringing tough-minded strategy to every decision, and always carefully safeguarding his public image. For the first time, readers will gain a full understanding of the kind of man Romney is—the kind of man who may be running their country.(less)

ebook, 448 pages

Published January 10th 2012 by Harper

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Mar 13, 2013 Will Byrnes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-autobiography-memoir, non-fiction, american-history

UPDATED - March 13, 2013 - see link at bottom

I have my opinions about this book, and they are firmly held. But I am interested in hearing your thoughts and will consider alternative positions if you will only vote for my review.

What sort of man is Willard Mitt Romney, and if he should become the next president of the United States, what might we expect from his administration? I found The Real Romney to be a fascinating look at the history of this White House hopeful. The authors are two Boston...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Ed Wagemann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This may sound like a loaded question, but, "How much difference is there really between Obama and Romney?" Both men seem to be basically nice guys of moral character with wholesome family values. They both have unconventional family histories. They are both moderates - there are several similarities between their stances on many policy issues (one created RomneyCare, the other created ObamaCare). And when we see Obama being criticized for not being liberal enough by Liberals and Romney criticiz...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Mike Alcock rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting background on the (presumptive?) GOP nominee...I was especially intrigued by the in-depth look at his family's role in the history of early Mormonism. And it's nice to read an ANALYTIC account of time with Bain, as opposed to parsing the tet-a-tet between TV talking heads.

...but of course I'm still voting for Obama. And I'm all the more convinced that Romney will do just about anything to secure the nomination/get elected. He's a perennial student council president candidate and has...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Tom Marcinko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this back in January, when I had a higher opinion of Romney than I do now, after the election.

At the time I wrote:
"It made me like him a bit more, but left me no more likely to vote for him.
Some of this appeared in the Feb. Vanity Fair, & also elsewhere in this notebook.
The outsiderness of Mormonism as a reason why Mitt is squarer than square? Trying to fit in to the mainstream?
Romney said his mission deepened his faith, & the way he put it made me wonder if that isn't the real...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Ru rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An excellent, "warts-and-all" look at numerous sides to the next potential POTUS and his entire family history. Politics are just one aspect of this tome-like account of many, many generations of Romney; by examining his entire family's genealogy we get a very vivid representation of what makes Mitt, Mitt. There is a predominant discussion of Romney's business endeavors, and acumen (including the 2002 Salt Lake City, UT Olympics); and, thankfully, it does bring up some of the businesses Romney h...more An excellent, "warts-and-all" look at numerous sides to the next potential POTUS and his entire family history. Politics are just one aspect of this tome-like account of many, many generations of Romney; by examining his entire family's genealogy we get a very vivid representation of what makes Mitt, Mitt. There is a predominant discussion of Romney's business endeavors, and acumen (including the 2002 Salt Lake City, UT Olympics); and, thankfully, it does bring up some of the businesses Romney has failed at and how he recovered from those failures. The role of Mormonism isn't shied away from, which is good, because it essentially debunks the misguided concept some have that it plays a prominent role in the overall politics of Governor Romney. The underlying theme to all of these points roots back to family - family plays a tremendous role in his life, and while they are not the impetus for decision-making, he works hard in all aspects of his life to honor his past, present, and future.

At times this book is unflattering; it recounts tales of Romney losing his cool, and why. Romney's political aspirations have faced many a hurdle, too. Because the book covers so much ground, the reader gets a sense of some of the frustration Romney faces at various times in his life. Will all readers sympathize with Romney in these cases? Absolutely not, nor should they; but these examples are clearly given to humanize Mitt Romney and to demonstrate that in the face of an obstacle, he knows how to regroup and recover.

As this book concludes right up to the start of the 2012 Presidential Campaign, you get an incredible transparency into what leads a person to run for the highest office in the land, based on events that have taken place not just during the course of their life, but before it, with their ancestral roots, right to George Romney's own political career that largely inspired his son. To anyone looking for an unbiased, unflinching and all-encompassing book about Mitt Romney, this is definitely the book to read. I recommend it highly not just for the politics of Governor Romney, but for a great look into the life of a renowned American family.(less)

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Oct 14, 2012 Peggy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-biography

Romney's life story is actually rather dull. He has integrity, he is smart, he is a Mormon, his father was a huge influence. His charity is personal, for members of his church whose needs are known to him, as he also tithes to his church. He has been decent to a handful of lesbians and gays. His inner life and any conflicts or drama must be confined to his prayer life, because it certainly doesn't express itself in his life. His reputation as a technocrat, someone who plays to his audience, e.g....more

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Aug 26, 2012 Will James rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A straightforward and honest accounting of Mitt Romney's life and history, from his ancestor's exodus to a polygamist colony in Mexico, to a fatal car crash he survived in France, and through his multiple political transformations.

The impression of Romney I got from this book is of a fundamentally smart, thoughtful, decent and non-ideological but ambitious man who has the ability to reinvent himself to suit the situation he is in. The problem that has plagued him throughout his public life is th...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Lily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Figured it was about time to read a bio of the man who will head the Republican ticket for President in the elections this fall (2012).

Seems reasonably balanced. I smiled sometimes at the way the authors made points by stating simple facts or statistics, rather than conclusions. Last month (June) Amazon offered a Kindle version of Mitt Romney: The Heart of the "Tin Man" by Ronald B. Scott (at least I believe that is the correct match; I know it was by Scott; will check later and revise this whe...more

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May 12, 2012 Jerry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

An informative though biased biography of Mitt Romney. The authors' liberal views colored their coverage. I would say I have a better understanding of Romney and where he comes from.

My key takeaways:
Romney strengths:
Extremely smart, dual MBA/JD from Harvard one of 15 people to earn dual degree (out of 800 MBA, 500 law)
Driven, disciplined, hard worker
Draws insights from analyzing the data
Devoted to wife and family
Strong moral compass, church leader, bishop & Boston leader
Understands the real...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Socraticgadfly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics-public-policy, history

This is a very good look at Mitt Romney, Mormon family history and all.

I knew about Romney’s dad, George, the governor of Michigan and failed 1968 GOP presidential candidate.

But, I didn’t know just how prominent his family had been in the early history of Mormonism. That includes not knowing about the polygamy background of his great-grandfather.

The two Boston Globe reporters behind this book do a good job of looking at Romney’s Mormon roots without being judgmental, other than noting that Romn...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Kristine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-or-biography, non-fiction

Given that it is a presidential election year, I decided to read a few non-fiction or biographical books related to politics, history, and current issues. I particularly wanted to read at least something by or about each of the current Presidential candidates, Obama and Romney. This is one book, among several in the aforementioned categories, that I have managed to finish thus far.

With small print, well over three hundred pages of roughly 34 lines of text per page, THE REAL ROMNEY takes a bit...more
Given that it is a presidential election year, I decided to read a few non-fiction or biographical books related to politics, history, and current issues. I particularly wanted to read at least something by or about each of the current Presidential candidates, Obama and Romney. This is one book, among several in the aforementioned categories, that I have managed to finish thus far.

With small print, well over three hundred pages of roughly 34 lines of text per page, THE REAL ROMNEY takes a bit of commitment to read given the detail, but I feel much better acquainted with a man who is currently the Republican candidate in the 2012 Presidential race -- and someone whose life and background I knew previously only in fragments.

In a few words, THE REAL ROMNEY published in 2012 undertakes a wide scope beginning even before Mitt's birth -- with background about his parents and Romney forebears back to the great-great grandparent generation in England -- to about 2011 where Romney is undertaking the campaign for 2012.

The approach was objective/balanced/critical reflecting the journalistic style of the writers' heavy reliance upon years of Romney reporting at the Boston Globe; if pressed, I'd say the tone seemed slightly favorable (rather than attack 'n destroy). To illustrate, here are two examples. From the prologue: "This book is the first complete, independent biography of Mitt Romney, a man whose journey to national political fame is at once remarkable and thoroughly surprising." Later, on page 328, the authors mention Romney's own book NO APOLOGY, saying it "revealed little about himself or his family..." and a bit farther on: "It's telling, though, what Romney didn't emphasize."

As a reader who enjoys history and biography a bit more than politics or business (some chapters leaned heavily in those areas), I particularly appreciated the early chapters about his family and ancestors, including Romney ancestors in England who were converted to Mormanism and so fervent that they uprooted and immigrated to America for a very uncertain life.

I was captivated particularly by the story of his great-grandparents (especially his great-grandmother who at the age of 80 wrote a memoir which included mention of her emotional turmoil as the first wife in a monogamous relationship until the church called upon her husband to adopt polygamy -- which he did -- which eventually led him to need to flee to Mexico to escape federal prosecution under anti-polygamy laws, leaving his family behind to fend for themselves.)

For readers interested in details of ....his Bain Capital years; his failed Senate race against Ted Kennedy; his recruitment to take on leadership of the scandal-tainted 2002 Olympics planning; the Massachusetts governor race and years, including the Massachusetts health care reform legislation he championed; or his campaign bid for the 2008 Presidential race; there are chapters and lots of behind-the-scenes glimpses that aim to help us understand a complex public/private figure.

(less)

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Oct 03, 2012 Temple Dog rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I will admit, this book was a guilty pleasure, but not for the reasons that one might think.

In an attempt at full disclosure, prior to reading this book I was not inclined to select Romney as my preferred candidate. And the reading only served to solidified my opinion in this regard.

However, I did enjoy this book because it gave me greater insight into Romney’s personal background. Which was my intent in reading the book.

I commend Kranish and Helman for drafting a clear and concise and non...more

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May 04, 2012 Kent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

In a journalistic-like manner, Kranish and Helman deliver a well-written report on the family background, business career, church leader experiences, term as Olympics chief and the political career of Mitt Romney. The authors succeed at providing a relatively balanced and fair accounting of Romney's decisions and actions in all of these different parts of his life.

Perhaps because of this straight-forward reporting without pushing the reader one way or the other, it occurs to me that the book wi...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Jeff Dansie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like the book, though at times I felt like the authors felt like they couldn’t say something positive about Romney without having something negative to offset it whether it was relevant or not. I did feel that I was able to understand Romney and his character better. The jest of what I learned was first, the man has his own set of values and he struggled in the past where they lay in contrast to the rights of the people that he represented. My interpretation after reading the book is, that Rom...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Colin Liddle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Real Romney is an incredibly well-balanced and genuine portrayal of Mitt Romney's life and presidential pursuits. In many ways it made me admire and view him as a more layered individual than the stiff, flip-flopping millionaire as the media has portrayed him. He was capable of great acts and great destruction and though, I believe he took a pretty opportunistic turn in the middle of his only term as the governor of Massachusetts, the book never goes too far into Pro-Romney or Anti-Romney te...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Merritt Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An unbiased review of Presidential candidate Mitt Romney done by two Boston Globe reporters who have followed him for some time. Like all politicians there is good (way above average management skills) and bad (flip flop to say what he needs to say to get elected). I think Mr. Romney rationalizes his changes of position on social issues due to a) It won't make any difference since he is not interested to passing social issue laws b) he needs to get elected so he can apply his management skills t...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Justin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I think an evaluation of The Real Romney turns on whether it provides new information to the reader, information that would help a swing voter make up his or her mind. I think Kranish & Helman succeed on that metric. We learn that Romney’s family history is deeply intertwined with the history of Mormonism and that he served an important role as a lay leader in the church. We learn that as a lay leader Romney counseled a woman facing a woman facing a difficult birth against having an abortion...more I think an evaluation of The Real Romney turns on whether it provides new information to the reader, information that would help a swing voter make up his or her mind. I think Kranish & Helman succeed on that metric. We learn that Romney’s family history is deeply intertwined with the history of Mormonism and that he served an important role as a lay leader in the church. We learn that as a lay leader Romney counseled a woman facing a woman facing a difficult birth against having an abortion. We learn that Romney keeps most acquaintances distant, but can be silly (or more, dorky) with his family and close friends. We learn that Romney assiduously courted gay voters during his run for the U.S. Senate. We learn that Romney ran the first post-9/11 Olympics (ok, I probably already should have known this one). We learn that Romney’s advisors counseled against his ill-fated decision to focus on social issues during his 2008 presidential run.

Most of the book is devoted to the history of Romney’s patriline post-Mormonism conversion sparked immigration, his work for his church, his career at Bain, his U.S. Senate run, his tenure as head of the Winter Olympics, and his tenure as governor of Massachusetts. His 2008 and 2012 presidential runs are given pretty cursory review. An entire chapter is devoted to Romneycare.

The Real Romney compares very favorably with a similar just-in-time-for-the-election biography from 2008—Obama: From Promise to Power by Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell. Mendell’s biography was pretty thin and wound up relying heavily on Obama’s own book to cover Obama’s early life. Romney has a much longer political career (going back to his U.S. Senate run) than Obama did in 2008, and the Boston Globe has been covering him much longer than the Chicago Tribune had Obama. It shows. This isn’t a Robert Caro work, but it’s an extremely valuable voice about Romney right now.

The Real Romney very much reads like a series of long newspaper articles. That’s both good and bad. Kranish & Helman give the facts. But they don’t engage in a lot of in-depth analysis. So the critical portions consist of repeating the attacks of his critics. This is unsatisfactory for a couple reasons: those statements are not explored in greater depth and they come off as sour grapes, both of which makes them difficult to judge.(less)

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Mar 30, 2012 Paul Heidebrecht rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel compelled to understand this man just in case he ends up being president. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he did win though I expect he will have considerable difficulty with Congress and not just the Democrats. He's hard guy to get to know from what everyone says and that's partly his personality but also his Mormon background. One thing I did discover: the Romney family is a central player in Mormon history. Mitt's great-great-grandfather was one of the fist converts in England a...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-biography-political-ca

I highly recommend this book.
To me, a non-political person, this was an amazing book in that it was full of information. I have generally shyed away from politics for many reasons but living in Wisconsin, I have recently found it practically impossible to bury my head in books on other subjects of interest and continue to leave politics to others.
Michael Kranish and Scott Helman pulled together an extrodinary amount of information from several sources and managed to pack it all in 332 pages (not...more I highly recommend this book.
To me, a non-political person, this was an amazing book in that it was full of information. I have generally shyed away from politics for many reasons but living in Wisconsin, I have recently found it practically impossible to bury my head in books on other subjects of interest and continue to leave politics to others.
Michael Kranish and Scott Helman pulled together an extrodinary amount of information from several sources and managed to pack it all in 332 pages (not including acknowledgements and notes.)
What I came away with:
- Politics is a dirty business
- Super-wealthy people are human beings with Super-sized Egos
- Politicians are human beings with Super-sized Egos
- Mormons are human beings and some, if not most, of the males have Super-sized Egos
- Put all these together and you have a human being who thinks he is a god and/or a mountain(page 244 - "And so, if you will, the mountain went to Mohammed," Romney said.
- In my humble opinion, if the money that politicians raised to finance their campaigns were used to balance the budget, there would not be a trillion-dollar deficit (there should be a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on campaigns and politicians should not be allowed to accept funds from other countries) - Please excuse me if there are such measures in place, obviously I am no expert.
- Strapping the family dog in a pet carrier to the top of your car for a 12 hour road trip is not the best idea in the world and really concerns me about what other solutions to problems Gov. Romney may come up with.(I wonder if the dog survived this ordeal - it's not addressed in the book.)

To be fair and perfectly honest, Mitt Romney has some very good qualities given that he is a human being and prone to human err perhaps more frequently shown since he chooses to be in the public eye. Whether or not he should become the next President of the United States I pray that God will guide him in all his future decisions, words and actions so that he may help all living beings by using the purest intentions rather than the largest of egos.(less)

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Feb 23, 2013 Jodi Jacobson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

Well, the election is over, and I read this in the early stages, so it had a lot of relevance. If you are still inclined to learn about Mitt Romney, this is a terrific book. It is written by two reporters from the Boston Globe who covered Romney during his years as governor and afterwards, and who have extensive history on which to draw about who Romney is, where he came from, what shaped him, how he got involved with Bain Capital and what he was like as governor. All I can say is that having re...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir, non-fiction, politics

http://philadelphiareviewofbooks.com/...

The week of the Republic National Convention in Tampa, Florida seemed to offer Mitt Romney an opportunity to pivot his campaign (if not to pivot his policies once again) into a more personal trajectory, one in which voters learned more about the former governor of Massachusetts and executive at Bain Capital an extremely lucrative venture firm. Those two old jobs and Romney’s Mormonism, along the idea that his wife Ann was an ace up his sleeve in an effort...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Joseph Serwach rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Boston Globe remains one of the nation's best news organizations and you see why in "The Real Romney,'' which does a better job of explaining and telling the story of Mitt Romney than his two failed presidential campaigns did.

If all you know about Romney is what the Romney/Obama and McCain campaigns told you or what the media reported, you don't really know much about Mitt Romney. The Real Romney does what a good news organization should do: offering a balanced portrait of Romeny and his fa...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I start with a disclaimer that I am a member of the LDS Church. So, I am always interested in seeing how issues about the Church are treated in widely read books. I felt the authors did a good job in the research and presenting matters of religion in an unbiased manner. I wanted to know more about Romney and Bain Capital and did find that in the book. It is well written and is an interesting read. I don't think it will change anyone's positive opinion of Mr. Romney. If one likes and backs him no...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Anna Murray rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book at the library because it is about Mitt Romney (duh) and because it is written by two Boston Globe writers. Naturally I assumed that the authors would do everything they could to find out all of the negative, truly horrible, things about Mr. Romney. And they succeeded!! Yes, Mr. Romney is a Mormon. He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't swear and never has. He has five wonderful children and a lovely wife. By all accounts he was raised in an upper middle class (some might...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir

This book is interesting, easy to read, and neutral.
Despite the fact that I have been very busy, I found this book interesting enough to read quickly. Writing a review has been another matter.
This book begins with Romney's ancestors starting with nothing, working hard, and becoming successful. That includes Romney's father, George. Although Mitt has never had to worry about money, he has worked hard.
Mitt attended Stanford, went on a 2 year mission for the LDS Church, finished his undergraduate...more This book is interesting, easy to read, and neutral.
Despite the fact that I have been very busy, I found this book interesting enough to read quickly. Writing a review has been another matter.
This book begins with Romney's ancestors starting with nothing, working hard, and becoming successful. That includes Romney's father, George. Although Mitt has never had to worry about money, he has worked hard.
Mitt attended Stanford, went on a 2 year mission for the LDS Church, finished his undergraduate degree at BYU, and then went to Harvard where he obtained his MBA and law degree.
The highlights of the book: Bain, Romney's family, Romney's relationship to the LDS Church, the Olympics, Romney's political career.
As I was reading this book and keeping up with the current political news, I often thought of the TV show "Survivor" where contestants form alliances and curry favor with groups. It gives you a headache after awhile.
Ever since Obama took office and ramped up the Bush policies of rapidly increasing the deficit and national debt, I have thought, "We could have had Ron Paul and he never would have passed all of the burdensome spending and he would have reigned in the power of the Fed. And why would Obama pursue Afghanistan?"
Yes, I know this book review is not about Ron Paul.
While Ron Paul has some great ideas, he is not going to get the nomination.
I had hopes for Herman Cain. How smart can you be if you try to run with his skeletons?
Newt took $1.6 million from Freddie. Is there a bigger symptom of what is wrong with our politicians? Sure he can get on the stage and deliver some powerful blows, but he can't understand the problem with taking money from Freddie?
I have heard some good interviews awhile ago from Rick, but he is totally played by the press and the left. Oh I forgot press=left. I could care less about anyone's personal choice on BC. I do think forcing the Catholic Church to go against their ethics is wrong from a Constitutional point of view. Also the more mandates for insurance, the higher the price tag. Isn't that the opposite of the goal?
So, that leaves Romney, who keeps saying the oddest things. I'm probably the only person with this hope: Romney may not have enough delegates going into the convention. Given his friendship with Ron Paul (even their spouses are friends), they throw in together. Romney becomes president, and Ron Paul keeps him in check concerning war, the Fed, spending, the Constitution, etc.

Even if you don't share my political leanings, you may find this book interesting. Read it, but if you aren't interested in politics, watch some video clips on the riots in Greece. Why? Because it could be our future. Now is the time to change course!(less)

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Nov 19, 2012 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

p. 23-24
George Romney (Mitt's dad) ran as a liberal-to-moderate politician, playing down his Republican Party affiliation, and worked hard to win the votes of groups that didn't always support the GOP, including the black and labor votes.
...
Watching his father, Mitt learned that George had a disarming way of rebutting arguments against him. Sometimes George did so by distancing himself from his party and speaking sympathetically about an opponent's viewpoint. For example, George had been attacke...more p. 23-24
George Romney (Mitt's dad) ran as a liberal-to-moderate politician, playing down his Republican Party affiliation, and worked hard to win the votes of groups that didn't always support the GOP, including the black and labor votes.
...
Watching his father, Mitt learned that George had a disarming way of rebutting arguments against him. Sometimes George did so by distancing himself from his party and speaking sympathetically about an opponent's viewpoint. For example, George had been attacked by labor groups, one of which published a pamphlet titled "Who is the Real George Romney?" The booklet accused Romney of doublespeak, such as when he said that Michigan needed a hundred thousand new jobs but then declared that he had never promised he could deliver them. But George, who had mixed relations with the unions at American Motors, sometimes sounded sympathetic to his labor antagonists, as when he lamented that the Republican Party was identified "too much as a business party."

My comment: The apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree.

I was going to note quite a few things from this book, but what really is the point now? It was an interesting read and has been hailed as a very fair and impartial account of Mitt. There are definitely some things to admire about Mitt: his intelligence and analytical mind, his adoration and pursuit of Ann, his family values, his dedication to his faith, etc. There is also much to look at with concern: his self aggrandizement, dogged pursuit of political office and what he was willing to do, people he was willing to use, to achieve it; and his seemingly incomprehensible understanding of his own convictions on certain issues and an inability to stick with his own words... leaving many, many betrayed people in his wake. Just the simple fact that much of his political career was spent running as someone who said "People of integrity don't force their beliefs on others. They make sure that others can live by different beliefs they may have," as his justification for his pro-choice and pro-gay rights stance, to completely do a 180 later and come out as pro-life and crusade against gay marriage and other gay rights... well, I don't know how anyone could trust him, I certainly couldn't.

In a nutshell, this was a good book if you are interested in reading about Romney's life and foray into politics. It was well written and I do think it was impartial. Many reviews mention that there's plenty to find to support your admiration of Mitt if you already like him and plenty to support your doubts (disgust?) if you dislike him, and I think that comment is right on. I don't like him and am awfully glad he's not our President.(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

I felt that this was a very good, unbiased biography of Mitt Romney. The author recounted the real story, neither attacking nor embracing Romney, his life and policies. I enjoyed the first half of the book, the part dealing with his ancestry, his early life, schooling,romance with his high school sweetheart, Ann, and his mission to France more than the second half which dealt with his businesses and politics. But, I did learn a lot about what he did as a business leader and as the governor of Ma...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, american, biography, nonfiction

The Real Romney is a biography of Mitt Romney written by a pair of Boston Globe reporters. It's even-handed and well-researched, and I recommend it for people who are interested in learning more about Romney. I think a lot of people would be surprised to read about his acts of charity and his offbeat and occasionally awkward sense of humor (which I sympathize with. The number of times people have thought I was serious when I was saying something utterly ridiculous...).

Also, I'm pretty sure the...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Kim Berkshire rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sorta-political, bio-autobio

While I think he’s a decent man and I don’t completely lose my mind when I see Romney--a reaction I always had whenever I saw Dubya--I still don’t want him as POTUS. The book was clearly exhaustively researched, but I agree with one reviewer who complained that every observation or declaration by the authors about Mitt had to be countered with a negative (or positive) one.
The most interesting part was the Mormon history as it specifically related to Romney’s family tree. I started skimming when...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Dana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book took me awhile to finish. I started it up two times. I am glad that I read it, and I have a better understanding of episodes in Mitt's life (Mormon mission in France, Bain Capital years, Salt Lake Olympics, governor of Massachusetts, first run for nominee of the Republican party in 2008). What I still don't have is a better understanding of Mitt himself. I believe that this is no fault of the author's, but the very nature of Romney. Outside of his family and his trusted friends, it is...more

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