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Jul 29, 2011

Bill rated it:

I read this book as a penance: I donated to the Edwards presidential campaign, and I wanted to know how vile the man was who persuaded me to send him money. Pretty vile, it turns out. Viler than the fellow that wrote the book? I wouldn't be willing to bet on it.

I feel about this book similarly to how I felt about Peter Maas' "Underboss"--an "as told to" book by "Sammy the Bull" Gravano. I believed every horrible thing it says about John Gotti, More...

3 comments like (15 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2010

Meighan rated it:

Fascinating, surprisingly well-written, frightening account. Recommend to any political junkie.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2012

Shannon rated it:

I am not quite so sure why I chose this audiobook to listen while I worked out. I am not a real big political junkie. But, I think that the combination of John Edwards being from North Carolina and this being an election year drew me to this one.

I knew the basics of what had happened to the Edwards and his "fall from grace" from the mainstream news media, but this book really goes into the knitty gritty of the whole affair (pun intended). I was absolutely SHOCKED and, even More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Nicholas rated it:

Absolutely riveting. When you read this book, you will come to see John Edwards as a narcissistic, selfish, deceitful, greedy, power-hungry man who lost his way. You will come to view Elizabeth Edwards as power-hungry, controlling, and often ill-tempered. Andrew Young -- maybe it's his tone -- comes across as sincere. He makes the case that he made terrible choices, especially to pretend to have fathered Rielle Hunter's child, but that he did so because he believed in Senator Edwards and his vis More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 08, 2011

Jim rated it:

In researching for one of my upcoming projects: Full Contact Ethics, I became fascinated with the story of Jonathan Edwards. The Politician by Andrew Young chronicles his misadventures with power, ego and deception. This book is a fascinating look at political and material power from an ethical perspective, but also serves as a cold slap in the face of our culture of success at all costs and our obsession with power, fame and wealth.

If this story were not so well documented, you might More...

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Aug 21, 2011

Huma rated it:

Political tell-alls are my guilty pleasure, but aside from the fun, salacious aspect of it, there are some important lessons to be learned from Andrew Young's account of the rise and fall of John Edwards, largely at the hands of his mistress, his wife (yes, I said it), and his own rampant, galloping narcissism.

1. Idolize values, not people. Yes, that doesn't make sense. All I mean is that when we get caught up in other people, and really believe in them, we should take care to keep ou More...

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May 28, 2011

Shallana rated it:

I couldn't put this book down. After reading "Game Change" I had to get to know more about what exactly happened to John Edwards that caused this downward spiral in his career & life. I thought I would really dislike John Edwards, but the person I most disliked immensely was his wife. Maybe it was a little bit of Andrew's obvious dislike for her, but she came off as the more ambitious, cold and calculating of the duo. John was as I expected, arrogant and stupid for cheating on his wife More...

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Feb 03, 2011

Alison rated it:

At the beginning of this book I could not put it down. It was a fascinating account of a charismatic man who went from being a trail lawyer to senator to presidential candidate in a span of a few years. An insider view on the process of launching a presidential bid was really intriguing. The man who wrote the book was once the biggest believer in Edwards and one of his closest advisors. He was also the man who covered for Edwards and claimed paternity for his "love child" with Rielle H More...

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Oct 24, 2010

Justin rated it:

I have to say--this was a great book. I felt a little ashamed reading it, but the Edwards scandal is fascinating to me, and I think Young manages to grab hold of what in the scandal makes it so fascinating: the fact that it so closely examines and decodes the sorts of drives involved in the quest for political power and the excesses that can result. Young proves himself to be surprisingly thoughtful about the events he became embroiled in, as well as fully admitting his own culpability as much More...

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Oct 07, 2010

Judy rated it:

I'll admit it, this book was a guilty pleasure. I've followed the John & Elizabeth Edwards Show with great interest for some time now and I've taken a certain satisfaction in watching the former senator's decline and fall. I've been hungry for more details and "The Politician" really dishes the dirt.

There are plenty of details to be read. As a political aide, Young saved everything. He shares emails from Mrs. Edwards, listing all the menial tasks Young has promised to perfo More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 04, 2010

Mazola1 rated it:

The Politician airs all John Edwards's dirty laundry. It's not just about the sordid sex sandal that spelled the end of his once promising political career. It's also about Edwards' character flaws, his unpleasant personality quirks, his sense of entitlement, and the ingratitude and insensitivity with which he treated his staff. It's full of his dirty little secrets, giving pretty much a blow by blow account of his affair with Rielle Hunter and his misguided and self-deluded efforts to cover i More...

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Jul 28, 2010

Deborah rated it:

Although I knew most of what was in this book, I read it anyway! It boggles the mind at the audacity John Edward! He is just a narcissus! All the while touting his platform on helping the poor, he was driving a fake, beat up buick, while his BMW and other cars were in his garage, to appear to be more of a common man. All this time he and Mrs. Edwards are building their dream house and he is getting $400 haircuts from some guy in California! I have no problem with people spending their own money More...

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Jun 13, 2010

Leeanna rated it:

The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down, by Andrew Young

I read this mostly because I was interested in a birds-eye view of insider politics, and I sure got an eyeful.

It's a little frightening to think about how close John Edwards got to the presidency, and to compare the projected image of him to the one written by Young. Quite scary, actually. Elizabeth Edwards is portrayed scarily as well, a More...

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May 26, 2010

Kirsti rated it:

"I know I'm the people's senator, but do I have to hang out with 'em?" --presidential candidate John Edwards, bitching about attending state fairs

Andrew Young seems like a decent, kind, hardworking person . . . who once threatened to send media outlets a videotape of his boss having sex with a former colleague. Also, he depicts Elizabeth Edwards as vicious, paranoid, and mentally unstable . . . which she may well have been. Young claims to have copies of the e-mails and voi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 29, 2010

Slawter rated it:

I was surprised by how detailed this book was and the span of time it covered. I thought it was just going to be about Edwards' last presidential campaign and the affair and craziness, but it started when Andrew Young first met John Edwards, when he was running for the Senate. It spanned the Senator's whole political career, basically. The beginning, when Young was helping Edwards campaign and then working for him once he was elected Senator, gave me flashbacks of the four months I worked for More...

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Mar 28, 2010

Angie rated it:

One afternoon I was thumbing through TV shows and noticed Oprah interviewing a couple that I didn’t recognize. After watching for a few minutes I learned that the couple was Cheri and Andrew Young. Andrew was the former aid to John Edwards and was promoting the book he had written to clear his own name in regards to the scandal that brought Edwards’ political career down. What caught my attention was, to me, it seemed that Oprah was bullying the couple about the choices they had made. She me More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 24, 2010

T. rated it:

The Politician describes the beginning and end of Senator and presidential hopeful's scandal ridden political career. For most interested much the scandal is probably already known/supposed and this book will simple provide the insider info from aide/slave Andrew Young.

While the scandal is both interesting and horrifying, the first 200 pages of the work were a dull slog through Edward's earlier years in the senate, and 2004 presidential race. Young admits this himself, he has no prio More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 06, 2010

Catherine rated it:

There's an element of 'mea culpa' about this book - a certain degree to which Andrew Young wants the forgiveness of those near and dear to him, and the world at large, for his part in the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter debacle. Yet Young does not come out of this book looking good - he looks power-hungry, self-absorded, and gullible - and for that I give him some props. I'm sure he crafted his narrative to give him the maximum amount of cover, but there's just no good way to explain away how you p More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 28, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

There are so many things I want to say about this book, but I don't even know where to begin.

First of all, Andrew Young was an idiot, but I think he recognizes that fact. He let his loyaly to John and Elizabeth Edawards rule his decision making, culminating in the most "You have GOT to be kidding me!!" decision of them all- letting himself take the fall for Edwards affair and child with Rielle Hunter. I don't begrudge him writing this book; as he said himself, his reputati More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2010

Suzanne rated it:

I admit it - I was very curious about getting an "insider" look at not just this debacle but the machinations of a political campaign, in general. In that sense it didn't dissappoint - but the reality is so depressing.

All the players involved here have much to explain for - including the author, Andrew Young, Edwards' number one aide. I belive he was seduced by the Edwards family and all the trappings that came with this kind of high level position. In fact, he says so rep More...

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Feb 19, 2010

Kathleen rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 16, 2010

Lori rated it:

A sad, tawdry and alarming tale of how close the corrupt and narcissistic John Edwards came to being in the highest seat of power. I never liked him, nor did I condone his running for president when his wife was terminally ill and this book simply validates everything I felt was "off" about him. There are no good guys (or gals) in this book, only selfish, misguided, power hungry and downright greedy individuals. Andrew Young does a credible job of portraying the events in an entirel More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 18, 2010

Rachel rated it:

Sad. On so many levels this book is just sad. I read it because I told a liberal friend I would read it if she read Sarah Palin's book. I also saw him on Oprah and genuinely seemed to like him although I thought what he did for John Edwards was quite dumb. Now I realize what he did was extremely dumb but I do understand why he felt like he needed to do what he did. The saddest part of it all to me is how tainted politics can be. I do know there is a good side and there ARE men who are hono More...

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Jun 08, 2010

David rated it:

has received so much press attention that I felt as though I had already read it. As you might imagine if you remember the bare outline of the story (author is the [married, with little kids:] John Edwards aide who agreed to live in hiding along with Edwards' mistress Rielle Hunter and claim to have fathered the baby Hunter and Edwards had, in order to help maintain Edwards' viability as a 2008 presidential candidate), he is resentful of having wasted 10 years or so of effort, loyalty, and trust More...

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May 07, 2010

Heather rated it:

While this wasn't the most well-written book I've ever read, it was juicy. I partially felt sorry for the author/sufferer Andrew Young, however if he'd been less self-serving and taken less crap from the Edwards family, he wouldn't have gotten into this situation.

He recounts (via his journal or by saved e-mails, texts and voicemails) everything about working for John Edwards, Mrs. Edwards and how crazy Rielle Hunter was/is. She did call her psychic advisor (TWICE) during a dinner t More...

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Mar 23, 2010

Sharon rated it:

Oh my goodness...a very good, interesting book! My opinion of this man DID NOT CHANGE...That smile, like he is trying to sell you something you don't want...Wow! am I glad he was never elected to the white house!

I am disappointed in his wife...I read her book a few months ago, and I always felt sorry for her. This book explains why John Edwards did not drop out of his run for president when he learned his wife's cancer had spread. It finally makes sense, where after I read her book, More...

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Mar 01, 2010

Candace rated it:

I've never been a fan of tell-all books. In this case, there are a few reasons why I chose to read Andrew Young's account of his work with and for John and Elizatbeth Edwards. First of all, I backed John Edwards early on, and I was curious to understand more about just what happened there. Second, I was impressed that Young was upfront about the fact that he wrote the book for the money. As my sister commented, after listening to Oprah's interview with Young, "Maybe you ought to buy the boo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 30, 2010

Jonny99 rated it:

At times a shocking account of power’s corrosive effects. While running as a legitimate candidate for the planet’s highest elected office, John Edwards impregnated his divorced, 40+ year old, technically homeless, unemployed screwball of a mistress (Lisa Jo “Rielle Hunter”Druck). Nearly any other man running on an ultra-high visibility campaign where moral turpitude and love of a cancer-stricken wife (Elizabeth Edwards) were foundational elements would have admitted he was licked. But this Ca More...

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Apr 17, 2010

Christine rated it:

I gave this 3 stars, because I'm a political junkie and it kept my interest...but as someone who despises everything they stand for........I felt like I needed to take a shower everytime I finished a chapter....because all these people are scum of the earth... None of this surprised me however.........It does not take a genius to be able to see through these people...and the Edwards were about as transparent as you could get....What is surprising is the media is so used to pedaling liberal prop More...

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Feb 18, 2010

Scott rated it:

This book is like an episode of Jerry Springer, but with well-educated and wealthy guests instead of trailer trash.

I liked the book, but probably mostly because I've never cared much for John Edwards. I've always thought he was an utter phony. This book confirmed my belief many times over. Andrew Young, the author, was the Edwards' family b*tch (there's no better term) for 11 years before writing this book. Though the book is obviously self-serving, and Young seems almost as More...

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