You really have to read this in the same vein as "Primary Colors" the fictionalized account of Clinton's 1992 race (fictionalized in that the characters aren't named Clinton, but are in suspiciously identical circumstances). Some of it's pieced together, some of it's assumed, all of it's anonymously sourced. So if you're used to footnotes and fact-checks... Go elsewhere.

Otherwise? This is a really good read! The Democratic primary scuffle is fascinating, and that's why it takes up at least 50% of the book. The Republican primary is weak tea by comparison, but then again, that's what it was in real life as well: a weak field totally overshadowed by what was going on in Democrat-land. The introduction of Palin is terrifying, and then it all wraps up kind of quickly at the end. Clearly, the big thrill for the writers was the Obama/Clinton battle of generational and dynastic change.

I'm a politics nerd, so I actually remember most of this from newspapers and blogs, but it's great to get a glimpse of what was happening inside the campaigns. And certainly nice to read as we're coming up on the midterm elections, and everyone's eyeing Obama and wondering if he'll come through for Democrats. We'll see, I guess, but he's certainly shown he plays the game well enough to have as good a chance as anyone at defying predictions.