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America #1
America the Beautiful
Emily Benton has spent her entire life immersed in politics. Having been raised in the industry, she has the kinds of contacts that it takes most politicians decades to build. She knows that she can win the race for president of the United States, but only if she destroys her rival first, before he can find and use hidden ammunition on her. If Emily destroys him, the election will be hers. A groundbreaking novel about the intersection of politics, power, personality, and the future of our country.
- GenresFiction
391 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
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43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 9, 2015
I loved this quote from the book “GOLDEN RULE OF POLITICS “Do unto others as they would do unto you, but do it FIRST.” Isn’t that the truth. Ha! The author states that “If Christians don’t venture out into the world and work to lift it above its troubles, what good are we???” I felt the urgency of this message as I read each page.
Laura Hayden spins a heartfelt tale of a president in the making as she describes Emily Benton’s race to the white house. The political race takes so many twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat reading every word. I felt like I was watching the best teams in the Super Bowl battle it out for the grand prize. Who was going to win?? It was anyone’s guess. At a Super Bowl game I don’t want to leave the TV for fear I would miss the excitement. I didn’t want to put the book down because things changed all the time. Just when I thought a team was winning the other side would make an unexpected move!! It was intriguing.
Laura Hayden definitely made me think that America is experiencing this very issue as Hillary Clinton tries her best to seek to be the First Woman President. I felt as if I were in the middle of a virtual reality tour on the campaign trail , inside power meetings and tucked away behind closed doors. Had it not been for the Clintons first and now second time running for this high office and all its drama; I wouldn’t have believed the events in this book were possible.
Emily Benton is a strong, beautiful, brilliant, calculating woman driven to win the most powerful position in the land almost any way she can. Kate; Emily’s campaign manager, conscious; best friend, Christian who lives her faith in front of this presidential hopeful who doesn’t share her deep convictions but respects and desires to do the right thing in the end; or does she?
I was not only cheering for Emily Benton to be elected because the author made me “feel” thru Kates’ eyes; but I too felt that Emily was the BEST person for the job; it had nothing to do with her gender. As the details unfolded in the this exciting story of the political process. I saw how democracy is an amazing thing. I felt like I was watching this very operation in action and cherished its function even more as I read ”America the Beautiful” and saw the good; the bad; and the ugly.
I sympathized with Kate’s agony as her faith was put to the test daily, sometimes minute by minute. Could she continue being a Christian with all this bombardment to her faith, and the way she lived her life? Running for that kind of office is tough and grueling. The closer everyone got to the actual power of the White House things began to change and the stakes became higher. Kate was learning (and so was I) that there always was legal, moral, and ethical consequences to every action we take.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
Laura Hayden spins a heartfelt tale of a president in the making as she describes Emily Benton’s race to the white house. The political race takes so many twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat reading every word. I felt like I was watching the best teams in the Super Bowl battle it out for the grand prize. Who was going to win?? It was anyone’s guess. At a Super Bowl game I don’t want to leave the TV for fear I would miss the excitement. I didn’t want to put the book down because things changed all the time. Just when I thought a team was winning the other side would make an unexpected move!! It was intriguing.
Laura Hayden definitely made me think that America is experiencing this very issue as Hillary Clinton tries her best to seek to be the First Woman President. I felt as if I were in the middle of a virtual reality tour on the campaign trail , inside power meetings and tucked away behind closed doors. Had it not been for the Clintons first and now second time running for this high office and all its drama; I wouldn’t have believed the events in this book were possible.
Emily Benton is a strong, beautiful, brilliant, calculating woman driven to win the most powerful position in the land almost any way she can. Kate; Emily’s campaign manager, conscious; best friend, Christian who lives her faith in front of this presidential hopeful who doesn’t share her deep convictions but respects and desires to do the right thing in the end; or does she?
I was not only cheering for Emily Benton to be elected because the author made me “feel” thru Kates’ eyes; but I too felt that Emily was the BEST person for the job; it had nothing to do with her gender. As the details unfolded in the this exciting story of the political process. I saw how democracy is an amazing thing. I felt like I was watching this very operation in action and cherished its function even more as I read ”America the Beautiful” and saw the good; the bad; and the ugly.
I sympathized with Kate’s agony as her faith was put to the test daily, sometimes minute by minute. Could she continue being a Christian with all this bombardment to her faith, and the way she lived her life? Running for that kind of office is tough and grueling. The closer everyone got to the actual power of the White House things began to change and the stakes became higher. Kate was learning (and so was I) that there always was legal, moral, and ethical consequences to every action we take.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
February 14, 2009
Emily Benton wants to be the first female President of the United States. Kate Rosen is her best friend, her chief of staff, her campaign manager and her moral compass. This first installment of the American Series by Laura Hayden covers the campaign through election night.
Emily is high-powered and will stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. Kate finds that politics often clashes with her Christian beliefs.
I found this to be an interesting story, especially as it came out during this last election. While the book doesn't come right out and say who is the Democrat and who is the Republican, it is clear that Emily is a classic liberal who not only believes she can change the world, but believes that she is what America needs. She is young, attractive and fresh, and comes from a famous Kennedy-esque political family with the requisite closet skeletons. Her opponent is a thinly veiled composite of Bush and McCain, portrayed as old and out of touch. I never really came to like or care about her. I did like that she was portrayed as a woman who gained the presidential nomination on her own. She wasn't a VP candidate, she wasn't a sidekick. She was the candidate on her own terms and her own issues. That was refreshing.
Kate, on the other hand, I liked. She's no-nonsense and while she truly believes that Emily is what is right for America, she has a hard time compromising her values to find the dirt on Emily's opponents and blackmail them before they can blackmail Emily.
The behind-the-scenes look at a presidential election was fascinating. Not knowing a great deal about the inside workings of political campaigns, I nevertheless found this to be insightful and educational.
There is very little preaching. Kate prays a lot and prays with those close to her: her mentor Wes, especially. The story shows how easily a person's faith is tested, especially in the murky world of politics where it is much too easy to lose sight of one's values.
Overall, an interesting, easy read.
Emily is high-powered and will stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. Kate finds that politics often clashes with her Christian beliefs.
I found this to be an interesting story, especially as it came out during this last election. While the book doesn't come right out and say who is the Democrat and who is the Republican, it is clear that Emily is a classic liberal who not only believes she can change the world, but believes that she is what America needs. She is young, attractive and fresh, and comes from a famous Kennedy-esque political family with the requisite closet skeletons. Her opponent is a thinly veiled composite of Bush and McCain, portrayed as old and out of touch. I never really came to like or care about her. I did like that she was portrayed as a woman who gained the presidential nomination on her own. She wasn't a VP candidate, she wasn't a sidekick. She was the candidate on her own terms and her own issues. That was refreshing.
Kate, on the other hand, I liked. She's no-nonsense and while she truly believes that Emily is what is right for America, she has a hard time compromising her values to find the dirt on Emily's opponents and blackmail them before they can blackmail Emily.
The behind-the-scenes look at a presidential election was fascinating. Not knowing a great deal about the inside workings of political campaigns, I nevertheless found this to be insightful and educational.
There is very little preaching. Kate prays a lot and prays with those close to her: her mentor Wes, especially. The story shows how easily a person's faith is tested, especially in the murky world of politics where it is much too easy to lose sight of one's values.
Overall, an interesting, easy read.
July 1, 2008
This book was just okay. It was slow-moving at times and overly heavy on the political "behind the scenes" descriptions. I appreciated some of the descriptions, but there were too many, especially since we are all living through a major election right now. I liked the character of Kate and it will be interesting to see how she develops in the sequel, which is set after the election. I also appreciated the faith-based dilemmas facing Kate, Nick and Wes. This book wasn't overly preachy, but it did portray how one's faith can be tried in the world of politics.
August 13, 2008
This was a pretty good read. The politics and events were believable although, dealing with current political issues makes it difficult to get completely into the story since the main character supposedly had an uncle who was president which, is not true. I was impressed with some of the final conclusions of the main character as they were good reminders to myself of the fact that God has called each of us to specific tasks for Him.
September 7, 2016
Wow talk about timely! I enjoyed this book not only because of current events in the political world, but because it made me look at politics differently. The effort and dedication it takes to aspire for the presidency is enormous, more so than I ever realized. This story had it all--great characters, a lot of insight into politics and politicians and a look at the realistic role of religion in today's world. It was well written, paced well, and very engaging. I can't wait for the sequels.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews