Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader

by Joe Hilley

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin s nomination as vice presidential candidate by John McCain not only changed the landscape of the current election, but also marked a shift in leadership style across our country. Exploring themes from her career in politics, her life as a hockey mom, and her strongly held Christian Faith, this book explores the leadership principles that made Palin successful.

Genres: Biography, Politics, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I was born in Alabama and grew up on the Gulf Coast. After years of practicing law, I quit to write about people and topics that interest me.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good information, but too much wasted space and filler.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, the book was poorly written and jumped around unnecessarily. I've read both books Palin penned herself, and this includes no new information. If anything, it paraphrases Going Rogue in a clouded, biased voice. Hilley's argues Palin follows her core values (also known as "Christian values") in all choices. It refers to same-sex unions as "marriage" (quotation marks?) and describes Bush as if he were Bob Dylan ("compelling manner... folksy appeal... simplifying rhetoric"). The worst, however, is when he calls Palin a feminist. Excuse me?

not every woman in politics = feminist

Palin is all about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, but she's a renegade PTA mom surrounded by supportive family. It worked for her, and it's a solid reference point for her campaign. That's what makes her a good conservative. However, feminism means fighting for an individual's rights regardless of their sex. Conservative feminism may as well be an oxymoron. Pro-choice is not exactly pro-abortion; it's pro-right of individual to make her own choice on the situation without the government's input. Palin does well as a strong woman in a man's world, and I respect her for it. Her best asset is her ability to cut the fat when it comes to unnecessary government spending; she's a thrifty lady. But remove her name from the feminism roster, because she's fighting for the other team.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

regardless of political views, this is an interesting, but VERY poorly written book. it's like a five year old wrote it.

[Kristie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can I give this zero stars? The quality of the writing was SO bad and the skew SO painful... Ugh!

[Sadie_okay_okay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly didn't think this book was the right book for me. I think Sarah Palin would've been a good leader, however, I agreed with her about some things, but some of her theories were confusing and I didn't fully understand them. This book tells a lot about Sarah Palin and her journey in the running for vice president and a lot about her backstory. It also tells about the family and their beliefs that abortion is wrong and that's why she had her son with down syndrome and is also supporting her teenage daughter with her pregnancy. Maybe Sarah might have been a good leader and it would've been awesome to have our first female Vice President, but from what I read, I don't think I would have voted for her.

[Marie Sorensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author compares Sarah Palin to 10 Leadership Characteristics he believes are needed in the leaders of today and in the days to come. He shows how she measures up to those and also points out some of her failings. Basically, his conclusion is that the leaders of the present and near future need to be much like Sarah Palin. His writing has its own lackings. He repeats and jumps around and the sentence structure leaves something to be desired at times. His final paragraph is his best.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much rah rah, McCain is so wonderful. Obama and Palin are changing the way the political system works. I couldn't get past the first two chapters.

[Kristen Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was what I felt like was written honestly with no sway either way of like or dislike from the author. This book is about the Governor of Alaska and and Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. The book tells the story of Sarah Palin, and goes into depth on the character she has developed throughout her life from childhood till now.
This is a very interesting yet informative book, one that I thought really gives the reader a good understanding of Sarah Palin about all that she has done. If you want to know more about Sarah Palin, then I would highly recommend that you get this book to take a sneak peek into the life of Sarah Palin and learn who she is, where she came from, and what she's about.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of Republican. Not one whine in the entire book. (I guess that's redundant). Back in my days when I did some womanizing and drinkinizing, her looks would have been enough. But now, the fact that she has her own gun puts her pretty much over the top. If you are a Republican and like Sarah, you'll get a kick out of this book. If you're a Democrat or a proabortion person (thank God YOU made it at least) you'll have apoplexy by the second page. Please read it.

[JEAN-PHILIPPE PEROL]

Au delà de sa vie personnelle et de la justification d'une campagne présidentielle bien mal gérée, ce livre montre la vision mystico-nationaliste des fous de Dieu américains qu'elle a su bien symboliser.

Les nombreux paradoxes de l'extrême droite républicaine sont également bien illustrés, sur la corruption ou le népotisme, comme leur vision d'un état a-minima 'to protect not to perfect' ou leur volonté de bon sens...

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little more information on Sarah Palin. Hilley argues the model for leadership has changed from an individual with more specific knowledge to an individual with less specific knowledge, but a strong sense of ethics and integrity. Information on Palin is interesting, but the leadership arguments fall flat.

[Sheila Samuelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally i don't read Biographies BUT I read this one cause im a fan of her's. Her Biography Very Insightful of Mrs. Palin's life and Career.

Looks at both sides of the Political System! Alot of things about her i didnt know, but all in all it was a really good biography.

I give it a 3 stars cause of the view of it shows both sides of her before and during her career back in 2008.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

ALthough it was obviously done quickly and was politically motivated, I did learn more about the candidate and appreciate her more as a woman who has learned from mistakes and pushed herself to excel.

[Paulin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's great to know that there is still a leader who is not afraid of shaking the system to get the best results! Kudos to women in power who uses their lives for God's greater glory! May the Lord continue to enlarge your territory!

[Albert A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book written when Sarah Palin had first entered the national scene as a vice presidential candidate. It is basically a factual account of her life up to that point, although the author did allow his admiration for her enter into the narrative from time to time.

[Chapman04]

I enjoyed reading more about Sarah Palin and her family. She's got my vote.

[Laura Debenham · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a woman. I especially loved her conversion to Christianity story. Reading about her childhood and teen experiences helped me appreciate her adult decisions.

[Winnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read it! Bought it today!

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative...although, I could have done with less of the author's editorializing about how great she is and more of just Palin's life. I'd like to make my own opinion, thank you very much!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pers. Rev. Dec. 2008

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on a great woman. Made me like her even more! A Must read for those interested in the future of politics on the federal level.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I really liked the book.

[Dory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked learning more about her. Someone gave/lent it to me to read, so I read through it as I had time and interest.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book on Sarah Palin Took the main points from her VP acceptance speech and elaborated on them so that we had a better understanding.

[Oscar Maquito · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.2/5

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It Was An Okay Book. 💜

[Saleena Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the author categorized e/ part of Sarah’s life into the different leadership skills she possesses. This was short, sweet, and to the point. I already knew most of this from reading her memoir “Going Rogue”, but this is a good read that summarizes most of the skills and attributes that make up Sarah Palin. I’d recommend this to those who want to learn more about her, but don’t wish to read her entire memoir. However, if you already have, I would recommend skipping because it summarizes most of what she already has talked about. I have always respected Sarah Palin for her uniqueness as compared to other politicians. She isn’t your typical politician, born into money, politics, or the public eye. She is just a small town Alaskan girl who became a mother and wanted to use her ideas to do good for the state she loved and was raising her children in. She embodies a symbol of women who wish to rise to the potential of traditional positions held by men.