Alan Green's Review of Winning Back America

Alan Green, senior editor at the Center for Public Integrity has this to say about Howard Dean's book, Winning Back America, posted today on AlterNet.org:

Dean's book aptly complements his campaign style: Skip the finesse and pummel readers with lines as compact as left jabs. There's no setting of scenes or wasting time on the likes of metaphors or adjectives; instead, Vermont's former governor offers unblemished biography, followed by pages of Why I Want (and Deserve) to be President. He's not Raymond Carver, but Dean's less-is-more approach has its moments: He condenses his feelings about religion into 83 words, and his aversion to buying clothes requires but a single, memorable line: "My suits are like my friends: They're with me for the long haul."

This review originally appeared in The Dragonfly Review of Books, part of of Dragonfly Media.

Guest Reviewer Stuart Heady on Winning Back America

Guest reviewer Stuart Heady of www.Snohomish4Dean.us writes about "Winning Back America".

You can imagine sitting next to Howard Dean on a long flight, with plenty of time to ask him lots of questions. He tells you long stories to fill you in on his life history, his feelings about FDR, Vietnam, the Middle East, and the major issues. The book probably was written by someone who held a tape recorder microphone up so Dean could answer questions on long airplane trips between campaign stops.

I wish that the book's editor had started at Chapter 13, and put Section One second. This would start with the way Dean sees the campaign begin to take shape and involve more and more people. But, nevertheless for a good overview of who Howard Dean is, and highlights of the major positions on issues, this is well written and an informative read. The real Howard Dean, not the reflection in the media's funhouse mirror, is sitting with you as you read. Is this guy, the sort of person who should be President? Can you see him in the White House? Yes.

For those who want to argue the cause, this is a good handbook to work from, along with the blog and its daily updates.

-Stuart Heady
www.Snohomish4Dean.us

Publisher's Weekly reviews "Winning Back America"

The December 15th issue of Publisher's Weekly includes a brief review of "Winning Back America":

"I talk as simply and directly to people as possible," claims Dean, and though his official campaign biography-cum-manifesto is notable for its plainspokenness, it mostly lacks the passionate forcefulness the front-running Democratic candidate has shown on the campaign trail. The toning down appears deliberate; not only does Dean apologize for intemperate remarks, he goes out of his way to describe himself as a non-radical during his late '60s college years and compares his fiscal outlook to that of his "moderate business-oriented Republican" father. (He also has kind words for President Bush and his family, though he turns critical on the subject of the president's aides.) The account of his childhood and college years is bland, the result of downplaying his family's wealth. A feeling of enthusiasm doesn't set in until his decision to enroll in medical school, perhaps because that is also the period where he met his wife. Dean's flat facade also cracks in passages recalling the circumstances of his older brother's capture (and probable execution) by the Pathet Lao in Laos in 1974. Obliquely touching on the emotional effects of the trauma on his family, Dean also discusses how it has increased his reluctance to send American soldiers into combat and put their families through the same process. The final sections of the book veer away from the personal to the political, and much of its rhetoric will be instantly recognizable to anyone who's seen a Dean stump speech, possibly frustrating those who want to learn more deeply about the man and what he stand for.

Guest Reviewer: Jerome Wiley Segovia, Latinos For Dean

Jerome Segovia from Latinos For Dean sent in this review of Howard Dean's, "Winning Back America ."

Latinos For Dean, as an organization, has been planning to put together a book for all its volunteers by early 2004. In the book, we are planning to include information about Howard Dean, about his policies and plans for Latinos and for the country in general, as well as general information about primaries, electoral politics and a bit of history about the struggle of Latinos as members of the American community.

We were encouraged when we saw that Howard Dean was planning to publish a book about his life and candidacy. We thought, if Governor Dean, who is campaigning non-stop 24/7 can find the time to take notes, write, and help produce this book, then Latinos for Dean, with over 500 volunteers in 21 states and growing, can surely also work towards getting a book put together.

Howard's book finally became available a few days ago, and what a great read it has turned out to be. Perhaps we will see it translated into Spanish someday! It is a book that includes the major information a volunteer would want to know about his candidate, a good starting point for those who need to be eloquent about this incredible campaign, so they can continue communicating its message on the radio, at town hall meetings, at Meetups and many other situations.

Jerome Wiley Segovia was most recently employed by Electronic Data Systems and is now volunteering full time with Latinos For Dean.

Guest Review by "Dean Fan": Read Dean's book!

This review was posted in the comments by one of the visitors to this blog. We wanted to make sure you didn't miss seeing it so we're copying it to the main page.

The Dean book is excellent. I've just started reading it and he's warm and funny and genuine.

I've read a ton of candidate books over the years and this one of the best. Dean is able to inspire confidence while remaining close to the reader. To the extent that it's a bit wonky, that's ok, even a good thing. Dean is a bit wonky. You feel like you're having a long dinner conversation with him. And because of that, it works as a book, and is not just some long promotion.

Most of all Dean comes across as a straight shooter.

Get your friends to read his book. If they read it, they'll vote for him. They'll even want to read a second book by him. (And no one since JFK has made me feel that way.)

If you submit a review to this blog, we might highlight yours too!

Tell Us What You Think About "Winning Back America"

If you've read the book, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Please post a review in the comments section below. We'd like to feature some of your reviews here on the main page.

Guest Reviewer: Annie Fox

Author and Dean supporter Annie Fox sent in this review of Governor Dean's book:

I just finished reading an advance copy of Howard Dean's, "Winning Back America". It was an inspirational experience that renewed me with confidence that Dean is the "real deal" and has the vision, values, experience, and drive to make an outstanding President. What's packed in these 179 pages are the thoughts of a man who understands what America has historically stood for in the eyes of its founders, citizens, and countless millions around the world. Dean writes with clarity and passion about his intense desire to work to restore America to its traditional role of "leadership in which our power is multiplied by the appeal of democratic ideals and by the knowledge that our country is a force for law around the world, not a law unto itself."

Like millions of Democrats, I was flabbergasted by the Supreme Court's "interpretation" of the 2000 election. I figured with our democracy so blatantly compromised, things in America couldn't get any worse... then they did. Lots worse. I felt alternately embarrassed and dumbfounded by the audacity of George W. Bush. The kicker came the morning after 15 million of us marched against his plan for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq. Bush's response to history's largest protest was "I don't care." If 15 million protestors around the world couldn't get this guy to re-think his position, and no one in Congress seemed to be noticing anything was amiss, well, what could I possibly do to make a difference?

Nothing. Or so I told myself. I was that discouraged... Totally lacking courage.

Then along came Howard Dean and the first thing I noticed was that he was pissed off, not just at the Bushies but also at the Democrats for abandoning their liberal ideals and becoming "Bush lite." Good point. Dean was also saying that he was "tired of being divided by race, gender, sexual orientation." And that touched me too. And then he said that we had "the power to take back our country." And that hit a chord -- in fact, it made me teary eyed from the potency of it. I suddenly found myself feeling encouraged about what could be done to change the direction of our government's policies so that those policies really represent who we are. I wanted to be part of that change.

Reading Dean's book I kept thinking that this guy cares so much about people and about moving America forward, it makes you care too.

It's time to join together and do the work. Howard Dean has reminded us that we have the power to take back America. So, if you've got some folks on your gift list who are feeling depressed about the way things have been going since Bush took over, buy them a copy of "Winning Back America". It works better than Paxil.

--Annie Fox

Slate Review: A Browser's Guide to Campaign 2004

Slate's Chris Suellentrop wrote a review of "Winning Back America", summarizing each chapter in a CliffsNotes meets Comedy Central style. Here's an excerpt:

Chapter 5: Med School and Judy. Contains one of the more intriguing sentences in the book: "I didn't really get to be a happy person until I went to medical school." Dean's explanation for this is that he didn't work hard enough at Yale, and "If I'm directionless and coasting, I'm not happy." He meets his future wife, Judy Steinberg. He doesn't get into any of his top three choices for his medical residency. The University of Vermont was choice No. 4, and he moves to Burlington in May 1978.

Click Here to read the entire review.