Dirty Sexy Politics is a 2010 political memoir written by Meghan McCain, the daughter of Republican Senator John McCain, about the 2008 United States presidential election.
 | |
| Authors | Meghan McCain |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Hyperion[1] |
Publication date | August 31, 2010[1] |
Content
editIn this political memoir, Meghan McCain, the daughter of Republican Senator John McCain and heiress to the Hensley & Co. beer distribution fortune through her maternal grandfather, Jim Hensley,[2] recounts her experiences while campaigning for her father during the 2008 United States presidential election.[1]
Critical reception
editThe Huffington Post mocked the book cover, asking, "Beyond Sex With an Elephant, Meghan, What Are You Trying to Tell Me?"[3] The American Spectator remarked that "Meghan cries a lot in this brief book."[4] They added that it was hard to take her political ideas seriously, concluding that it would be "an effort that can only end in tears."[4]
RedState blogger Leon Wolf criticized the book in The New Ledger (a web publication founded and edited by McCain's future husband Ben Domenech[5]). Wolf argued it showed "her unbearable narcissism, delusions of persecution, anti-religious bigotry, and mendacity' as well as 'her manifestly below-average intelligence."[6] They added, "that a publishing company let this authorial abortion go to print is an insult to the collective self-worth of our thinking nation."[6] Wolf went on to say that the book "contain[ed] not one citation or reference to any factual source," adding that it was 'predictably disastrous.'[6] They added that the book included examples of "spoiled-brattishness" and demonstrated "her sense of entitlement."[6]
The Washington Post described it as a "youthful narrative" with a "healthy sense of humor."[7] They went on to say that it was "as much a scathing critique of the Republican Party as it is a passionate tale of life on the campaign trail."[7] However, they added that she "writes movingly of election day," but that she "felt gloomy enough to imagine the worst for the party."[7] Out & About Newspaper agreed, suggesting, "the most striking element in this book is her naivete and, at times, the brashness of youth she embodies."[8] They stressed "her lack of experience and her raw feelings," adding that she was "unschooled in groupthink – which she regards as counter to individual freedom," yet "undaunted and energized."[8]
The Christian Science Monitor suggested she did not toe the Republican Party line, but opined that was because she was "the daughter of a maverick."[9] They concluded that she told the reader "tell us more than [they] wanted to know."[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Dirty Sexy Politics". Hachette Book Group.
- ^ Noreen Malone, Meghan McCain's "Dirty Sexy Politics": No Sex, Not Much Dirt, Slate, September 1, 2010
- ^ Michael Shaw, Beyond Sex With an Elephant, Meghan, What Are You Trying to Tell Me?, The Huffington Post, September 21, 2010
- ^ a b Jeremy Lott, Big Girls Don't Cry, The American Spectator, November 2010
- ^ Barone, Michael (February 5, 2009). "Recommended Blog Reading: The New Majority, The New Ledger, And The Next Right". CBS News. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d Wolf, Leon H. (September 13, 2010). "Meghan McCain's Dirty, Sexy Politics". The New Ledger. Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Steven Levingston, Review of 'Dirty Sexy Politics,' by Meghan McCain, The Washington Post, September 1, 2010
- ^ a b Victor Stepien, The Brashness of Youth, Out & About Newspaper, December 3, 2010
- ^ a b Peter Grier, Meghan McCain's 'Dirty Sexy Politics': five best lines, The Christian Science Monitor, September 1, 2010