Election

I finished this book last night and, for close to ten minutes, sat with it in my hands, utterly stunned and delighted by Tom Perrotta's narrative. On the surface, "Election" seems just another tribute to Generation-X, broken families, and the classically icky tale of the over-achiever you knew in high school. However, what unfolds in this slim volume is a seamless story about a classless anti-heroine. Amidst some very sharp diction, biting humour, and poetic observations, Tracy at once emerges as a pathetic uber-student and silly femme fatale, a victim of the loneliness ambition brings. Though, it is not until halfway through the novel that the reader learns how and why we feel sorry for Tracy. Some very painful glimpses behind Tracy's awards and achievements occur, but rest assured that they do not happen in a soap operatic way - but rather, they are implied with a single statment, one word, unwitting admissions by Tracy herself. The fact is, we find out how devastated she is by her loneliness at the same rate she does - that's what makes this book so great - we don't know anymore about Tracy than Tracy does at any given point.The ultimate impact of "Election" is an exacting political satire and complex human portrait that is not without its jabs at the American Dream and the inherently doomed and damnable American Dreamer.I look forward to reading Mr. Perrotta's other efforts. Ten stars, if possible!

A funny but ultimately depressing read, Perotta asks what happens when you realize your dreams, and then realize they're not all that great. The book looks at a high school election and the adults and teens participating in it. In spite of all the effort put into the election, it seems a futile exercise: most of the kids don't care, and the ones that do care too much. By the end, everyone walks away unsatisfied - if not diminished - by their electoral experience. And yet, even if Perotta's characters can't give meaning to their lives, at least he gives the whole thing humor and humanity.

I have to admit, I saw the movie first. At the suggestion of this page I also read "Bad Haircut" before reading "Election". "Bad Haircut" was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was a guy.Anyway, the book fills in a blank spots that abound in the movie. It incorporates current events that occurred around the time the book was written. The reactions of the characters to this and each other makes them three-dimensional. You feel like they could've gone to your school. While the film focused mostly on the character of Mr. M, the lovable civics teacher, the book offers more monologues from more characters. Tracy Flick is given more of a chance to explain herself and is viewed less as a villain, and more as a normal person.If I haven't sold you yet, read the book for this one reason: IT HAS A BETTER ENDING!!!!!(Theres a reason why Tom Perotta teaches writing at Harvard!!!!!)

Tom Perrotta has written a savvy and lively account that accurately describes the hell of high school. In this book, not just high school, but a high school election, are the vehicles through which we see how self-destructive people can be, as well as how certain types of pressure often bring out the worst characteristics in people. Although Perrotta's characters are not terribly likeable, we sympathize with them because they are so human. We cannot say for sure, "I would never act like that!" Perrotta captures the pain of not being popular, the agony of teenagers who cannot find their niche in life, and the misery of adults who have lost their way. "Election" is a gem, beautifully written and an instant classic.

It's always exciting to have a new favorite author. With his third book, "Election," Tom Perrotta is firmly established as an expressive and creative writer of the highest order. One of the remarkable things about "Election," is that the narrative shifts among the main characters. It's not that the characters' versions of events conflict - the telling of the story moves from one to another effortlessly, as if the characters were trading riffs at a jam session. It's not surprising that "Election," is soon to be a film; the cuts are built-in as the perspective changes from narrator to narrator. I found it disturbing that most of the men in the story have frighteningly sexist beliefs - I kept wanting to scream at them. Eventually I admitted to myself that there are plenty of men that are really like this. A school election is at the center of this novel, and the events take place against the backdrop of the 1992 presidential campaign. Perrotta knows that we know all about the sexual shenanigans and duplicity that are taking place in the 'other' election. Sex seems to be on the minds of most of the characters, most of the time. This is a great book, and a quick read. You'll find yourself wanting to read or reread his previous books, "The Wishbones," and "Bad Haircut.