Leap Year

Erickson lambastes the Right and the Left in this journey through the election of 1988 (copyright 1989). Much of it could have been written about any election since by merely changing the names. Even though the specifics are dated, it is still a fun, funny and intelligent read in 2008. Highly recommended.

Leap Year takes the elections of 1988, one of the least interesting political years in my memory, and breaks it down step by step, candidate by candidate, and shows us exactly what was going on in his or her head at each step of the way. Erickson approaches the elections with the mind of a brilliant novelist, combining great personal stories of the conventions and meeting candidates in obscure locations with analytical genius, making almost everything about politics, even issues not discussed in the book, easily accessible to anyone. I did feel that the sections dealing with Sally Hemmings seemed a little irrelevant and confusing, especially when the same character is approached so well in Arc d'X. But otherwise, the surreal tone so familiar to Erickson's novels worked amazingly well. Read this book with a highlighter so you don't miss a thing

On the surface this is one view of the 1988 presidential race.In reality,it is an epic(but concise) capsule of our country:past,present,and future.Check it out