“It’s one of the best books on politics of any kind I’ve read. For entertainment value, I put it up there with Catch 22.” —The Financial Times
“It transports you to a parallel universe in which everything in the National Enquirer is true….More interesting is what we learn about the candidates themselves: their frailties, egos and almost super-human stamina.” —The Financial Times
“I can’t put down this book!” —Stephen Colbert
Game Change is the New York Times bestselling story of the 2008 presidential election, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the best political reporters in the country. In the spirit of Richard Ben Cramer’s What It Takes and Theodore H. White’s The Making of the President 1960, this classic campaign trail book tells the defining story of a new era in American politics, going deeper behind the scenes of the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin campaigns than any other account of the historic 2008 election.
Download and start listening now!
"I am a political junkie. During the 2008 race I was glued to everything newsie. This book was entirely familiar to me, and yet it gave a behind the scenes peek into what was NOT in the story. Easy to read and interesting to the end. Also, don't be fooled by the movie. The book is mainly about the Democratic race for the nomination. Very little is about McCain/Palin."
— Gina (4 out of 5 stars)
“Heilemann and Halperin have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign…It vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused Obama’s opponents to self-destruct.”
— New York Times Book Review“A fascinating account…Heilemann and Halperin serve up a spicy smorgasbord of observations, revelations, and allegations…Game Change leaves the reader with a vivid, visceral sense of the campaign and a keen understanding of the paradoxes and contingencies of history.”
— New York Times“An amazing piece of work…One of the best books on politics of any kind…An absolutely gripping read.”
— Financial Times (London)“Riveting…A must-read for anyone interested in the cutthroat backroom hows and whys of a presidential campaign.”
— Entertainment Weekly" This is not a book about political candidates' positions on issues, rather an inside look at how the campaigns were run. It is fascinating!!! "
— Cindy, 2/17/2014" It was very balanced in it's approach I thought. He didn't take sides...he simply reported the story. Overall though, it was too much detail. This book could have been as good as it was and been half as long. It did become tedious. "
— Jay, 2/6/2014" Fascinating and insightful. If it is as described, then this a race worth following. Seeing parallels in 2012 "
— Santanu, 2/4/2014" I thought it was more interesting because I read it during this last election. I didn't finish it until after the election so those last few chapters were not quite as exciting. "
— Megan, 2/2/2014" This was an ok, book but not quite what I had hoped for. It was listed among the best books of the year by The Economist. It had some interesting annecdotes, but hardly the "political porn" it was described as. "
— Christian, 1/24/2014" A little gossipy, but a nice look into the intricacies of the 2008 election. "
— Evlondo, 1/20/2014" The authors had great insight into the race. They did excellent research, providing conversations between people who were running the campaigns. "
— Pat, 1/19/2014" Great behind the scenes book on the campaigns for the past election. Definitely felt like an insider and the characters in the story became real for me as opposed to the glossy images they want to be seen as in the media. "
— Pamela, 1/4/2014" Insider take on 2008 election lives up to billing. A must read for political junkies. "
— Don, 12/27/2013" Incredibly interesting & fast-reading insight into the very human & very messed up world of political campaigns. "
— Liz, 12/27/2013" A must read for any political junkie who lived the 2008 election as if it was a Game of Thrones book. Of course with less incest, I think. "
— Gianluca, 12/24/2013" Well written account of the 2008 US Presidential race. Great fun! "
— Howard, 12/23/2013" It is definitely written from a liberal partisan perspective. However, it is truly engaging. A must-read for political junkies. "
— Lindsey, 12/14/2013" I actually didn't finish this, partly due to my other life obligations and partly because of my politics. This is definitely from a left-wing point of view, but I still learned a lot of the "inside" story about the campaigns. Very entertaining! "
— Darren, 12/5/2013" Have to agree with The Economist: "High-quality political porn". "
— Torstein, 11/19/2013" This was phenomenal. I loved the insider look into this election. Hope they do another one for the 2012 election campaign. "
— Terri, 10/23/2013" This one took me awhile to get through but I found it really interesting, especially during an election year. I sometimes found the author used bigger words than necessary when an everyday word could have simply been used instead but I enjoyed learning new words of the day :) "
— Melissa, 6/5/2013" Very good book to read and learned somethings about the election that I was a very active participant as a lead volunteer in Minnesota for Obama. Felt was a little too inside Washington at times & not about the #1 story of the campaign which was the involvement of grassroots volunteers. "
— carl, 4/26/2013" Read it three times. Excellent book! "
— Matt, 12/3/2012" Very good behind the scenes of the 2088 race. Also, much, much better than the already good HBO based on (one small part of) the book. "
— L., 11/12/2012" Brilliant insights, gripping, highly recommend. "
— Lynn, 10/30/2012" Couldn't put this one down. Devoured it in a day and enjoyed it immensely. "
— Mrples, 8/18/2012" Just great. As described by my friend Alex who recommended it, "like a really long, really good New York Magazine article". I remember living through all of this, of course, but now I understand it. "
— Aaron, 2/23/2012" My sister recommended this book and I am glad I picked it up. It gave me new insight into our often confusing political process. There were parts that I found incomplete, but on the whole, I would recommend this book. I am watching this year unfold with increased interest. "
— R., 8/16/2011" Read more like a novel than a non-fiction political book. Even though I consider myself fairly well informed about political matters, I learned quite a bit about the 2008 campaign. Wow, the country really dodged a bullet by not electing McCain/Palin. "
— Dellanie, 7/24/2011" A pretty god overview of a historic campaign. This is the first book on this subject that presents all of the main players in an impartial way. That is to say with their positive and negative traits. A pretty good read. "
— Roberto, 5/19/2011" I had starting reading this book when it first came out but put it down around page 40 and hadn't bothered to pick it up until last week. I am addicted to the political gossip. Love the behind the scene stories we didn't get to see. "
— Roxanna, 5/11/2011" Very interesting and entertaining. The part about McCain watching the Edwards "hair" video over and over to cheer himself up is hilarious. "
— Patty, 5/2/2011" This book is riveting. We already know how the story ends and who won, but the behind the scenes drama is as good as any suspense novel. "
— Michele, 4/21/2011" I thought if was facinating to read about all of the 2008 presidental candidates from a journalist's perspective. No one came out of this book unscathed. "
— Jill, 4/21/2011" Entertaining, although I felt like I was watching reality TV (the McCains! Does it never stop!?).<br/><br/>My aunt showed a modicum of taste in dismissing it as a 'kiss and tell', but really I want one of these for every City Council election. "
— Grouchymax, 4/18/2011" Fascinating look inside the 2008 campaigns. We should all read it again before the 2012 campaign. Politics is an ugly business. "
— Racquel, 4/17/2011" A fast paced look at the hidden world of political campaigns and strategies that will change the way you evaluate presidential candidates. "
— Jo-ann, 4/15/2011" I read this book mostly because I was out of the country for the primaries and run-up to the election. A fast and easy read (like a tabloid) it was interesting to get a behind the scenes look and it was surprising to see how much of that news actually DID make it out of the US. "
— Ellen, 4/8/2011" Fascinating, troubling and funny (in a we're-so-screwed kind of way). "
— Dennis, 4/4/2011John Heilemann is the national political correspondent and columnist for New York magazine. An award-winning journalist and the author of Pride before the Fall: The Trials of Bill Gates and the End of the Microsoft Era, he is a former staff writer for the New Yorker, Wired, and the Economist. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Mark Halperin is an editor at large and a senior political analyst for Time magazine and a senior political analyst for MSNBC. He is also the coauthor of Double Down: Game Change 2012. Halperin, who has covered seven presidential elections, received his BA from Harvard and resides in New York City with Karen Avrich.
Dennis Boutsikaris is a two-time OBIE award winner. He has received five Audie Awards and seven Golden Earphone Awards for his work in over 100 audiobooks and was voted one of the Best Voices of the Year by AudioFile magazine. He has appeared in numerous Broadway, television, and film roles. He played Mozart on Broadway in Amadeus and has appeared on television shows including Shameless, The Good Wife, House M.D., Grey’s Anatomy, ER, and Law & Order.