United Liberty

I’ve never been a big reader. Of course, I read a lot for research for what I write here on the blog, but apparently it’s not the same as reading books. Recently I’ve noticed that my writing is better when I’m reading, so I’m going to make an attempt at reviewing one book a month in an effort to keep myself reading.

This first review is of How to Run for Office on a Liberty Platform, a collection of advice submitted by liberty candidates from the last couple of years. I found out about this book when I heard Gigi Bowman on my friend Valerie Meyers’ internet radio show.

Basic premise of the book. It’s an interesting idea: collect bits of wisdom from similar candidates, compile it, organize it, and share it for others’ benefit.

What I liked. It’s a well-organized book, the information from the candidates is broken up into small pieces so it’s easy to pick up and read a little at a time. Most of the information is very valuable, though sometimes contrary (one candidate says not to waste time going door-to-door while another says it’s the best way to meet voters). A few of the candidates really stood apart from the others, and if I were planning a run for office, I’d contact them directly for more input on how to run for office.

What I didn’t like. The advice from some of the candidates should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, one candidate suggested saving money by sewing your own wardrobe. Another mentioned learning HTML so you could build/design your own web site. If a seamstress or a web developer is running for office, that advice may make sense, but to think that someone might try to learn HTML to save a few bucks on a campaign web site is absurd.

Who I’d recommend read this book. If you’re ever going to run for office – as a liberty candidate or not, you should probably read this book. Beyond that, if you’re serious about helping someone run for office, this book has a lot of good ideas that will go a long way in a political campaign. If you hate all things political, you can safely skip this one.

Bottom line. I liked it. It’s not the best book you’ll ever read, but if you’re interested in hands-on politics whether as a candidate or as a volunteer, you would benefit by the information offered in this book.

Disclosure: I bought this book with my own money; it was not given to me. I have not been asked to review it; I did so by my own choice. Also, if you click the link and buy the book, I’ll get a commission on the sale (which wouldn’t ruin my day).