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We hope you have enjoyed your visit. Please return soon!  Visit Laura Hayden's website. If you liked America the Beautiful, be sure to check out: |
Title of Book: America the Beautiful By Laura Hayden BACK COVER: The first woman president? Emily Benton wants to be the first woman president of the United States of America. She has the pedigree, the talent, and the will to succeed as a candidate. And she’ll stop at nothing—absolutely nothing—to achieve her goal. It’s Kate Rosen’s job to make Emily’s dream a reality. Besides being Emily’s best friend, her chief of staff, and her campaign manager, Kate’s most important role is as Emily’s conscience. Both women entered politics to change the world, but Kate never anticipated how politics would change them. Now she’s faced with the ultimate clash between her beliefs and Emily’s drive to become president. Lives are at stake, and Kate Rosen is a woman torn between her duty to God, her duty to country, and her duty to friendship. The fate of the nation, and perhaps the world, rests on what she does next… REVIEWER’S COMMENTS: Politics, according to the dictionary, is “the practise of conducting political affairs.” However, the definition says nothing about how one might be expected to conduct such affairs. In America the Beautiful, Laura Hayden has given readers a glimpse into the hectic lives of those who might pursue the highest office in the United States of America, the office of President. Emily Benton is a born leader, raised in a political family of leaders. She has one agenda—to rise to the top. Kate Rosen, on the other hand, is a servant, gifted at organizing and directing, and Emily’s best friend. Emily worships power, while Kate worships God. As best friends, together they pursue Emily’s dream of the Oval Office. The moral underpinnings of the two women are opposites, and yet somehow they manage to work together with a common agenda. As the calendar pages fall away, the battle for party nomination heats up. Mud-slinging begins. Emily has no qualms about using any information, personally harmful or not, against her opponents. Kate finds herself increasingly at odds with Emily’s choices. Kate must choose whom she will serve—her friend, or her God. Like Laura Hayden, I personally do not like politics. However, America the Beautiful is an education into the process political candidates must face in the months before an election. The characters are fictitious, but the reader can grasp the magnitude of the commitment required of candidates and their family members. The travel and time away from home, stress on family members, and brutal competition are very real. Although I felt I learned more about the road to the Whitehouse in America the Beautiful, I found myself wishing for less political detail and more insight into the main characters. It seemed the book reinforced for me exactly why I do NOT like politics in America. Even though Kate was a Christian, she waffled and compromised, to some extent. I wanted her to choose to leave the political arena, if Emily was unable to choose integrity. I didn’t like political affairs before I read America the Beautiful, and I may be less inclined to political affairs after reading! Laura Hayden’s writing style is easy to read, but the story left me disillusioned. That said, I definitely would recommend America the Beautiful to those who are politically inclined! OUR REVIEWER: Jody Miller is a mother of 2, although one has flown the nest. She loves reading, Bible study, and nature photography. |
