Sarah Palin is like a national Rorschach inkblot test, especially for women. What we see when we look at her tells an awful lot about us. I’m not talking her politics per se, I’m talking her great hair, snappy clothes, edgy glasses, and Tina Fey sparkle.
Maybe we hate her because she’s beautiful. Maybe we love her ’cause she’s feisty. Maybe we feel threatened by her seeming ability to have it all. Maybe we think her priorities are really mixed up as we yell at the kids to get their ding-dang shoes on RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Maybe we think she’s the Rosa Parks of the 21st century. Maybe we think a beauty queen could never be king.
I have mixed feelings about her (politically AND personally), but I don’t really care that the Republican National Committee spent $150,000 outfitting her with more bracelet jackets, though reading about it did send me to my Project Runway guide.
Me: What’s a bracelet jacket?
Tara: I don’t know — a cropped jacket maybe?
Me: But I think she wears longer, belted ones too. I think it just means you can see her bracelet when she wears it.
Tara: Oh. I guess that could be it.
The sartorial excesses of the aspirational governing class don’t really offend me. What else are they going to spend all those donations on anyway? More bad TV commercials?
But I’ll tell you what I do care about. Sarah Palin’s parents remember her reading everything from the local newspaper to Little House on the Prairie as a “strong, quiet” child, but they can’t quite recall what her favorite book was as she got older.
That may seem like a little thing. And it would be great if they listed a bunch of books that she read and raved about, but just couldn’t pin it down to one favorite. But no. “Her parents could not recall her favorite books as she grew older, but said they read Reader’s Digest aloud as a family.”
Reader’s Digest, my friends.
Now, I like me some Reader’s Digest when I’m indisposed, and I confess to enjoying a lot of frothy romantic-suspense-mystery-romance in my Thank Everything Holy The Kids Are In Bed time.
But my parents know what my favorite book is.
(And it ain’t Reader’s Digest.)
(Unless I’m on the pot.)
Do your parents know what your favorite book is?
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Tags: 2008 election, books, fashion, republicans, sarah palin
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No, they don’t. But they don’t know me at all and not just in the Ben Folds, Regina Spektor way.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that SHE is someone who doesn’t value books enough. It could mean that her PARENTS don’t. She may have told them but they didn’t care enough to remember.
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My parents have no clue, I’m sure, what my favorite book is, since we are so vastly different. (Not to mention the fact one of my parents is absent and the other is mentally ill and currently not speaking me.) However, they could write a book (haha.) about how much I read as a kid. Half of my books I stole from my parents. And we didn’t have Reader’s Digest, we had [i]real[/i] books. It’s not that they don’t remember a specific book (kinda like she can’t remember the name of any magazines or newspapers that she reads NOW), it’s that none of them seem to care.
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I don’t think my parents know what my favorite book is, or even favorite author. I don’t think my husband even knows. If someone reads a lot, it is likely their favorite book may be one of moment–or one of many. Or maybe Palin’s parents are just forgetful in their old age.
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All good points.
I remember one of the most shocking things a professor ever told me when I was in college. He was recommending a book (I forget which one, unfortunately) and he said that it was the first book in a long time to actually change the way he looked at the world.
I thought that was the most horrifying thing, as back then, as an English major, it felt as though every single book I read changed the way I saw the world.
But as I get older, I understand. Perhaps I’m not reading the right books, or perhaps I’m getting too set in my ways, but it’s rarer that a book changes the way I see the world.
Rebecca’s point about having a favorite “book of the moment” is a good one, I’m just not sure that’s the case with Palin. That she is reading soooo many excellent books it’s hard to keep track of them all.
I actually think my parents could give you a fairly accurate list of my top 5 faves. They may not be able to tell you my all time favorite, but then I am not sure I can tell you that. I have a few that I read over and over and I can not decide which I give the #2 position if I had to…
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Yes, My dad knows what my favorite book is because he and I trade books. We have done this since I was about 9 years old. I am a huge Larry McMurtry fan and I send Daddy my favorite book and he sent it back and then I sent it to him etc….
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Oddly enough, whenever I bring up my favorite with my mom (The Great Gatsby), she always tells me how much my youngest sister enjoyed it. Although I believe this is because it’s quite remarkable for my sister (and just about anyone but me, probably) to enjoy reading a book for school. So I’m not totally sure my mother remembers that it’s my fave, too.
My mom was really shocked to discover that I remembered that her favorite book over the course of several years–so shocked that when we were playing a Newlyweds Game style game, she thought I’d guess her favorite book was The Giver, her second favorite, instead of A Man for All Seasons, her first favorite. So my answer was actually right and her answer was “wrong” about what her favorite book was.
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I don’t think my mom knows my favorite book, I talk about a lot of books to my mom, but I don’t go on and on about my favorites. I know that she and I have vastly different tastes in literature and we’ll give each other recommendations, but that’s about it. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t know my accomplishments or character.
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I’m sure my parents have no idea what my favorite books are. Reading is not one of the things we talk about. I read a ton, but my mother says she just doesn’t have time to read. And she is not really interested in talking about what I read. So, I think it is entirely possible that Sarah Palin could read all kinds of things, and her parents not know what she reads.
I could tell you all about what my older daughters read for the most part. But when my oldest is away at college, I am not quite as up to date with what she reads. I think proximity has a lot to do with it. We talk more about reading when she is home.
My two cents worth.
Nope. Which is weird, because we recommend books to each other. But they couldn’t tell you my favorite, or my favorite bands, tv shows, movies etc. I think once you reach a certain point in your life (I am also in my mid forties, with some grown and some children still at home) your parents influence in your life, and yours in theirs wanes.
My parents definitely don’t have a clue about my favorite books. They might be able to pin down my favorite genre, but it’s not something that they just love to do in their spare time. They like other things and have other hobbies. Because they don’t read a ton in their spare time and the books they do read are not at all interesting to me we don’t really talk about them, we talk about things we really have in common. Just my two cents, but doesn’t seem that weird, seems more like rule that parents wouldn’t know what their favorite books were while growing up and the exception that they could rattle them off.
I liked so many books as a kid that I don’t think my parents could pick just one. There was a favorite for each age I’m sure. And I don’t even remember them all. I learned to read at age three so I can promise you that the not remembering isn’t from a lack of exposure. The goofiest thing I remember is my dad letting me read the newspaper with him. He would pick out these ridiculous words for me to try and read, and he would laugh as I butchered them.
Oh fine.
I still think it’s odd that they couldn’t think of even one book after Little House on the Prairie that she liked.
But maybe it’s as most of you say — parents and kids (of all ages) get busy, have different interests, talk about other things, etc.
(Also it has to be tricky to name favorites for what they’ll reveal. What if they said Jane Austen (too romantic), Ayn Rand (too capitalistic), Kafka (too depressing). Surely they could have said she enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird, though?)
I read a post about blog fame (I think it was on Velveteen Mind or something), and they were talking about how narrow it is. Case in point — go ask your Dad if he knows who Dooce is.
Uh, my dad and mom totally know who Dooce is, because I’ve told them about her, and about a bunch of other blogs I read and enjoy (like Seriously, So Blessed and Pioneer Woman, etc).
But I think I have a unique-ish relationship with my parents. That, and I talk A LOT whenever we’re together. Probably the rest of you are better conversationalists.
As for Palin (and anyone else I want to know better), I want to hear the answers to all the other questions that “Do your parents know what your favorite book is?” might also answer.
a) Do you read? (for fun?) (often?) (is it something you love?)
b) Do you talk to your parents/siblings/children/friends? (about books?) (about ideas?)
c) Do you try to share your life-changing books with them?
One reason this NYTimes article struck me was bec. I’ve got a good, good friend who does not read for fun, and she read The Audacity of Hope and it convinced her to vote for Obama. And talking to her made me feel ashamed that I havn’t read it. Yet.
i hate palin because she comes across as a twit, and she’s supposed to be everymom. not this mom, tyvm. i think the clothing allowance is totally forgivable though. remember all the fuss over bill clinton’s $300 haircuts?
btw we read reader’s digest too. if you asked my mom what my favorite book is she wouldn’t have the slightest idea. the kinds of books i like are the sort she’d never consider reading so she isn’t even aware of them.
“Alice in Wonderland” and I’m positive 100% they would know that because about 10 years ago they bought me Alice In Wonderland dishes, and they’ve bought me official reprints of the original book, etc. They probably could even guess most of my top five (“To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Jane Erye”, “Pride & Prejudice” “Othello”).
But you know what, I’m going to ask them just in case.
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Memarie Lane — As I said, I do enjoy Reader’s Digest. I choke up over the conquering-all-odds personal stories and medical tragedies. I love the one line jokes at the ends of articles and I dream of having my anecdote featured in “All in a Days Work” or the other anecdote-featuring sections.
But I’ve never read the hard-bound RD’s that I think are condensations of “real” books?
Um, wasn’t this post about fashion? Did no one else comment on the bracelet jackets? It’s all books, books, books. Fine, I sorta like to read too. my parents wouldn’t know my favorite, but they could come up with a bunch I like.
Jane, I’m still wondering where you heard the term “bracelet jacket.”
First…I don’t think my mother knows anything at all about me…let a lone my favorite book.
As for Palin, I’m just disappointed that she accepted a postition that she herself knows darn good and well she is not qualified for…I would have had so much more respect for her had she just said “thanks but no thanks”…The clothes are,well, expensive, but I get what it’s about…I think people are just picking…Of course, again, it would be nice for her to have said…”maybe we could go to Macy’s and not Saks”…but that’s just MHO.
Heck, I don’t even know what my favorite book is (too many to choose from) so I don’t know how my parents would know. I carted home so many library books throughout my life that my parents would have needed an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of them. Really, I don’t think it’s odd that her parents don’t know this info. Can you name each of your children’s absolute, favorite book? I can’t, not for sure. Their favorites change from minute to minute, hour to hour. I just think it’s nice that they read (anything!) together, and I love that she was a “strong, quiet” reader-type – I totally relate!
My Dad wouldn’t have a clue what my favourite book is (or what it was when I was a kid). I remembering spending weekends at his house, and reading and re-reading the What Katy Did books that my first step-mother had. Dad was always trying to get me to “play outside”. He’s only discovered reading in the past few years, and I’m now enjoying being able to give him books as gifts.
Mum … hmm … she’d probably have better guesses, and probably guess better at some of my top faves as I got older and we’d share books. Whenever I’m over at her place, I’m reminded we should each call one another before we head to the cash register in a bookstore, our arms laden with tomes. I’ll have to ask her to see what her guesses are!
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I just had to google “bracelet jacket”, as I’d never heard of them before. From my very intense, 5-second long search, it seems they’re jackets for bracelets – extra bracelets to go around a bracelet (the tennis bracelet kind).
I really hope more of the $150k was spent on jackets than on bracelet jackets …
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I think her parents were asked what Sarah Palin’s favorite book was when she was a teenager. I’m guessing that the Laura Ingall series was a pre or early teen reading material. Well, at least they read Reader’s Digest as a family.
I actually enjoyed reading reader’s digest condensed books growing up. It led me to reading the actual book and other books over the years. You should see my mom’s house. She still have a couple bookcases full of rd condensed books. My father just told me they are all mine when they pass on.
Robin
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Sorry, my parents would have no clue what my favorite book is. My dad would be able to tell you some books I’ve read, and my mom would be able to name different ones than dad, but as for favorites … nope.
My mom kept my boys this summer for a week and got them each a copy of Charlotte’s Web to read book-club style while they were there, so apparently she remembers what my favorite book was in 3rd grade (the grade my eldest son is in now). She is a book fanatic and read voraciously. She also works at a library. And I was an English major. So picking a favorite as an adult would be hard for either of us. But we do know about books that each of us has greatly enjoyed and we talk about books a lot. I doubt we are the norm in the world, but it’s nice meeting other bibliophiles!
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