Rating: 
Summary: Election: A Wise Selection
Review: Tom Perrota is a fun author to read. I must admit, I did not know who he was before I saw the movie Election, but I am very glad to have discovered him. Bad Haircut: Tales from the Seventies and Election are very good books. Perrotta has a very straightforward style that is very easy to read. He creates characters and situations that are easy to relate to. Election is set up in way that each character tells his or her side of the story as it progresses. The book centers around a high school election with candidates that are very real. On the surface they may seam like stereotypical teenage characters, but they are in fact much deeper. Tracy Flick is driven and a bit ruthless in her pursuit of office. She feels it will lonely help advance her career and look good on college applications. Paul Warren is an easy- going jock who is talked into running by Mr. M. Paul has good intentions and an innocent perspective on life. Tammy Warren is perhaps the most interesting character of all. She is funny, wise and confused. She runs for office only to spite her brother and particularly his campaign manager, Lisa, her former love interest. Her dream of attending the all girl Immaculate Mary is priceless. Mr. M has been criticized as shallow by some reviews, and he may be a little underdeveloped, but he has many real aspects as well. His reasons for teaching seem genuine, but his actions are not always consistent. Election is a fast paced read, and at only 200 pages, it goes too quick. I have read only good things about Wishbones, so I will make that my next read. I hope Perrotta continues to write because his books are a joy to read.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful read....If You Loved the Movie........
Review: I have to admit, I saw the movie first. At the suggestion of this page I also read "Bad Haircut" before reading "Election". "Bad Haircut" was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was a guy.Anyway, the book fills in a blank spots that abound in the movie. It incorporates current events that occurred around the time the book was written. The reactions of the characters to this and each other makes them three-dimensional. You feel like they could've gone to your school. While the film focused mostly on the character of Mr. M, the lovable civics teacher, the book offers more monologues from more characters. Tracy Flick is given more of a chance to explain herself and is viewed less as a villain, and more as a normal person. If I haven't sold you yet, read the book for this one reason: IT HAS A BETTER ENDING!!!!! (Theres a reason why Tom Perotta teaches writing at Harvard!!!!!)
Rating: 
Summary: quick & cute
Review: Tracy Flick wants to win her highschool presidential election, & she'll be beyond bothered if anyone else tries to get in her way. This amusing little book (large print, 200 pages) is told through the various perspectives of those caught up in the election & gives a humorous look at the lives of those affected. I hate to say I liked the movie better than the book- but, I did. While the book is charming & funny- the character's actually have less depth than they do in the movie- & the laugh's are much fewer. The book also lacks emotional resonance, whereas the movie actually gets you more riled up about the election & what happens to those involved. It's a quick, easy read & it does provide some amusement- but I'm going to have to say, (and it pains me to do so) that you're better off watching the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful read....If You Loved the Movie........
Review: I have to admit, I saw the movie first. At the suggestion of this page I also read "Bad Haircut" before reading "Election". "Bad Haircut" was good, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was a guy. Anyway, the book fills in a blank spots that abound in the movie. It incorporates current events that occurred around the time the book was written. The reactions of the characters to this and each other makes them three-dimensional. You feel like they could've gone to your school. While the film focused mostly on the character of Mr. M, the lovable civics teacher, the book offers more monologues from more characters. Tracy Flick is given more of a chance to explain herself and is viewed less as a villain, and more as a normal person. If I haven't sold you yet, read the book for this one reason: IT HAS A BETTER ENDING!!!!! (Theres a reason why Tom Perotta teaches writing at Harvard!!!!!)
Rating:
Summary: wickedly entertaining!
Review: A fresh book, easy to read and compelling. Perroti not only creates his characters, he sets them off so that they live on their own, not bound by the text of the book. In other words, Perroti creates the plot; the plot does not create the characters. One can easily argue that he is not only an exceptionally talented storyteller, but also a weaver of lives and events into a living tapestry. One will surely enjoy digging into this daring novel, a modern soap opera and a classic satire rolled in one.
Rating:
Summary: quick & cute
Review: Tracy Flick wants to win her highschool presidential election, & she'll be beyond bothered if anyone else tries to get in her way. This amusing little book (large print, 200 pages) is told through the various perspectives of those caught up in the election & gives a humorous look at the lives of those affected. I hate to say I liked the movie better than the book- but, I did. While the book is charming & funny- the character's actually have less depth than they do in the movie- & the laugh's are much fewer. The book also lacks emotional resonance, whereas the movie actually gets you more riled up about the election & what happens to those involved. It's a quick, easy read & it does provide some amusement- but I'm going to have to say, (and it pains me to do so) that you're better off watching the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Good summer read
Review: I've read The Wishbones and Joe College, and Election is along the same lines. Characters I can really relate to (sometimes painfully so), easy to read, and really funny in places. Nothing groundbreaking or too challenging, just good fun and hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Movie
Review: I have to admit that I didn't discover Tom Perrotta until I saw the movie Election. While the movie itself was hilarious in my opinion, the turnout of the book was better. The paths the characters take in the book is a whole lot better than the ending of the movie. If you liked the movie, you will love the book.
Rating:
Summary: I swear there was a book here a moment ago.
Review: I read this book in one sitting in a local bookstore. Because it was so short, I never became attached to any of the characters, and the story did not develop any real weight. Still, it isn't fair to criticise a book for brevity alone, and I thought that the characters interesting--Perrotta seems to have a talent for telling you a lot about someone through implication. He also evoked the early 1990s remarkably well, or at least I assume he did. (I wasn't paying much attention at that time.) The high school in the book is an excellent microcosm for human pride, folly and stupidity, as students and teachers take absurd risks to secure a completely useless and ceremonial position. This isn't a classic book, but it is a better way that most of spending an hour and a half.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular!
Review: I read this book after multiple viewings of the excellent film adaptation, and I must say, Tom Perotta knows people. This book reads like a favorite junk food, yet it is actually filled with depth and thought. Good stuff, everyone should see AND read Election.
| 
