Taft 2012

  Let's be honest.  Politicians suck.  I trust them about as far as I can throw them, which (given my smallish stature) isn't even humanly possible.  I have rather pleasant feeling towards Ronald Reagan, but then, I was a mere child when he was in office and most everything was pretty great.  As I've grown, I've come to believe that the only good politician is a dead one. Perhaps, this is why Jason Heller's novel, "Taft 2012" was so intriguing. After all, William Howard Taft has been dead for years, right?  Or HAS he...

  We've all been led to believe that President Taft died in 1930, Heller's novel speculates about what might have happened if history happened a little differently.  What if William H. Taft did not die, but was mysteriously "frozen" in a secret chamber beneath Washington, D.C.?

  Many of us only know Taft as one of the slew of former presidents we had to memorize in junior high. Our history teachers may have called him "Tubby Taft" in a sad attempt to help us remember his name. Thus, we grew up thinking of him as simply a rather rotund man issuing presidential orders from a bathtub in the White House. Their motives may have been genuine, but there was, IS, much more to William Howard Taft than meets the eye.

  Reawakened to a world that has changed in so many ways, President Taft assesses the situation and handles the ensuing attention with aplomb. As a man who did not desire the presidency in the first place, he is now faced with the possibility that his views and values could be exactly what the now faltering nation needs. With his great-granddaughter, Rachel Taft, by his side, he embarks on a journey he never would have expected.  We, the readers, get to see a side of Taft we'd likely never have considered. In more than ONE way! (This blogger is not responsible for any mental images that may inspire, but the author of this novel may be.)

  For a girl who has no interest in politics, I found this novel a fascinating read. I would never have imagined I'd be eager to climb into bed with William Howard Taft, but (at least in the figurative sense) I found myself looking forward to it each evening. Several late nights with this novel have given me a new respect for this underrated former president. Take a chance. Dare to embrace TRUE change and see a new side of a man you always thought you knew. Once you've finished the novel, you'll likely want to find Bill on Facebook or follow him on Twitter. I trust you'll find him as enlightening as I have.