Mark Rogers (3)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to say that this book was provided to me by the author, who
hoped that I would give it a fair review. I hope that I do not disappoint in that regard.

In the beginning, I had a strong feeling that this book was not titled correctly. I thought to myself,
a more apt title would be Thomas. Thomas is the main character, and the current along which this
story is carried. There was a message that began early in the story, a message that was one of despair. show more A
message that might have come directly from any one of our founding fathers, of this nation. At risk
of creating a spoiler, I will share that the message was that it wasn't supposed to be this way.

Thomas is portrayed as a patriot, and there is no way to dispute that he loves his country. His message
rings true on so many levels. I sincerely doubt that the men who wrote The Constitution of the United
States meant for the country to be run on spin and lies and the absolute greed of those in the positions
of highest power in this country. No argument there.

For much of the book you are riding a wave, a monster wave of rightness and hope. At one point
I thought to myself that this is a book that should be read by every citizen of this country, over the
age of five. Such an air of hope and pride was created.

But the wave soon turned the journey from one of exhilaration to to dismay, and finally to the feeling
of being sucked into the riptide of propaganda. The story is imaginative, and compelling, but so is
much that is nothing more than proselytism.

Each of the political parties resorts to pedagogy and lies. I am sorry to have to admit this even to myself,
but it is the truth. Everything is spin. Some parties, some politicians are more guilty of this than others. It
is my opinion that one Party in particular excels in the uglier side of politics. That one Party in particular is
more interested in preserving the fortunes of a few, rather than the well being of our nation. This book, while being well written, containing a story that is beautifully fabricated, is much like the Party it represents.

Do I recommend it? I feel that I have given the book a fair review, but I am not sure that I can
take the step of recommending it. As it turns out Smeared is a perfect title for this book, but my
opinion of who and what was smeared might differ. show less

Review:

I have never been one for political-based novels, but the blurb of Mark Rogers' Smeared sounded very interesting - not to mention funny. I was intrigued at the start, the well-written and researched story-line very relevant to Americas' current political state. The historical aspects, as well as the "what-if" scenarios were entertaining, easy-to-understand and highly educational. I would have loved to read this back in high school, however, I was not a fan of the conservative-bent show more during the last half of the book. I felt that the beginning provided a balanced view of the political spectrum and a more developed picture of the characters, but I was disappointed by the one-sided rhetoric of the book's overall climax and resolution (no spoilers!). Although Mark Rogers' ideas about Americas' political system and its shortcomings were interesting, I was put-off by some of the "smears" against more liberal methods. Recommended for readers interested in an attention-getting political read with some very timely subject matter! Good read for election month!

Rating: Bounty's Out (3.5/5)

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. show less