First, I almost gave this book 3 stars because from the very outset of the book I had the belief that Andrew Young (the author and former aide to Edwards in his campaigns) is writing this book to help cleanse his own soul of the pathetic nature of politicians and those who make their living in the political world of today.

Andrew Young spends a great deal of time in the book confessing that he spent too much time running errands for the Edwards while neglecting his own wife and children. Okay, I get it. He was sucked in to the power and the charisma of John Edwards who, according to Andrew Young, was about as hypocritical of a politician as there is in our nation today. Well, surprise, surprise, huh?

Edwards and his wife were determined to be in the White House. Make no mistake as the author uses his first hand knowledge to paint a picture of two people (the Edwards) who were determined to be all powerful no matter what it took. Edwards driving around in a beat up Buick while living in his mansion just so he could like like "a common man" all the while begin a snob about anything and anyone who didn't have money or status. Meanwhile, the affairs and hypocrisy of John Edwards reaches a boiling point when he wants Young to claim that it is Young (not Edwards) who is the father of the baby that Rielle Hunter is carrying.

John Edwards' political career is over. Done. Finished. Kaput. This, however, was a book that shows that politics in this nation is out of control. It's not about making this nation great. It's about people wanting power and being frauds while in office all the while acting like they care about our nation. This book is a warning for all of us that we need real leaders. Not the drivel that keeps being shoved at us by both parties.

I don't think Andrew Young is innocent. This is his book to apologize to his wife and maybe to us (the voters). He was part of the hypocrisy and maybe he was too deep into the insanity of being their "errand boy" to realize just how absurd his life had become, but it's a revealing account into a man (Edwards) who believed he was above every rule and whose pride and ego was his downfall.

Excellent book! Andrew Yiung gives us an insider's view as to the rise and fall of John Edwards

This book was terrific! It really gave you an inside view of politics.
It was amazing to learn just how far someone would go to protect himself (John Edwards) and the commitment of his aide (Andrew Young).
I wish Andrew Young much success in his life as it hasn't been easy for him.
I highly recommend this book.

Of course it gets more interesting (if one likes the sordid details, and in this case, who could help not) and if you want to hate someone who presents themselves as bigger and better and holier than though --- talk about a fall from Grace ---- and we think Tiger is a rat --- how about 30 years of marriage --- the death of a son ---- in vitro for 2 more kids ---- CANCER ---- and THEN YOUR HUSBAND GETS CAUGHT SCREWING AROUND AND HAVING SOME OTHER WOMAN'S KID. I GUESS ONE POSITIVE CONSEQUENCE IS THE SOB WONT MAKE PRESIDENT. HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RUINS! But in the meantime I do have a bit of a time with this Andrew Young guy. Is the man so sickly co-dependant, that he would actually lie and say he fathered the kid. It looks like it because his co-dependence glares loudly everywhere, and if John Edward's need counselling for being the biggest A this side of the world, A Young desperately needs to read Co-Dependant No More --- or again, maybe he won't have to. Strange triangles everywhere! Worth reading to satisfy curiosity as to how long someone so high on the ladder can stoop, and to see if there is any common string amongst these folks. Only one noted: ENTITLEMENT

There are no surprises in this book. However, it offers a view of politicians as people than we often do not consider. I think this book is worth reading.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading The Politician. Found the behind the scenes dealings intriguing. It illustrates how the face and persona we see in the campaign are not sincere. Makes one question not only John and Elizabeth Edwards, but all politicians. Our political system needs some sanitizing.

The first half of this book is a flat and monotonous account of one man's devotion to a political candidate, but when Rielle Hunter enters the picture, about half way through, your jaw will begin to drop and will continue downward until the very last page. It is, as everyone knows by now, the account of the John Edwards presidential run and the illegitimate child he fathered with Rene while his wife was (and still is) battling cancer. But what causes the jaw dropping is not so much Edward's stunning and arrogant narcissism, but the fact that Andrew Young stood behind his man long after he knew how corrupt and hypocritical he was. He describes Reille as the "neediest woman I've ever known," and recounts her divaesque escapades in great detail. Those who contributed to the Edwards campaign must read this book to see how your money was squandered to pamper a egocentric mistress. Elizabeth Edwards comes off even worse than John --if that's possible, by becoming a world class shrew, passing even the eventually tamed Kate in Shakespeare's play. Again and again, I asked myself, why doesn't Young tell these people to get lost and separate himself from their insanities. On various talk shows I've heard him say it was because he continued to believe in John Edwards and that kind of devotion clouds one's judgement in the heat of a presidential campaign. But if you read closely you'll find passages where Young reveals his attraction to the dazzling lifestyle this preacher's son found himself in. The BMW's, the fancy resorts and hotels, the private jets, the illusion of central importance--all contributed to the ultimate humiliation of this man and his family--especially after he agreed to say that he was the father of Rielle's child, a "confession" that no one believed at the time. (Edwards has since very belatedly admitted the baby is his, and he and Elizabeth have separated.) After reading this book, I would not be at all surprised to learn that Elizabeth's alleged cancer is a hoax divined by the Edwards's to create sympathy and support for his candidacy. I say that cautiously, because I admire the courageousness of people who endure and prevail through great and serious illnesses, but if Young's account is even half true, these people were so ambitious as to be capable of even that kind of unspeakableness.

This book does not hold back and goes into all the dirty little secrets John Edwards kept while trying to become president of the US. At times it reads like fiction, you can't believe some of the things Mr. Edwards and his staff are willing to do so he can become president. This book brings you into Mr. Edwards' family life as well as the author's and you keep asking how the heck these people are getting away with the lies. The book will have you thinking long after you put it down and you will wonder how many other politicians have lied to us but just haven't been caught yet. The author gives a very good description of Mr. Edwards' background and describes how Mr. Edwards ultimately thought he could become president. The author does try to act as if he was a victim but while reading you will not feel sorry for him and his wife. They traveled in private jets, stayed at first class hotels and were given anything they needed, all while remodeling their dream house in North Carolina. Mr. Edwards wasn't the only low life, this book is filled with them.

For several years I felt John Edwards was the knight in shinning armor that would save America. He and Elizabeth would form a power base in Wasington D.C. to rival Franklin and Elanor. Was I ever duped. Andrew Young's unfolding of the intrinsic Machiavellian schemes by the Edwards' is nothing short of riveting. His accounts read like a novel, not a political science textbook.
It realistically portrays the inherent problem of creating heroes is that they can only do two things- fail and fall.

I wouldn't recommend spending any money on this book. The stories in it have mostly already been everywhere on TV and online. I'm sorry, but even after reading the entire book, I cannot understand why this man stayed with John Edwards and why Young's wife would put up with him trying to cover for Edwards' affair. The bottom line for me is that Andrew Young and his wife stayed with Edwards and put on the charade because they thought it was going to pay off monetarily for them, and guess what? It didn't. John and Elizabeth Edwards are not what they pretended to be, and Andrew Young wasted his time and reputation. Should I care? I don't think so. The four fakes all deserved one another.

Great insight into the true lives of John and Elisabeth Edwards. John was a snake in the grass and Elizabeth is not the poor battered housewife she portrays herself as. the political scene ruined them both.

This account of John Edwards' candidacy for President delivers on its promise--it's an intriguing, salacious page-turner. Besides the description of John Edwards' despicable behavior, I found the description of Elizabeth Edwards very intriguing. Based on the fact that Elizabeth recently threatened to sue Andrew Young (demanding $250,000 be donated to her son's memorial foundation & that the unflattering voicemails she left be returned to her), it seems impossible to deny she has the capacity for vindictiveness. Even more than her husband, Elizabeth appears incredulous that someone would dare spill the beans about the reality of her world and her behavior. While I do feel sorry for her, I think she should direct her anger toward the most appropriate person: her husband. All in all, I appreciated an inside view into how such "ordinary folks" became increasingly power hungry and willing to forgo ethical standards for the sake of political success.

This was a very good book. I feel so bad for Andrew Young. John Edwards is a major sleezeball. Although his wife comes across as a crazy nut, I do feel sorry for her. My sister and my mother both died of cancer and the chemo does make you crazy.

It is so easy to have watched this unfold in the media and think "Who in their right mind would do that?" Well, reading this book does give you some better insight. Admittedly it is not the best written book I have ever read - a novelist, Andrew Young is not. But, it sheds some light into how a person can get tangled up in this mess. I really liked his analogy to the frogs in a pot of boiling water. They get in while its nice and warm and fail to notice as the temperature rises and they slowly boil..... Andrew Young and his family invested far too much in the Edwards family and by the time they realized what scum-bags they were it was too late to hop on out.

Like many others I anxiously awaited the arrival of Andrew Youngs book. To his (Andrew Young) credit he does say honestly that he can't find employment and needs the money from the sale of this book. That may be the only honest thing he's done or said in a long time. He confirms our image about politicians and their minions, that they will do or say anything to get elected. It's a shame that prior to voting we can't get an honest view of our political candidates so that we can make an educated choice. Reality gets lost behind the machine of lies and glam images. I like others have been basing my voting on those lies and reams of rhetoric. I'm sick of it!

I purchased this book after watching an interview and feeling sorry for Andrew and Cheri Young, who seemed to be a couple in their late 40s, rendered unemployable through their association with John Edwards. I thought, My God, to be entering middle age without even health benefits for their children and for no reason other than blind loyalty to a friend.

O, brother, was I wrong.

First of all, Cheri Young, an experienced neonatal nurse, is only 37 [her plastic surgery botch job makes her look 45] and highly employable. Andrew Young had numerous opportunities to move on from the Edwards campaign before he became mired in such a ridiculous scandal. A little research turned up how much money they got for their last house--$1.2 million dollars. The problem with the Youngs is not employ-ability or reputation, but rather that they had become accustomed to living a life filled with obscene amenities provided for them by John Edwards when he enlisted Andrew Young as the fall guy for Edwards' love child, and they want that life to continue. Nearly every page is lush with detailed descriptions of mansions and resort hotels and estates and private jets and the life fantastic. Young spends more time name-dropping the celebrities, billionaires, and power players he met as Edwards aide than he does describing the bizarre circumstances of his employment.

If the reader is looking for more sordid details than are already available for free on the Internet, don't bother. There aren't any. However, if the reader wants a quick read on the psychology of servile relationships, here it is.

Andrew Young, who never even felt comfortable calling John and Elizabeth Edwards by their first names [it was Senator and Mrs. Edwards for 10 years] made the mistake of assuming that because he was the Edwards' do-boy and because they often lauded him with endearments, he was an equal in their eyes, and even further, their close friend.

Wrong. He was their slave. For 10 years they beckoned and he came running, doing any demeaning thing they asked, thinking that because he was the ultimate yes-man, they would actually reward his servitude with genuine love, respect, and life-long monetary security. What a fool. And what a liar. I doubt Young gave a damn about brotherly love with the Senator. What he debased himself for was the promise of a life long career amongst the wealthy and political elite and he hung onto John Edwards for dear life, gambling everything on the chance that Edwards would become either President or Vice-President and secure him this dream. Nothing else can explain Young's idiocy.

And Andrew Young is not a noble character. He explains his youthful 'mistake' of running his sports bar into the ground, then running from creditors. But while he was with Edwards he earned himself a DWI [refusing to cooperate with the patrol who stopped him], which he soooo regretted, but then, not 20 pages later he describes getting plastered with the Senator and his cronies at some party. He and Cheri's second child is born with a serious congenital defect, requiring painful surgery, yet they go ahead and have a third child [thinking "lightening can't strike twice"], who is born with the same genetic disorder. What kind of neonatal nurse doesn't understand the odds of congenital birth defects happening twice in the same family?

Their escapade with Edwards' mistress reads like a whirling, lavish vacation, from Aspen to Santa Babara, hiding out in $20,000 a month rentals and 5 star luxury hotels. Sickening. And even more sickening when we find out that the whole thing was paid for by Bunny Mellon, a 95 year old mega-billionaire blue-blood, who was convinced that Edwards was fated to "save the world". This is interesting, because Rielle Hunter, the bizarre New Age floozy Edwards knocked up, ALSO believed that Edwards was destined by the stars to do great and wonderful things. Perhaps this double whammy of prognostication had Edwards believing he was truly the chosen one, that he could walk on water when what he was really walking on was thin ice.

I also found Young's exposure of some really disturbing behavior by Elizabeth Edwards distasteful. The woman was on chemotherapy the entire time and believe me, those drugs make the patient crazy, irrational, even borderline psychotic. The suffering of chemo and cancer patients, which he does not document even though he surely witnessed it in Mrs. Edwards, is...mind-blowingly horrific. Add that to her grief over the death of Wade Edwards at age 16 [and I've read Elizabeth Edwards' memoir about Wade, and as someone who has had a similar loss and understands it, I came away from that memoir believing that Mrs. Edwards' grief over her son is obsessive and unhealthy] and you have some hell of a situation.

At the end, I was left feeling intense dislike for Andrew Young. What he did for the Edwards was ridiculous, but he did it expecting bountiful compensation--he whored for it. And the entire time all the balls were in the air, he and his family lived in extreme luxury, a luxury financed by a wealthy senile woman. But he knew those balls had to fall eventually--what did he expect? That when they did, Edwards would hand him several million dollars for a service well-rendered? Young was Edwards' slave and not many slaves are freed by their masters with a heavy purse. Masters believe that being freed was compensation enough for a slave. Shut-up and leave before I change my mind and whip you to death.

Both Andrew and Cheri Young disgraced their children. As I read and as the situation grew more sordid, all I could think was that one day their children will find all this out. That fear alone should have stopped them dead. But...I guess the Youngs were a lot like John Edwards, with their eyes on the prize, never the consequences.

I usually read motivational books, but i definitely got caught up in this one. Started reading it at the bookstore. Found myself thinking about it so i ordered it (last book i read was Live Like A Fruit Fly - also bought on amazon)

I agree with every word that deepsouth is saying. This book is a page turner, BUT because it never picks up to get interesting! It is ridiculously trivial.

Honestly, Andrew Young cannot write. The publishing house could have at least used a ghost writer. He keeps repeating himself over and over. It`s almost painful to read through this boring stuff.
This man has a law degree and all he was doing all these years was running errands for John Edwards.

That John Edwards cared more about his looks then about politics, expected! But to celebrate an anniversary at Wendy`s! They may have money but they lack style class. So it was not surpising that John Kerry and Theresa Heinz were appalled by their rather simple behavior.

The only thing interesting to me was the fact that Elisabeth Edwards needed this book to come out in order to realize the truth about her husband. What a sh.. marriage.

I now realized why amazon was putting it on sale shortly after the publishing date.

While the book provides interesting insight regarding the flawed personalities of John and Elizabeth Edwards, the overall message is little more than a self-serving justification for the author's gullibility and lack of ethics.

After 10-plus years of serving at the whim of the Edwardses, for no other reason than political expediency and deep personal ambition, Young shows his willingness to do and say anything in order to keep his "mentors" happy. This, despite the fact that such "anythings" often times implied cover-ups, complicities, secrecy, and a complete absence of values and self-respect.

This book could have been part of a gossip column and adds nothing to his case.

Young will be better-served by continuing to cooperate with the authorities in everything that may come up with the Edwards investigations.

As for the readers, I, for one, cannot feel sorry for Young although I am disgusted with both John and Elizabeth Edwards, who deserve a long and hard time in prison.

After seeing all the interviews on TV, I couldn't wait to read this book. The first half of the book was so boring to me that by the time I got to the part where Rielle Hunter comes in, I didn't even care anymore and set the book aside. I would say if you are interested in politics or John Edwards in particular you might like this book, but if you are like me and just wanted to read the "juicy" parts, I don't think you'll enjoy this book.

Having worked in local politics, I can attest to the experiences of Andrew Young and his family. There are politicians who seem unable to establish boundaries with their staffers and call on them for all sorts of services that go beyond the staffers' job descriptions. I've seen staffers become drivers, personal shoppers, home repair helpers, movers and a host of other jobs.

In the political and personal relationship between Young and John and Elizabeth Edwards, that same lack of boundaries got carried to the extreme as Young was first talked into claiming the baby of Edwards' mistress was his and not John Edwards' and then uprooting his entire family to go on the lam for months with Rielle, the pregnant mistress, in tow.

The Politician is modern horror story peopled not with demons or vampires or zombies, but with monsters who believe they are entitled to behave any way they wish and people like Young who must continually do mental gymnastics to find ways to justify his support of Edwards. At times the book reminds me of Roger Corman's low-budget horror classic "Little Shop of Horrors" with John Edwards in the role of the man-eating plant with the ever increasing demands to "feed me!" and Young as the hapless Seymour who must relunctantly supply the plant with victims.

I constantly found myself questioning how far I would go to protect a politician in whom I believed, despite his ever more apparent flaws. How would I react to a candidate who claimed to be of the common people, but privately complained about "fat rednecks" at the state fair? If I could live with that, could I live with the knowledge that a candidate who evoked religion and family values had a mistress? And if I could accept that, could I make the same choice Young made to fall on the sword for Edwards?

None of the major players in this book come off looking heroic. Certainly not John Edwards. Elizabeth Edwards comes off looking like a shrill and vengeful harpy even as we empathize with her cancer diagnosis. Rielle, with her scented candles, New Age guru and utter self-absorption, comes across as that other b-word: bimbo. Andrew Young starts off being an Edwards loyalist, then a sycophant and finally someone who has sold his soul to the point of making almost any compromise to support the man he believed his future rested on. If anyone comes across as sympathetic in the book it's Young's long-suffering wife, Cheri, who becomes her husband's unheeded conscience as his life becomes more and more ensnared with the Edwardses.

In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for Edwards in the '08 presidential primary. Sadly, I doubt that it will be the last time I'm fooled by a candidate. I suppose I could throw up my hands and claim politicians - Democrat, Republican, right, left, liberal, conservative - are all alike and turn my back on politics. But I hope that that's not the message readers take away from The Politician. I'd hope the message that Andrew Young intended is that we can do better and we can avoid making the same mistakes.

This was a really great book! From the first page to the last page, I was spellbound. Being from NC, I knew that while the rest of the country thought John Edwards was wonderful, most of NC knew him for what he really was. This book is more fuel for the fire. Andrew Young did a lot of things that most people would have never done in a million years. His motivation is debatable. However, I do think he writes the truth when telling the story of what happened with the Edwards family. If it had been fiction, one would have easily figured out how it would end. I really hate that such a talented young man such as Andrew Young was unable to foresee what the Edwards family would eventually do to him. I truly hope that he and his family can regain some semblance of a life and move forward without this evil shadow that has been cast.

I read this book in two days and it had a profound impact on me. I am a conservative Republican who actually thought about voting for John Edwards at one point. I was impressed by Edwards and what I had seen and read about him. I can understand how Andrew Young got so enthralled with John Edwards that he wanted to work for him and ultimately sacrificed his reputation and almost his family for him. This book was such an eye opener for me. Ultimately what comes out is that John Edwards is truly a sociopath. John Edwards had an affair, had an affair with a bizarre New-Age type woman, got her pregnant, denied the pregnancy, lied to his terminally ill wife, set-up his best friend to claim paternity, continued to lie to the public about the whole situation, dumps his best friend after the baby is born and all the while, is accepting money from Bunny Mellon and using her millions to finance his betrayal and lies. Now there is a videotape of John Edwards having sex with Rielle while Rielle is holding the camera! Yikes! I almost voted for this sociopath and American almost brought him to the White House! This book is well written, very candid and frank and a must read for everyone. You will not be disappointed. So glad that John Edwards has been found out and what was dark and hidden has been revealed by the light of truth.

I actually enjoyed this book. First let me say I am a Kindle owner who managed to read actual books before the Kindle came along so I purchased this hardcover as it was not available, at the time it was first released, on Kindle. I'm not quite sure why Kindle owners refuse to purchase a book. It's like "OK so what did you do before Kindle came along NOT READ!!!!

Having gotten that out of the way, I found this book interesting for a number of reasons. First, I didn't expect there to be the kind of detail concerning the actual nuts and bolts of running a presidential campaign as I found in this book. That was a surprise. Also of interest, seems as if some of the players who were instrumental in getting Obama elected and crafting his message were people who worked for Edwards and were either fired, let go or quit.

Other reviewers have found it offensive that he wrote the book for money but he fully admits he wrote the book for money and the reasons why he had to write the book for money. This book is really about 2 mens lust for power, John Edwards and Andrew Young and the lengths to which they would go to get that power. In essence, they are the same, no better no worse.

If what is written in the book is true, concerning their treatment by the Edwards', I probably would have written the book as well. However, the one thing I appreciated about the author is that he acknowledged, "showed his warts" his responsibility for the stuff he did, knowing it was pretty stupid, knowing he was motivated by greed. I never got the impression he was trying to put himself in a favorable light.

I picked up this book hoping to enjoy an insider's account of the political collapse of a man who I'd found repulsively phoney since his entry into national politics in the 2004 election (As a progressive, I never understood how you could claim to lead a populist revolt from inside your mansion, built from riches gained from suing doctors and nurses and hospitals). A funny thing happened on the way to a little schadenfreude. Somewhere in the haze of the mind-numbing boredom induced by Young's "book", I actually started to like Edwards just a little more. Many of Young's vignettes, meant I suppose to show Edwards as shallow and superficial, actually revealed a quality of playfulness, a "real guy" side, and an endearing ability of Edwards not to take politics too seriously. Hmmm. Perhaps I exaggerate. But if you're looking to really enjoy a work that exposes John Edwards as the narcissist, psychopath, devious exploiter, empty vessel, or all around horrible guy that you think he is, this book will sorely disappoint you. And in the process of being disappointed, you'll expose yourself to Young's collection of "stories" that range from the ridiculously trivial to the just plain trivial. As others have said, the real unmasking that Young accomplishes is of himself-- he emerges here as a sycophantic toady. Naive, immature, a tattletale and back-stabber, worst of all, absolutely worst of all, Mr. Young simply cannot write. This book doesn't just punish John Edwards. It punishes anyone who reads it.

Memoirs and tell-all books are a dime a dozen nowadays. Most of them have large print and a short page count to help hide the fact that they don't have much to say. And they often are written with the help of a ghost writer.

This book is very different. if you think this is some slimy attempt at cashing in on scandal, think again. This book rises to the level of literature. It's like the book version of Charlie Sheen's character in Wall Street. It takes the reader along for the ride for a shockingly amoral, cynical, hypocritical storyline. The simple title "The Politician" is udnerstated yet sums it up all too well - we all know how upright and morally perfect politicians are, right? The book is very well-written also; Young is an articulate, clear writer whose style is perfect for this story of witnessing sheer sliminess.

A book that should last as a classic - certainly movie material. Very highly recommended.

This book is a "Must Read" for everyone. I hated to see it end. Thank you Andrew for the book, thou you did make some bad judgement calls I hope you make MILLIONS on this.
The Politician was one of the best books I've read in a long time.

I expected a book that would be all over the place, especially considering how recent the events covered are. Instead the book was very well organized, very interesting and really a great read. Young never makes himself out to be a hero, he is brutally honest and you really do see how insane the whole episode ended up becoming. One of the better tell alls I have ever read.

When I began listening to Andrew Young's interviews I thought he was a man who had been scorned who wanted to get even and make money in the process. After reading some of the reviews here I decided to buy the book. After reading it I believe this is a story that needed to be told. None of the characters in this book, in my opinion, are like able. None appear to have the values that we expect decent human beings to have. The Edwards wanted the White House at any cost, Reille Hunter appears to be a gold digger and the Young's worked hard to make sure the career that Andrew Young worked for (powerful position with the President) would not go up in smoke because of some very bad decisions by John Edwards.
I held a responsible position for eight years working for a mayor of a major US city. I saw many things done for the "cause" which were wrong, but I am happy to say that what is described in this book is beyond anything I could imagine. While the Young's are making money as a result of their horrible judgment in protecting Edwards, this man almost wound up in the White House. When his presidential bid was unsuccessful Edwards tried to become vice president or the attorney general by endorsing Mr Obama. Can you imagine what it would have been like, if Edwards had become VP and Ms Hunter exposed his "love child". The book is defiently a page turner. Unfortunately it is not fiction.

This was a good book - a page turner. However, I can't help but wonder (other than the money) why Mr. Young chose to write this book. The Youngs have children as do the Edwards. What good was it to go on national TV and promote the sorid details of a man who couldn't keep his pants zipped and another man who lived a lie. All of these children are victims and will continue to be so as long as this book is out there. Sad.

The Edwards affair (quite literally "affair") has been dissed, discussed, and dissected on almost every media outlet imaginable. However, you haven't really heard the up close and personal story until you hear it from Andrew Young, Edwards's longtime aide, or as some scribes have described him "toady."

After hearing Edwards speak and easily defeating an early opponent Young went to work in the then senator's office where in his words he volunteered to do everything. It seems, he would have pressed trousers if the opportunity had arisen.. He describes himself as butler, shopper, driver, and always available for the entire Edwards family. No task was too menial for Young when he believed Edwards would some day sit in the White House, where Young would also have a place of prominence.

Unfortunately, there are no good guys in this story - not even Young who, after all, did make choices. He certainly did not have to confess to being the father of Rielle Hunter's illegitimate child. (Now, of course, that's all behind us as Edwards has recently admitted parentage.) However, the path from then to now is filled with appalling details, all of which Young seems eager to share.

Elizabeth Edwards, self-canonized in her memoir "Resilience" is described as a dictatorial biddy who ordered people around, dropped nasty phone messages for staff members she considered to be errant, and was not prone to saying "thank you." Rielle Hunter, a videographer" is pictured as an opportunist, a sexually free gal, who enjoyed the luxuries given during her pregnancy (including a lavish home in Santa Barbara).

If Edwards was even half as Young reports, he is a liar, a cheat, self-centered, and, thank goodness for us, no longer in the political arena.

Young spares his audience few details, including conversations with Hunter during which he claims to have acted as a sounding board, listening to explicit descriptions of sexual encounters. THE POLITICIAN is a disturbing story, and at times will be shocking to many.

With over 30 years experience in radio and television broadcasting as well as in audiobook narration, Kevin Foley gives telling voice to the rise and fall of John Edwards.

- Gail Cooke

By the time I finished this book that I got on my Kindle2, I couldn't decide who was more messed up. No doubt John & Elizabeth Edwards but how in the world could Andrew Young for a decade worship a man and literally destroy his life and that of his family for him. The book itself was like a juicy soap opera and living in Raleigh, I was familiar with the North Carolina references. But to hear how these people live their lives was repulsive. If I had donated money to the Democratic Party in support of John Edwards I think I would be sick knowing that my hard earned dollars went to support such arrogant and lying people. John & Elizabeth Edwards may live in a 5 million dollar house but Andrew Young and his wife live in a 1.5 million dollar house and he was obviously being paid a lot of money to keep Lisa Jo Druck aka Rielle Hunter quiet. Everybody was getting paid a lot of money to live ridiculously and cover up an affair for John Edwards. Thank goodness he didn't make it to The White House I can only imagine how much it would of cost in taxpayers money to cover up something like this. Having money and power is no excuse to behave this way. Shame on them all.

I think this shows Andrew Young to be lower than John Edwards. Andrew Young is out for himself and no one else. Andrew Young did not make it to the Whitehouse and now he's trying to look like some loyal friend.
This only proves Andrew Young is NO loyal friend.
Andrew Young is lowest of the low.
No morals, No ethics, No character.
No respect for Andrew Young.

As someone else stated, the book can easily be read in one sitting. However, I did not read it in one sitting because it was captivating. I read it in one sitting because once I started reading the first few pages, I knew that I did not want to purchase it. So I sat in Barnes and Noble and read it. I will be honest: I don't care for Young and the way he is behaving in the wake of the Edwards scandal. Despite that however, I can still appreciate a good book. I was sorely disappointed.

For starters, I think the majority of the juicy tidbits that would interest readers have already been exposed in the Internet in some form or another before the book even came out. The rest of the information was the typical stuff you would expect to hear about politicians behind the scenes.

I'm not sure if Young actually wrote the book himself, but I felt that the style in which it was written was not very engaging. Young captures some of the events from the campaign trail, but fails to really give the reader a good view of what John and Elizabeth Edwards are really like. Instead they were relegated to one-dimensional characters in a story. Another thing that I found problematic was that there was too much information contained in the book about Young's personal life that I felt could have been excluded without suffering any real loss.

Overall I would not recommend the book for purchase. Read it in the store or at the library when it hits the library shelves.

If you like to read sleazy true accounts of a person who destroyed his self you will enjoy this book. While reading the book I felt I should be wearing gloves.

"The Politician" tells the story of John Edwards political life, his marriage, and the eventual affair with Rielle Hunter that brought everything down. People wanting details of those things will not leave this book disappointed in the slightest. But it's also the tale of a man entwined in the events, and his inability to free himself from the sticky web of deceit, which ends up being a somewhat frustrating and endless tale of "why are you doing this to your poor family?".

Andrew Young started out believing in his boss and his vision of ending poverty in America. Working in his campaign, organizing travel, Young had a catbird seat, sharing many stories early in the book about what it was like to be a part of John Edwards journeys to become president, including his vice-presidential run in 2004. The John Edwards here is visionary, although sometimes petty and spoiled (like demanding a plane to speak with John Kerry about the VP slot). Elizabeth Edwards first relies on Young for tasks that involve her family as well as the campaign, but soon becomes an adversary to him, mostly due to lies Edwards begins to spin to cover his own tracks.

As Edwards meets Hunter, the story quickly spins out of control, as Edwards depends more and more on Young to get him out of situations, to help him deflect public and his wife's scrutiny on the relationship, and to perpetuate things even more deeply. Quickly, young cannot see the forest for the trees, and ends up making things worse and worse. When Young's wife and family get involved, having to move, relocate, live in other's peoples homes to avoid the press and take care of now pregnant Hunter, it almost would be unbelievable had it not been a true story.

Very few people leave this book unscathed. John Edwards, once a visionary leader in the fight against poverty, now is a ruined politician who spent more time thinking with one part of his body than his brain. Elizabeth Edward, once grabbing the attention of the country with her brave cancer fight, looks shrewish and petty; an out of control wife looking for revenge. Hunter is an spoiled airhead, a "new ager" woman loving the limelight and having to hide from it at the same time. One redeemable person? Bunny Mellon, an heiress who blindly gave money to Edwards to ensure the country would be led by him, but in turn, used the money to hide his mistress.

I left the book feeling dirtied and sullen, and wondering why Young didn't end this charade much, much earlier. He attempts to explain some of the psychology of the situation in the afterword, but by then, you have lost all respect for most of the people in the story. I can only hope its over, that Young has a life with his wife and family that doesn't involve this situation.

This book is well worth reading- not only for the story but for how a seemingly smart person can lose perspective and make poor decisions. A revealing true account of the sadder sides of human nature.

John Edwards had everything in life most of us dream about! A multi-millionaire who was one of the best known lawyers in America; a beautiful wife and adoring family and a dream job as Senator of North Carolina. Edwards is smart, personable, a good speaker and with the looks of a movie star. A million dollar smile (helped along by dental surgery) and a real interest in issues of poverty in the "Two Americas" made the Tarheel pol a contender in the 2008 presidential primaries where he was eventually defeated by Obama and bested at the poles by Clinton.
"The Politician" was written by Andrew Young a lawyer and aide to Edwards for most of his career. Young is also an interesting man. His father was pastor of the large, rich and liberal Duke University Chapel prior to the loss of his pulpit due to an affair. Young soon hitched himself to another strong role model in the up and coming politician John Edwards. The book tells the story of how Young moved from adoration of John Edwards to disillusion due to the Senator's adulterous and duplicitious behavior.
Young reveals:
1. John Edwards fathered a child by the ditsy, New Age kooky documentary filmmaker Rielle Hunter. He wanted Young to claim he was the father to protect Edwards during the primary season. Young, for a time, did so going incognito in the West with Hunter with his wife also traveling with this sorry party. Young had no sexual relationship with Hunter and did not like her. He was foolishly acting to protect John Edwards! Later the story came out in the press and Young decided to write the book to earn money for his family and clear the record.
2. Elizabeth Edwards, says Young, was basically a good woman stricken with cancer and protective of her family.
She could also be very demanding, critical and eager to lash out at Young (due to her belief he had fathered Hunter's child) and the Edwards political opponents. She was demanding of her aides and could be rude, cruel and vindictive. She could also be loving and supportive JE and her friends. She is also a lawyer and a much better person than her husband.
3. John Edwards is a man who is narcisstic, egotistical and is a hypocrite. Edwards uses others only as long as they reflect his own glory. He was an unfaithful husband to Elizabeth and is to be condemended for the way he used Young to shield his well groomed hide for taking responsibility over the Rielle Hunter affair. He lied when he denied being the parent of the Hunter baby girl. John Edwards is a coward, adulterer and blatant hypocrite. He professes to stand for the poor but loathed working class people. He takes large fees for giving lectures on poverty and is eager to make money and be famous. He is a man of little substance and his personal integrity is at the zero level. Edwards was given many gifts of leadership but squandered them due to his arrogance, love of power and habitual deceit.
The Politican is a better book than I thought it might be. It is well written by a man who foolishly linked his fate with that of a devil in disguise. It is a cautionary tale and a sad one of a good man led astray due to his own eagerness to hitch his wagon to a star. John Edwards shows us the sad state of the political world in the age in which we live.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't want it to end. As good as "Game Change".

As I read this book, I became more and more involved in the story, and in my sympathies for Andrew and his family, especially his long suffering wife, Cheri.
I can't believe I supported John Edwards at one time, and believed him. I never believed, though, that Andrew Young was the father of the baby. That was just too convenient, and stunk from the beginning as a cover up from a corrupt politician.
I appreciate the great insight into politics that Andrew Young provides in the book and think he did a great job.
I had long admired Elizabeth Edwards and had read her first book. This puts a whole other spin on who she really is.

"The Politician" is about the pursuit of power, both real and derived, and the delusional and even self-destructive lengths to which participants stoop to acquire it.

I labored over my star rating. Initially I believed that a two star rating would suffice, mainly because the story is so loathesome, even insulting, to the very American people that John Edwards schemed to represent. However, I ultimately gave this book four stars because I read it in less than a week, a sure indication that it held my interest, something I cannot say for all books.

There are no heroes in "The Politician," only fools and victims. Edwards is portrayed as a smug, self-centered opportunist/narcissist, and serial liar. As a Nation we can only be thankful that his self destructive behavior saved us from a public fall-apart that would have even dwarfed the Clinton scandals. Despite her awful illness, his wife, Elizabeth, is depicted only slightly better - portrayed as an overly ambitious Rasputin-like [but highly paranoic] diva, able to "overlook" her husband's flaws for the chance to live in the White House.

Rielle Hunter is little more than John Edwards in tight jeans and a pink scarf. Had she not connected with Edwards we can absolutely suppose that she would have latched onto another famous celebrity with a different kind of club in the news. These people are all made for each other.

I have seen the Author in television interviews promoting this book. He tries to present a sympathetic case, but in the end he was little better than a remora, clinging to/enabling Edwards. How little self esteem must Andrew Young have possessed to have subjected his life so totally, and subservently, to the Edwards just for the chance of the derived power that potentially comes from being someone who knows SOMEONE? And now he has written this tell-all book because he believes that Edwards was not particularly fair to him despite his years of selfless devotion (even if he missed all his hubristic signs). Pretty pathetic really - but a great opportunity to see the raw and destructive ambitions of a politician on the move.

While the story is totally disagreeable, in the end, the facts are very revealing in terms of the money, and the wheeling and dealing, the lieing and ability to spin half-truths, the intrigue and the inside game - and all with a smile and all in front of the camera. You can't help but believe that we deserve better as a people and as a Nation than politicians like John Edwards or camp followers like Andrew Young. Perhaps "The Politician" will help discourage up and coming "wannabes" from trying to pull the wool over our eyes. And, even more, perhaps it will inspire the Press to look more diligently for the story behind the story of these candidates - not so difficult given the shallowness of Edwards [or, parenthetically, the inexperience of Obama].

I have to admit that I was captivated by John Edwards during the 2008 election. He struck me as refreshingly clean cut, a devoted family man and someone who really cared about the poor and less fortunate in our society. I shudder to think about what kind of disaster he could have wrecked upon the country after reading The Politician. The book is a gripping page turner that gives a real life portrayal of John Edwards as he really was and is; a lying, hypocritical, egocentric, narcisstic, greedy, unconsciousiable, scum bag-coward who would no doubt have betrayed the country the way he did everyone around him if he felt it was in his own best interest.
While I have sympathy for Elizabeth Edwards because of her illness and the behavior of her husband, I was also shocked at Young's examples of her vindictive, petty and power seeking behavior. That is a side of her personality that stays hidden beneath the surface on t.v. interviews.
Andrew Young explains how he got caught up and became an accomplice (enabler) to the lies and deceit he participated in working as Edwards' aide during the campaign. He doesn't try to excuse himself but rather explains how idealism, loyalty and concern for his family's welfare all contributed to his slide down the slippery slope into the cesspool where he became complicit in Edwards'reprehensible conduct.
This book is an eye-opening and terrifying account of how politicians are able to dupe the American public about who they really are. I only wish that more campaign workers who are privy to what really goes on behind the curtain and undercover would expose charlatans like Edwards so that the voting public would know who they truely are.

I rated this a 3 because it provides insider information unavailable to most of the public and is interesting. After reading most of the book. and watching Andrew and Cheri on TV I do not believe either one of them were looking out for the best interests of their kids. Just themselves. What kind of man would allow his wife and children to see him so humiliated? Infidelity is nothing compared to how Mr Young prostituted his wife and children for his own selfish folly. Cheri, if you are still backing this follower I sincerely hope you consider your options. God knows your husband never did.

I believe Andrew Young has done a monumental service to us, the voters, by writing this book. (His wife is a saint !)
One of the most interesting details I read in this book is that just like Gov. Sarah Palin did not care to read her briefing documents, neither did Sen. Edwards want to read his ! Elizabeth read them and summarized for him.
He'd rather be going to basketball games.
Thank you Mr. Young for filling us in on the hypocrisy of yet another politician.

Definition: toady : a person who behaves obsequiously to someone important.

ORIGIN early 19th cent.: said to be a contraction of toad-eater, a charlatan's assistant who ate toads; toads were regarded as poisonous, and the assistant's survival was thought to be due to the efficacy of the charlatan's remedy.

This book is about two toads; the obvious one is Andrew Young, who admits willingness to do about anything to help John Edwards, for what clearly are his own goals of ambition, self importance, money and greed. In do so, he is willing to lie to John's wife, lie to the American Public, expose his own wife and his own reputation to scandal, raise money for a percentage fee and then write a book for profit exposing the couple that paid his salary. John Edwards is also a toad, in that apparently he is willing to do anything to pursue his desires and power, doesn't matter who get's harmed in the process. Elizabeth doesn't come across very pretty either, but certainly she doesn't have the sleaziness of Andrew and John.

After reading this book, I found myself singing an old Mason Williams' song:

Them Toad Suckers

How about them toad suckers
Ain't they clods?
Sittin' there suckin'
Them green toady-frogs

Suckin' them hop-toads,
Suckin' them chunkers,
Suckin' them leapy-types,
Suckin' them plunkers.

Look at them Toad Suckers,
Ain't they snappy?
Suckin' them bog-frogs,
Sure makes 'em happy.

Then huggermugger Toad Suckers,
Way down South,
Stickin' them sucky toads,
In they mouth.

How to be a Toad Sucker?
No way to duck it.
Gitchyself a toad,
Rare back and suck it!


This is an interesting read, no doubt, but one I'm not likely to re-read.

A couple of points that will remain with me:

1. John Edwards wouldn't even write or call his brother while he sat in a Colorado jail for 60 days, nor meet him at the airport to see him off to go serve his prison sentence.
2. He also wouldn't bother going to a funeral to be with Bunny Melon, the lady who donated six million dollars to him without questions asked, when the only thing she ever asked of John in return was simply to come to her daughter's funeral.

'Scuse me while I go take a shower.

As you get older, you start to see that many people you wish were perfect are not. You see example after example of how money and power ruin people, destroy their ideals, warp their sense of right and wrong. This book by Andrew Young demonstrates that in black and white. Mr. Young lays it on the line as to why he is writing this book. His career and chance to continue as a high earner was destroyed by falling into the Edwards trap of greed, lust, egotism, and ruthlessness. It is so sad to see young people like Andrew Young and many campaign workers across our country follow politicians like religious crazed Jones followers, drinking the poison Kool-Aid. Our country has become so gullible, listening to the likes of politicians who convince us that they will save our country, make the world a better place for all of us, make us all more wealthy, etc, etc. The same can be said for many of our religious leaders who preach to do what they say, not what they do, as they will do anything for money and sex behind closed doors. So, through this book, we have learned once again, that all is not what it seems to be in Camelot. And the story continues on and on and on. Thanks, Andrew Young, for sharing this story that needed told.

This book is like an episode of Jerry Springer, but with well-educated and wealthy guests instead of trailer trash.

I liked the book, but probably mostly because I've never cared much for John Edwards. I've always thought he was an utter phony. This book confirmed my belief many times over. Andrew Young, the author, was the Edwards' family b*tch (there's no better term) for 11 years before writing this book. Though the book is obviously self-serving, and Young seems almost as shallow and unlikeable as Edwards (perhaps the similarities explain the close friendship), he provides insights into Edward's character that only someone as close as he could. For example, once Edwards borrowed Young's brand new suburban and dented it, but he failed to tell Young about. He just pretended as if nothing happened. Edwards would make Young carry his bags, do all sorts of menial personal tasks, and once made him switch hotel rooms when he learned that Young had been given a better one.

The second part of the book focuses on Edward's affair with Rielle Hunter. I was surprised at the methods Edwards, his mistress, and Young used to keep his affair secret. I was also surprised at the lengths to which Elizabeth Edwards went to keep tabs on her husband.

At bottom, the story is sad, because everyone lost. As I neared the end, I could no longer even take pleasure in reading of Edwards' follies, because everything became so pathetic.

This is a prime example of a cautionary tale. The book is well written (made me wonder if Andrew Young had a hidden talent or a really talented ghostwriter) and is a compelling, "can't put it down" read. I came away with some impressions about the author: 1). He has a drinking problem that he does not acknowledge. 2). He is power obsessed. 3). He and his wife put greed before family.

No one comes off nobly in this book with the possible exceptions of Fred Baron and Bunny Mellon and they were well-meaning dupes in this tale. I am astounded when the author oh-so-casually mentions that Mr. Baron deposited "several hundred thousands" of dollars with the author's builder to help complete the building of his house "as a gift," in a throwaway line that makes it seem like he regarded it as pocket change. No wonder he believes he is "unemployable." With his skills, there are certainly NO jobs that would provide an income that he apparently believes he is worth. And he had his Jeep shipped to California while they were in exile... how selfish and vain is that from a man who thought he could run an agency devoted to ending poverty?

This book does absolutely nothing to make any of the principles sympathetic but it was almost impossible to put down and thus the higher rating given. And, it does fulfill the requirements of being a cautionary tale.. one can hope it definitely is an effective one for many of those out there involved in politics who are/were in the process of throwing away their moral compass. For that reason alone it should be required reading for aspiring politicians and/or political operatives.

This book could have been cut in half by a halfway decent editor who could spell.

All this guy has to offer is an eyewitness account to the daliances of John Edwards because he has NO talent for writing well. I have read more exciting essays from my students about far more mundane subjects.

There is a reason why the author was John Edward's go-to person: Young is not the smartest guy in the room and John Edwards capitalized on the author's willingness to be a gopher and lacky. John Edwards may be a immoral sod; but Young is just stupid and John Edwards played him as he was: a brown-nosed suckup.

Whatever money this guy makes from the sale of this piece o' crap story, I hope he invests well because it will be difficult for him to find gainful employment. He lacks smarts, character, integrity and a backbone.

Andrew Young had plenty of opportunities to salvage some self-respect but he was too dumb. His ignorance makes this book hard to read and because the author fails to demonstrate that he has a ounce of good judgment, the reader is left to question the veracity of the stories he tells.

If you can read this story by a lousy writer who drones on and on... you will find out how much of a cad John Edwards is.

The Wizard of Oz was famously revealed as "the man behind the curtain", a small, ordinary mortal who had persuaded the world that he possessed extraordinary powers. In "The Politician", John Edwards is depicted as a latter-day man behind the curtain-- a man whose charm and intellect are skillfully deployed in the pursuit of power, but who comes up painfully short in depth, scruples and staying power.

No one comes off especially well in "The Politician". Author Andrew Young comes across as a skilled fixer whose loyalty to Edwards is propelled by the lure of making a fast fortune. Elizabeth Edwards (whom I've admired tremendously and whose "Saving Graces" I've recommended with a five star review on this site) is portrayed as short-tempered and demanding, albeit as the architect of her husband's political career. Rielle Hunter, Edwards's paramour and the mother of his newest child, is depicted as self-absorbed and foolish. The few who emerge unscathed are John Edwards's kindly parents and Heather North, the devoted nanny to Edwards' children Emma Claire and Jack.

So, with few to admire and many to deplore, why read "The Politician"? I recommend the book as a cautionary tale. John Edwards emerges very much as an empty suit-- perhaps a talented man, but more importantly a monied and ambitious one, whose wealth and desire for influence allowed him to shape a compelling public image in pursuit of national office. This story is a reminder that our public landscape is heavily influenced by image-makers and that what we read and view has been produced, directed and edited for our consumption. This is par for the course with entertainment celebrities, but vigilance and vetting is needed in selecting our political leaders. Citizen engagement and meticulous examination of a politician's character, conduct and stands on the issues have never been more important as mechanisms to pierce the image-making machine and glimpse the person behind the curtain.