Golden: How Rod Blagojevich Talked Himself out of the Governor's Office and into Prison by Jeff Coen

Golden: How Rod Blagojevich Talked Himself out of the Governor's Office and into Prison Reviews

• 
  Sara

  Reading this book was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Rod Blagojevich was such an idiot. It's surprising that he went to law school, yet he doesn't know that failure to know whether something is legal is not a defense to a crime. He doesn't understand what is and is not ethical. But the part that takes him from harmless idiot to revolting is that he ran for all these public offices without any interest whatsoever in actually governing or legislating. He was in it for the money and power, but when it came time to actually trying to do a job, he would play ostrich and stick his head in the sand. He actually hid from his staff when he didn't feel like discussing policy. And the stuff about the hairbrush is just completely ridiculous. I would have given the book more stars, but there were a surprising number of typos and grammatical mistakes, and the writing style was kind of boring. And, for a book like this, there should be a glossary or a timeline; some sort of appendix(ces) to help keep track and understand everything. But it was fun to read about Rod Blagojevich and his craziness.
• 
  Mary Robinson

  The story of our disgraced Illinois Governor told by two sharp Chicago Tribute reporters. It was good to see the bits and pieces I knew sewn altogether. It was very hard to have it so clearly confirmed that Blagovich did almost nothing (in the way of work) but try to better his personal situation through wheeling and dealing. Painful.
• 
  Mojofiction

  This one has a lot of local flavor here in the always-interesting state of Illinois, but, you know, a true story of rampant political corruption is probably relatable in almost every state in the union, so it should be able to legally cross state lines, right? And I think this one is worth studying.
  
  “Golden” refers directly to a single statement that basically put former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich behind bars for 14 years. His sentence began in 2012 (earlier this year there was even talk from the former governor’s wife about getting Donald Trump to pardon Rod, which didn’t happen). Of course, the story is more complex than one statement. The subtitle of the book is, “How Rod Blagojevich talked himself out of the governor’s office and into prison.” But the story of Rod B. is more than just a look at a corrupt governorship; it’s a tale of a flawed individual, the already legendary corrupt system permeating Illinois, and the perfect storm of power and means.
  
  Chicago reporters Jeff Coen and John Chase start at the beginning, with the early life of a young Rod. Why are his formative years important? The authors don’t specifically say, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. But it’s not a great leap to connect the dots. This part of his life ends up being a fascinating look at someone who never really knows who they are. He doesn’t have the drive for any one thing in particular, and he always comes in second at everything he does. He seems to be going nowhere. But he quickly finds out that people gravitate to his personality. That allows him to succeed in an area he really shouldn’t have: politics.
  
  Some well-timed, if accidental, moves come along, such as meeting and marrying Patricia Mell, the daughter of the powerful and influential Chicago alderman Richard Mell. This gives him an in to a world where he can make waves without much effort thanks to his connection. That, in turn, leads Rod to something that it turns out he is really good at: fund raising. Fund raising for Rod is all about his winning personality, the only thing he excels at. He’s finally found his place. But why raise funds for someone else when you can raise them for yourself and claim the power and prestige, and maybe the riches, that follow?
  
  Perhaps the biggest issue Blagojevich can’t rein in is his need to be in the company of the big dogs. As others around him ascend to bigger jobs in Washington, jealousy seeps through. The story culminates with the brazen attempt to sell Barack Obama’s vacant senate seat in return for a seat at the table. While everyone, Obama included, wanted to exert influence over the senate pick, only Rod openly tried to profit from it.
  
  While it’s a fascinating character study and political cautionary tale, the authors don’t always do it justice. This should have been a pretty tight story, almost a thriller, but it’s clear early on that the two journalists don’t particularly like Rod Blagojevich, so they can’t help but spend time commenting on him personally instead of letting his own actions speak to the reader.
  
  They also retread their own ground in the second half the book. They detail the FBI wiretapping investigation that opened the floodgates into the corrupt governorship, which is good stuff. But when they get into the court trials they just repeat it all, which adds a lot of extra meaningless pages to the book and becomes a little frustrating. It feels like a case of journalists a little too in love with their own work.
  
  Nonetheless, it’s a startling look at how the political machine runs and how easily it can be abused. It’s not limited to Illinois.
• 
  R

  I couldn't put this sucker down, well, at least until the trial bit. Whatever you think of Rod Blagojevich, he definitely led a colorful life. You can't make this stuff up, which is actually quite sad for Chicago and the State of Illinois. We're still dealing with his mess and the consequences of a corrupt political culture. Not much has changed. Anyway, back to Rod. Even in his youth, he was always striving to stand out or one up people, so it should surprise no one that he turned to a life of crime. Did you know he switched high schools just so he could be the "star" basketball player? Who does that? He pretended to be a professional boxer. Even though he graduated from law school, he didn't know a single thing about the law, getting jobs only through personal and political connections. He was definitely a player in the game, always looking to win a prize, not for the people he governed, but for himself and his cronies, long before he was caught on tape. I think the courtroom part dragged, only because it was poorly written and badly organized. The rest of the book had a nice flow that made you want to keep flipping the pages, but those last few chapters appeared to be a second thought for the authors, like they didn't spend enough time working on it. Even Rod's testimony wasn't as exciting as when I read it in the newspaper or on twitter. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably give the book a perfect rating.
• 
  Will Hunter

  It's Bleepin' Golden. Actually a tragedy for the State of Illinois. Shows the reality of sin and depravity and how anyone can become that corrupt. A man with so much promise who blew it. Excellent bio of the governor's life and how it one can get so greedy.
• 
  Magnus

  In depth account of an ambitious guy that got in over his head and contributed to the litany of corrupt Illinois governor's. He just kept talking all while the feds were listening and he was supposed to be a reformer!!!!
• 
  Renee Harrison

  Well written and researched. As a resident of Illinois it was a bit disturbing to read but overall a good book and some very good details behind the headlines.
• 
  Dana

  Very good book about what shaped Rod Blagojevich and the mistakes he made along the way, all while trying to sell Obama's vacated Senate seat. Surprisingly good read
• 
  David Barclay

  This book was a very colorful painting of the life and times of Rod. Was a great read. Couldn't put it down!
• 
  Julie

  technically, I didn't read the entire book - only the first 270 pages and the epilogue. Overwhelming amount of detail.
• 
  Kent District Library

  Rich W: One of the best books I’ve read lately. It is a fascinating account of political corruption thoroughly researched and expertly written.
• 
  Abby

  great story for someone from IL...the trial part was slower to read and was better following in real time. learned a lot I didn't know about Blago before
• 
  Mike Barry

  Very well-written and fun to read!!
• 
  Wendy

  Started this book a long time ago. Decided to start it again...