Saturday, July 16, 2011

New novel explores lives of pol’s family, friends
LIFESTYLES - Lifestyles
Thursday, 30 June 2011 17:09
Written by Bobbi Booker Tribune Staff Writer

Already recognized as one of the most provocative political bloggers in the country, television personality Keli Goff has recently added novelist to her repertoire.

In her hotly anticipated fiction debut, “The GQ Candidate (Atria, $24.99),” Goff covers a presidential campaign from a vantage point rarely seen: through the eyes of the candidate’s closest friends. In a tale that has been described as “Entourage” meets “The West Wing,” Goff introduces readers to the friends and family of Gov. Luke Cooper, a handsome, charismatic African-American presidential candidate, whose adoptive parents are white and Jewish.

The book chronicles how his race for the presidency alters the lives of those closest to him forever, particularly after a scandal triggered by one of his confidants — and the reappearance of another from his past — threaten to derail his quest for the White House.
His national celebrity is increased when he heroically saves the life of an avowed racist, and his good looks and charm earn him the nickname “The GQ Candidate.” When asked about her inspiration for the book, Goff describes it as twofold.
“In a strange way, I always thought Barack Obama and John McCain were the two least interesting people on the campaign trail in 2008,” explained Goff. “I was always more fascinated by the people around them from Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett, to Cindy McCain. After all, President Obama and Sen. McCain signed up for their lives.
The people around them never did but sort of found themselves forced along for this incredible journey. I always wanted to be a fly on the wall to hear what all those people made of it all.”
Goff is an author, blogger and political analyst whose commentary on politics and pop culture appears regularly in national television, print and online publications. She is a frequent guest on news programs on the networks CNN, FOX, MSNBC and NPR, and is a regular contributor to TheLoop21.com and The Huffington Post. She is the author of the book “Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence.”
“The other inspiration though, was my family,” Goff added. “I think people like my mom always though they would never see a Black man elected president in their lifetime and that race would be the greatest barrier to the White House. But here we are today with a Black president who has had to spend much of the last few years trying to quell suspicions about his religious beliefs, which made me think that maybe religious identity is an even greater political barrier in out country than race. I wanted to write about that.”
 
Contact Tribune staff writer Bobbi Booker at (215) 893-5749 or bbooker@phillytrib.com.