Joe McGinniss

Joe McGinniss has died at the age of 71 — complications related to prostate cancer.

He was best known as the author of Fatal Vision and The Selling of the President 1968.  He got famous again several years ago when he moved next door to Sarah Palin while working on his unauthorized biography of her, The Rogue.

I only read one book by Joe McGinniss:  Going to Extremes, written in 1980.  It was non-fiction, based on his experiences and personal impressions of Alaska.  It's a page-turner.  The book doesn't exactly make you want to drop everything and move to Alaska.  But his writing style makes you feel like you're right there.  The dead-end hopelessness in Barrow, Alaska (34 years ago anyway, if not now), going on a camping trip in the Brooks mountain range, getting drenched in Ketchikan's 24/7/365 rainfall, going to Anchorage and seeing a bunch of faceless new malls and housing tracts that weren't there three months ago — You're there.

R.I.P.

“Sarah Palin” by Joe McGinniss

Joe McGinniss’ unauthorized biography of Sarah Palin should be a page turner, whatever he says about her.

He’s probably most famous for Fatal Vision, which I never read. His only book I’ve read is Going To Extremes, and it’s one of those books you literally can’t put down until you’re done. It was just his experiences and personal impressions of Alaska, written in 1980.

The book didn’t exactly make you want to drop everything and make a beeline for Alaska. But the way he writes, you just feel like you’re there — camping in the Brooks Range, getting drenched by the 24/7 rain in Ketchikan, seeing another new sterile housing tract in Anchorage that wasn’t there three months earlier, etc.

I was in Alaska a long time ago. I didn’t like it (spectacular scenery though). But Going To Extremes really nails it; the book captures Alaska like nothing else I’ve ever seen or read. (Forget about travel articles, or that lame-ass TV series Northern Exposure from the late ‘80s.)

I have no idea what Joe McGinniss’ political views are. For all I know, his biography will say Sarah Palin is a true salt-of-the-earth pioneer, a Real American, misrepresented by the media, and anyone who doesn’t like her is just an effete ivory tower liberal.

Whatever he writes about her, the book oughta be riveting.