Sarah Palin - By Kaylene Johnson

This portrait of Alaska governor Sarah Palin chronicles her rise from college basketball to state office, including her years as mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska. Kaylene Johnson sees Palin as a person of principle who was willing to challenge her own party--and win. In her view, Palin is a populist and a reformer. In 2008, presidential candidate John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate in a move that stunned the media and which recharged many in the Republican Party.