America, You Sexy Bitch

May 7, 2012
In this cross-country tour of America, the authors make odd companions: McCain (Dirty Sexy Politics), the Republican daughter of John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, and Black (You’re Not Doing It Right), a Democrat and comedian. In between touring national landmarks and meeting locals, they spar over hot-button issues. Whether they are comparing the highs and lows of the Clinton presidency at his national library in Little Rock, Ark., or discussing race, sex, and the military at Fort Campbell, Ky., the book does an admirable job balancing each party’s perspective and the personal associations the authors bring to the issues. McCain’s own family’s military history and concern over gun control laws contrast nicely with Black’s concerns regarding health care, and help anchor larger issues to individual lives. The narrative is particularly lively when their city visits become outlandish, like an exploration of the American dream as realized by Yakov Smirnoff in Missouri or the sex industry in Las Vegas, Nev., but the book is less overtly funny than expected. As stereotypical party associations and extremism boil down to a genuine concern for the future of America, the result is surprisingly heartfelt. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic.

May 15, 2012
A middle-age liberal comedian and a younger Republican media personality embark on an RV expedition together to see if they can find common ground (they do) and say something significant about America (they don't). "My own view heading into this trip is that America is at a particularly crappy time in its history," writes Black (You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations, 2012, etc.). His counterpart is McCain (Dirty Sexy Politics, 2010), flamboyant daughter of the Republican presidential candidate, who has occasionally aroused the suspicion of her party but who loves the same things as all good Republicans (guns, whiskey, red meat, country music, God, etc.). "I really love America," she writes. "I don't mean this to come off like a cliche; you know, American girl loves America, but it's true." Though family, friends and others had trouble understanding why two people who knew each other only through Twitter committed themselves to this project, something similar has been done often and better--from the "Point/Counterpoint" segment that long ran on 60 Minutes to the ultimate in strange political bedfellows, James Carville and Mary Matalin. Here, "the entire project, from idea to execution, happened in a little more than a month," writes McCain. "Michael and I sold the book before we actually met in person." The result is often tedious and shallow, as their travels reveal little beyond the obvious about New Orleans, Austin, Memphis, Salt Lake City and other cities. "Stereotypes have a funny way of falling apart when you actually talk to people," writes Black, though the book reinforces a lot of stereotypes and is rarely funny.

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