REVIEWS: What The People Are Saying About The People's Machine

A running list of reviews and comments about The People's Machine.

LA Times Review: If you're a political junkie, Joe Mathews' book, "The People's Machine," will be catnip. If you're not a political junkie, beware: It could easily make you one.

What they’re saying about “The People’s Machine”…

Were Schwarzenegger not that resilient and resourceful, he never would have made it out of Austria, to the top of the body-building world, to a business career, Hollywood stardom and now striking success in politics, all of which Joe Mathews describes in his excellent new political biography, "The People's Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy.'' -- David Broder, The Washington Post

“[A] powerful account of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s political ascent—and of his subsequent fall from public grace … a penetrating, inside look at the celebrity California governor and his team … at once critical and sympathetic. Set against the backdrop of California’s fascination with direct democracy, this book is a triumph of meticulous reporting and solid research.”
—Lou Cannon, author of Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power

"It's the best book written about California politics in 40 years."
-Dan Schnur, commentator and consultant

“Journalist Mathews tackles the legend of Arnold amongst the contorted façade of California politics, producing an exciting jaunt into the la-la land of big-state direct democracy-the kind of politics that throws political initiatives of all stripes to the people's vote, including the infamous Governor recall vote that put Schwarzenegger into power…. mixes a Schwarzenegger-size sense of fun with wonky policy specifics for a page-turner with the rush of a good political potboiler.” – Publishers Weekly

“It’s a remarkable piece of journalism, a must read for anyone interested in politics in California… It also separates fact from fiction on how power is exercised is the nation’s largest state… A fascinating work. --NBC 4, Los Angeles

“Mathews delivers a completely engrossing look at Schwarzenegger's long and calculated strategy to run for political office…” -- Booklist

“Wonderfully detailed and surprisingly readable.” – St. Petersburg Times

“This book catches Schwarzenegger in mid-career and offers fascinating insights into his style and substance.” – Orange County Register

“What Mathews is able to do, thanks in part to his subject's star power, is write a book that describes something most people never thought they'd ever be interested in -- how government works (even when it doesn't) -- and still be entertaining.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“It's a well researched and reported book, crammed with behind-the-scenes stories and insights into how political campaigns come together.” – Sacramento Bee.

“It is the rollicking, wild story of how an Austrian carpenter's apprentice rose to become leader of his adopted land's largest state, and how to some extent he has become merely life-size since then.” – Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund in the New York Sun

"Mathews’ work is going to entirely change the way we view California’s governor. It’s detailed, it’s fair and non-ideological in its take, and it reveals fascinating new facts.” Pasadena Star-News
"Joe Mathews has done an artful, fascinating, and convincing job of connecting the California of today's Schwarzenegger era to the long history that made his rise possible. Anyone who reads his book will understand why America's political future may include many more Arnolds. This is an intriguing and accomplished book." —James Fallows, national correspondent The Atlantic Monthly

"Lest you believe it was all a dream, The People's Machine explains in vivid detail that yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually elected governor of California after his predecessor was abruptly ousted by voters. Joe Mathews examines the many interconnected reasons why that happened with authoritative reporting and uncommon thoroughness. He offers a shrewdly interpretive biography that spans a few decades while also crystallizing the heady drama of those few months in 2003 when American democracy took on a whole new form. If you're looking for clear-eyed dream analysis, here is the definitive kind." – Dade Hayes, co-author of Open Wide and editor at Entertainment Weekly

The People Machine's is destined to be the classic definer of the Age of Arnold.
--Flash Report (leading California political blog)

An excellent blend of in-depth analysis and biographical information results.
– Midwest Book Review

Mathews has managed to keep whatever personal feelings he has about Schwarzenegger in a file drawer somewhere, and takes an honest look the campaign and beyond with wit, vigor and good old-fashioned in-depth investigative coverage. – Mammoth Times (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.)

“A groundbreaking account.” -- CNN

“Fascinating.” – KCUR radio (NPR), Kansas City

“Excellent.” – Miami Herald

“The best book written on Schwarzenegger to date.” – Guenter Bischof, director of Center Austria (Center for Austrian Culture and Commerce), University of New Orleans