Sarah Palin's one-time future son-in-law, Levi Johnston, reportedly just signed a book deal for a tell-all memoir on the Palin family. Johnston, the father of the GOP star's grandson, has a rocky relationship with the Palins, and his book "will have good stuff," says his manager, Tank Johnson. "He isn't leaving anything out." But when Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs comes out in the fall, it won't be the only Palin exposé on the shelves: At least three more are slated to come out first. Here's a look at the upcoming crop of anti-Palin tomes:
1. The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power, by Geoffrey Dunn
Dunn, a California-based writer and documentarian, says he was moved to write the book after hearing "troubling" stories from Alaskans about Palin's life. Dunn focuses on her career in Alaska politics, placing it in the context of a corrupt political culture and the larger tradition of American populism and "demagoguery." The first book in the queue, it is set for a May 10 release by publisher St. Martin's Press.
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2. Blind Allegiance, by Frank Bailey and Jeanne Devon
Bailey is a disgruntled former top aide to Palin, and Devon is the anti-Palin blogger behind The Mudflats. In a rough copy of the book that leaked online in February, Bailey quotes heavily from unflattering emails written by Palin. But while the book paints Palin as a vindictive, petty, self-obessed lightweight, it also spends lots of time on Alaska politics, potentially limiting its general appeal. After struggling to find a publisher, Bailey signed with Simon & Schuster earlier this month. Blind Allegiance comes out May 24.
3. The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin, by Joe McGinniss
McGinniss, an investigative journalist, infamously moved in next door to the Palins last summer while researching his book. McGinniss calls The Rogue a "startling and penetrating examination of the illusion and reality of Sarah Palin," and he has "signaled that his book will focus on the mother of all Palin conspiracy theories," says Kenneth Vogel at Politico: That Palin didn't really give birth to her youngest child, Trig. McGinniss says that while he personally is "a Trignostic," his research raised some interesting questions. "But my lips are sealed until September," when Crown publishes the book, he teases.
4. Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs, by Levi Johnston
"Levi is going to talk about everybody, including Sarah Palin, and the rest of the family," manager Tank Johnson tells Radar Online. That includes former fiancee Bristol Palin, the mother of their son. Published by Touchstone, Johnston's book will also include previously unreleased photos and stories of his intimate, rocky, suddenly public life with the Palins. Will it live up to expectations? "I did get to talk to Johnston off the record at one point," notes Palin critic Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Beast. "I look forward to the book and hope he tells it exactly like it was."
Sources: The Daily Beast, Us Weekly, Radar Online, Joe McGinniss, Politico
