Reading Election Day

   November 6, 2012--Election Day in these United States.  I hope everyone has the chance to exercise their right to vote for the candidates who represent their values.  Poll results for the presidential, senate, and other races will trickle in later tonight and Wednesday as votes are tallied after what has been an exceptionally long campaign.  Given the constant media coverage leading up to Election Day, it's not surprising that campaign issues and tactics were on my mind as I read The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

Rowling's novel centers around a vacant council seat in the tiny English village of Pagford.  Who will be elected?  Whose agenda will be advanced?   What information will be disseminated about the candidates, and will it be accurate?  As the plot unfolded, I couldn't help but draw parallels between this fictional scenario and our current political state of affairs.  Special interests; haves versus have nots; empowered versus disenfranchised; and misrepresentations, scare tactics, and spin are all well illustrated in The Casual Vacancy, proving that regardless of outcome, in fiction as in real life, politics is not for the faint of heart.

Catherine

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Reading Election Day was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com. This post cannot be republished without express written consent.