To date, I’ve only reviewed fiction, so it was a refreshing change to review something of an altogether different bent. I’m no stranger to politics: I’ve actively participated in elections in the UK in the past, and I have a Master’s degree in politics and international relations. This can be a double-edged sword when reviewing such a book, as you tend to either disagree vehemently with the opinion of the author; or conversely, wholeheartedly support them. On the whole, I tend to agree with the author, but that is no great hardship: to read the book and then deny the all too clear facts placed before you, should instantly render you ineligible for public office.

Stupid Party: Math Versus Myth sets out to demonstrate how the Republican Party in the United States bears no resemblance to its original objectives, and can be more accurately described (by the Republican Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal in 2013) as the Stupid Party.

Andendall is not your typical Republican-basher (to coin a phrase). He went to High School in the United Kingdom, and has been a strong supporter of the Republican Party in the United States. It is for this very reason that Andendall feels so strongly that the Republican Party is now a pale reflection of itself, driven by emotional polemic to the extreme right of the political spectrum. Math Versus Myth makes it evident exactly how and why the Republican Party has now become the Stupid Party, as it has been swayed and taken over by paranoid myth.

Andendall supports his argument well, with numerous references to external sources that can be clicked on to discover more from the web. Statistics are also used to great effect, successfully demonstrating how the Stupid Party is actively attacking those who would not support their views through anti-education, anti-voter policies. With education comes the ability to analyse and dissect the Stupid Party rhetoric, ripping apart the weak theories that bind their policies together. Similarly, as the political franchise has widened to include women and black voters, so support for the Stupid Party has waned.

For each policy espoused or rejected by the Stupid Party, be it Obamacare, education, gender and race equality, healthcare, taxation, or climate change, Andendall sets out the facts, well supported by evidence and references to counter the inevitably false statements made within the Republican Party and by its presidential nominees.
This is not a peer-reviewed academic book, and it is not intended to be. It is the rejection by a former supporter of a party that was originally formed to support the idea of Liberty and abhor slavery, yet now is intent on suppressing the rights of those who are not white, affluent and evangelically religious. Where typical academic tomes would send you to sleep, Stupid Party: Man Versus Myth pushes you to find out more, to confirm the author’s statements and to ultimately call on the Republican Party to end its association with the polemic of factual inaccuracy and idiocy.

Andendall began with a mission: to dispel the myths created by the Stupid Party and he accomplishes that with factual vigour.

**** Four stars!

Matthew

Stupid Party: Math Versus Myth will be released shortly.