Your Own Worst Enemy by Gordon Jack

Your Own Worst Enemy

by Gordon Jack

For fans of Andrew Smith and Frank Portman and the movies Election and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off comes a hilarious and satirical novel about the highs and (very low) lows of the electoral process, proving that the popular vote is the one that matters most.

Stacey Wynn was the clear front-runner for Lincoln High student council president. But then French-Canadian transfer student Julia Romero entered the race…and put the moves on Stacey’s best friend/campaign adviser, Brian.

Stacey also didn’t count on Tony Guo, resident stoner, whose sole focus is on removing the school’s ban of his favorite chocolate milk, becoming the voice of the little guy, thanks to a freshman political “mastermind” with a blue Mohawk.

Three candidates, three platforms, and a whirlwind of social media, gaffes, high school drama, and protests make for a ridiculously hilarious political circus that just may hold some poignant truth somewhere in the mix.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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This was what I was hoping it would be. Jack showed the highs and the lows of the political process, putting a hilarious spin on it all, while also including ideas of friendship, family, identity, and romance.
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I had featured this book as one of my Can't-Wait Wednesday picks. I had been expecting something along the lines of the movie Election, where the whole political process was depicted in a satirical way, and Gordon Jack definitely delivered that in Your Own Worst Enemy.

What seemed like a sure thing for Stacey turned into a cutthroat political race, which included false accusations, mud slinging, and even maligning by the media. Both Tony and Julia came out of nowhere to challenge Stacey, and to stop her rise to power.

I must say, I really liked all three candidates, even Tony, who was pretty ridiculous and really hilarious. Jack did a great job creating these characters, because though they were each crafted in a way to represent a specific type of political voice, they were still very human. It was their flaws, which helped me empathize with them, even when they were running off the rails a little.

It was easy to pick out all the current issues and ploys from the current state of American politics. However, because Jack was depicting all sides of just about every political hot button topic out there in an exaggerated manner, it didn't bother me. In fact, because he was showing all these things to the extreme, it showed how ridiculous we are about some things, while still shedding light on particular issues.

One thing I can tell you is that I laughed, a lot. This book was really funny, even hilarious at times, but it was also kind of deep and thought provoking, in a good way. Some truths are easier to digest when served with humor, and I found Jack's examination of the the political process and the current issues facing Americans to be quite palatable.

Overall: A hilarious and pretty honest look at American politics that left me laughing and thinking.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 October, 2018: Finished reading
  • 27 October, 2018: Reviewed