Review: Taft 2012 by Jason Heller

Since the moment I learned about him, I was desperately in love and deep admiration of one Mr. Theodore Roosevelt. It came as a small wonder to me that I knew little to naught about the man who, while large in stature, could do nothing to fill the behemoth space left by him when he left the Oval Office. William Howard Taft did not even rate in my radar as second best, he rated as a possible after thought.

What was I supposed to think of a man who was obese before that was the unspoken accepted shape and size of the nation? What was I supposed to think of a man who got stuck in his bathtub?

I thought he was an amusement, a punchline, a caricature; in the process I forgot he was a man. I forgot that he was a president of my country. I forgot that he must have stood for something for the people of his time to support him.

When I saw the book Taft 2012 in the Quirk Books catalog I wondered, "What could this man offer us now?" and, I will admit this, I also thought, "Why not Teddy 2012?" because I am so sadly predictable. Either way, I was intrigued by the premise, feeling, like so many others that anyone could be a breath of fresh air in the current political race for president.


I decided I needed to read this book.

This has been one of my most enjoyable reads of the year so far. The premise of the book is wildly fantastic - one hundred years after a mysterious disappearance before the inauguration of his successor, Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft wakes up in November 2011 in Washington D.C. If you can suspend disbelief long enough to jump into the the story without worrying about how Taft made it to 2011, then you are in for a treat.

In November 2011, President Taft finds a whole new country before him, and Americans find a man who once carried the weight of political office without being distracted by the glamor of the title. Jason Heller, the author, does an amazing job of balancing Taft's early 20th century sensibilities within the fast paced 21st century world. While written in third person, Taft's voice is fully realized and thoroughly entertaining. He is a man out of his time simply trying to find a nice lunch, a game of golf and a place where he belongs.

As Taft finds his way around our new world we are treated to transcripts of politically charged television shows discussing his return, reports from the secret agent assigned to his protection, Craig's list reports of Taft sightings, excerpts from books written about his return and tweets from Taft fans and followers. The narrative keeps moving you forward as you find yourself unavoidably wondering, When will Taft get back into politics?

I couldn't help but be enamored with William Howard Taft and wish that there was some way this man could be here to run in 2012. A man with such a profound respect for the law and the will of the people sounds so truly American, I couldn't help but wonder what "truly American" means when we elect men who do not fit this description.

On a personal note, I was overjoyed that the state of our food industry played a role in the telling of this tale. While it is a work of fiction, there can be no denying that the inadequacies presented in Heller's book are evident in our reality. Perhaps it takes a larger-than-life food loving political being such as Taft to shine a light on the problems we have become far too accustomed to on our plates everyday, but whatever the case may be, I appreciated that Taft's call to civic duty was finally received from an issue that deserves far more press than it gets.

Whether you are a history buff, a fan of time travelers, alternate realities, fiction or politics, I highly recommend this book. It is thought provoking while still being light hearted and often funny (I did laugh out loud at a couple Taftisms). In the end, for fellow Americas, I can also say this book is hopeful. It is a reminder of who we are, what we stand for and how great movements can come to be.

Have you read Taft 2012? If so, what did you think of it?

What do you know about William Howard Taft?

If you could bring any US President back from the past to run for office in 2012, who would it be and why?