Booklist: An Army of One, by Zev Chafets

Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One, by Zev Chafets.
Penguin, 2010
217 pages plus index, 8 pages of b&w photos
Library: B LIMBA,R

Description
People tend to remember the moment they first heard The Rush Limbaugh Show on the radio. For Zev Chafets, it was in a car in Detroit, driving down Woodward Avenue. Limbaugh's braggadocio, the outrageous satire, the slaughtering of liberal sacred cows performed with the verve of a rock and roll dj-it seemed fresh, funny, and completely subversive. "They're never going to let this guy stay on the air," he thought.

Almost two decades later Chafets met Rush for the first time, at Limbaugh's rarely visited Southern Command. They spent hours together talking on the record about politics, sports, music, show business, religion, and modrn American history. Rush opened his home and his world, introducing Chafets to his family, closest friends, even his psychologist. The result was an acclaimed cover-story profile of Limbaugh in The New York Times Magazine.

But there was much more to say, especially after Limbaugh became Public Enemy Number One of the Obama administration. At first Limbaugh resisted the idea of a full-length portrait, but he eventually invited Chafets back to Florida and exchanged more than 100 emails full of his personal history, thoughts, fears and ambitions. What has emerged is a uniquely personal look at the man who is not only the most popular voice on the radio, but also the leader of the conservative movement and one of the most influential figures in the REpublican party.

While Limbaugh's public persona is instantly recognizable, his background and private life are often misunderstood. Even devoted Dittoheads will find there's a lot they don't know about the self-described "harmless little fuzzball" who has taken on the giants of the mainstream media and the Democratic party-from Bill and Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama-with "half his brain tied behind his back, just to make it fair."

Chafets paints a compelling portrait of Limbaugh as a master entertainer, a fearless iconoclast, a political force, and a fascinating man.

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. "I hope he fails"
2. Life on the Mississippi
3. From Rusty to Christie to Rush
4. The City
5. The Honorary freshman
6. Limbaugh in Limbo
7. "W"
8. The Southern Command
9. The Rush Limbaugh Show
10. Intellectual Engine
11. The Boss
12. The agic Negro
13. The Guns of August
14. Welcome to the NFL
15. Forward to the Past
Epilogue: The party of "Hell no"
Acknowledgments
Appendix
Index