He is the surprise success of the 2012 GOP hopefuls so far, the black pizza magnate with no political experience who has managed to hold his own against far more experienced and deep-pocketed rivals. His book, “This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House,” is a surprise, too, a plain-spoken autobiography that’s full of the zingy one-liners and populist messages that have endeared him to so many American voters.
“I was surprised by the words that flowed across my iPad,” writes Forbes reviewer Bill Frezza about the book. “…Cain writes like he speaks, in plain language. No fifty cent words when nickel words will do. No focus group-tested positions that slip through your fingers when you try to parse them. Just homespun Cain.”
He builds on the homespun style by prefacing each chapter with a biblical passage, sure to gain him credibility with Evangelical voters. Cain’s trademark ebullience spills over onto the page, and his rags-to-riches story earns him respect, even from critics.
“I didn't grow up wanting to be president of the United States,” Cain writes in his book. “I grew up po', which is even worse than being poor. My American dream entailed working hard and making $20,000 a year, but I surpassed that goal and became a corporate CEO, a regional chairman of the Federal Reserve, a president of the Restaurant Association, an author, and an Atlanta talk show host before retiring at sixty-five on cruise control. And then I became a presidential aspirant. But a strange thing happened on my way to cruise control: The country got off-track.”
