Why people recommend it
Election by Tom Perrotta is a satirical novel about high school politics, ambition, and the messy realities of adolescent and adult life. Matt Rogers spoke about the novel and its sequel, Tracy Flick Can't Win, on Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, mentioning that Alexander Payne was expected to direct a film adaptation of the follow-up. Meanwhile, Tom Perrotta appeared on The Book Review to discuss the complexities of his characters and the evolution of the story's reception. Perrotta noted that the narrative begins with Tracy Flick's sexual relationship with a high school teacher, a plot point where the protagonist demonstrates little regret. He recalled that when the original film adaptation was first released, audiences tended to view Tracy primarily as a villain, which he found a fascinating reaction. Furthermore, Perrotta compared the structural approach of his later work to his method in Election, explaining how he favored writing with multiple narrators in a polyphonic, oral history style where numerous distinct voices chime in to construct the overarching plot.
Who recommended it
- Tom Perrotta Discussed
- Matt Rogers Discussed
Tom Perrotta — 3 mentions
“but the the other big change I think and this this is where the book actually begins is that people who have read election will know that Tracy had a sexual relationship with a high school teacher and in the book election and movie election she doesn't seem to have a lot of regrets”
“so for instance when election the movie first came out Tracy was seen as a villain it was very interesting for me”
“I was writing this book about veto and I kept wanting to write it the way that I had written a ction in these chapters with multiple narrators kind of oral history style you know as you say a polyphonic book where all these voices are chiming in to tell a story”
Matt Rogers — 1 mention
“and they did a sequel to it called Tracy flick can't win Tom Pera wrote a second book like years and years later and they're doing it Alexander p is supposed to do it they're getting the script together”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I have a book by Tom Perrotta who I feel is someone whose books are pretty beloved. He is the guy behind Election, Little Children, The Leftovers.”
“he's the author of many acclaimed novels including children which he adapted into an Oscar nominated screenplay the leftovers which later became a series for HBO and election which was turned into a movie starring a very memorable Reese Witherspoon as its lead character”