Author John Manrique releases new satire, For the People: The Invisible Hand of Power's Unofficial Guide to the 2008 Presidential Election

Palm Beach Gardens -- Free-Press-Release.com-- Nov 21, 2010 -- In the wake of the 2010 mid-term elections, author John Manrique releases his second novel, For the People: The Invisible Hand of Power's Unofficial Guide to the 2008 Presidential Election. A fantastic journey behind the scenes of that "hopesy, changey thing," For the People pulls in everyone from Sarah Palin to Osama bin Laden, in a no-holds barred satirical retrospective covering the period's motives and moves.

"I wrote For the People not only to call-out all the absurdities surrounding the 2008 election," Manrique shares from his home in South Florida, "but as a reminder to all involved – particularly the people – what the outcome was supposed to mean. Given what we've seen over the last couple years and the results of the mid-terms," the 40 year-old Manrique adds, "it seems the absurdity has only increased while meaning is lost."

Described as “NYC Prep” meets The Manchurian Candidate, For the People is told through the eyes of Voltaire, a child born into ultimate privilege. Voltaire's family is one of the ruling members of “They,” the invisible hand of power behind mankind’s machinations, and as he prepares to graduate from the Manipulate the World Academy and take his place at the table, the young oligarch finds himself disagreeing with what “They say" about the upcoming US Presidential election. Emboldened by the impetuous confidence of youth and the fresh face of Barack Obama, Voltaire decides to do something about it.

The result is a hilarious, uncompromising look at modern society. Religion, gender, race, celebrity, class—nothing is sacred in this sensationalized romp through the incestuous world of American pop-political culture that chronicles an insider’s fanciful interplay with all the characters who made the 2008 campaign one for the ages. Ann Coulter, Rev. Wright, John Edwards’s hair, Glenn Beck, Jon Stewart ... Manrique rounds them all up as he deftly intersperses real life with fiction—but is it really fiction? While the election's outcome may be known, this surreal journey into the belly of the beast, with its many twists and turns, poses real questions for the people to answer about our role and responsibility in it all.

“The ‘birther’ question … Limbaugh supporting Hillary … the Palin-Couric interview … the financial collapse … palling around with terrorists,” Manrique muses, “there was certainly plenty of material to work with. Beyond all that nonsense, however, the question that kept nagging at me as I watched it all unfurl across the zeitgeist was, ‘who really is behind all this craziness and why?’ For the People is my irreverent answer.”

A book excerpt and premier editions of For the People: The Invisible Hand of Power's Unofficial Guide to the 2008 Presidential Election are now available direct from the publisher at iUniverse.com. More information about the author is available at www.johnmanrique.com. Manrique's first novel Ocean Raton, a Florida Book Awards entry, was released in 2007.

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John Manrique
http://www.johnmanrique.com