Off the Record

By Tim Skubick

Book Overview

"For more than thirty years Tim Skubick has opened the door of state government with reporting that has taken us behind the scenes, onto the legislative floor and even into the Governor's office. His passionate brand of journalism has made an indelible mark on Lansing and on Michigan's political history."
---Governor Jennifer M. Granholm

"Chatty, anecdotal, and sure to please political junkies."
---Meegan Holland, Booth Newspapers

In the last thirty-four years Michigan residents have elected four governors-Milliken, Blanchard, Engler, and the state's first female chief executive, Jennifer Granholm. We have lived through the PBB poisoning of our food chain, seen governors and lieutenant governors battling for supremacy, watched women emerge as a powerful political force, and endured an endless cast of characters, clowns, crooks, and class acts on our political stage.

Only one political journalist has had a front-row seat for all of these events and countless other stories that have shaped our lives since 1969. Now widely acclaimed TV-radio anchor and newspaper columnist Tim Skubick takes you behind the headlines for his inside skinny on Granholm's meteoric rise to governor and speculation that she'd make a great U.S. president. He also dissects the stunning upset victory of John Engler over Jim Blanchard and walks you through the grueling twenty-four-year journey to push property-tax relief through a recalcitrant state legislature.

Skubick brings his breezy and witty writing style to a first-of-its-kind book that reveals an insider's edition of the stories about the stories you've never read before. Off the Record puts you in a front-row seat right next to the author and the politicians in a history-making book about Michigan politics. If you love the great state of Michigan, you'll love this book.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0472114158
• ISBN13: 9780472114153
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: PETOSKEY CO-PUB
• Length: 420 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Politics at its best.

Tim Skubick is a master. His weekly news show (also titled Off the Record) is must see for many in Michigan. In his book he has gathered great stories from his 30 plus years in the news business. His writing, like his reporting, is informative and conversational. It feels like he is telling you the stories while sitting in your living room. He has an excellent touch for humor as well, with many "laugh out loud" moments included.This is an excellent book for political junkies, and anyone interested in learning more about how good, tough, honest, media people work. It is an impressive recounting of some great history and stories.

A Guide to Inside Michigan Politics

Tim Skubick's "Off the Record" is a must read for anyone interested in the players and events in Michigan politics over the last 30 years. Skubick has seen it all as the longest serving member of Michigan's capitol press corps. He describes the most interesting scenes with all the details in "Off the Record." The author's insider portraits of the power brokers and buffoons who appeared on stage in Michigan politics and government during his tenure are revealing. He dscribes events as diverse as the suicide of a corrupt judge to the intricacies of the campaign of Michigan's first woman governor. One of Skubick's most powerful chapters is his description of the rise to power of women in Michigan politics and government. The author has seen it all and shares plenty with the reader. The book's only blemish is the obvious lack of editorial scrutiny. The author should demand corrections before the next printing. There are multiple grammatical and typographical errors that are not the fault of the author. For example, a candidate may be a "shoo-in" not a "shoe in" and it's "the die was cast" not "the dye was cast." Despite these technical burps, "Off the Record" is worth the purchase price and provides equal amounts of insight and humor.