Collegiate Times

Of course, like any writer of political RPF, the author cannot resist a bit of self-insertion.

Near the end of the book, one of Michelle Obama’s “diary” entries describes the first lady listening to Ingraham’s show while being driven from a public engagement. To Ingraham’s credit, she portrays herself in both a positive and negative light through the lens of Mrs. Obama. She even gets in a few jabs against her own hairstyle and clothing choices — “Ms. T.J. Maxx” is funny, admit it — though the line “How many women around the globe has Laura Ingraham inspired?” can be taken several different ways, depending on your political viewpoint.

Even in fiction, Ingraham strives to be fair and balanced.

And yet, I find myself sighing at Ingraham’s prose portrayals of political personas. Ingraham approaches the “diaries” of the public figures lampooned in the book from the perspective of The Opposition, always challenging and amplifying flaws, and so her characterizations gloss over other attributes that don’t fit her viewpoint, leaving the “diaries” without the realism needed to make them truly believable.

Internet scribes operating under nom de plumes tend to be more sympathetic and/or empathetic toward the public figures they write about in political fan fiction, while also undertaking background research to fully flesh out characterizations. I don’t doubt that Ingraham does her research — far from it.

However, unlike Ingraham, some fan fiction writers have already written far more nuanced and compelling fictional portrayals of past and current government officials in near real-time. Of course, most of them haven’t made the mad bank Ingraham’s scoring with sales of “The Obama Diaries,” which is unfortunate. Perhaps fan fiction writers should, as Ingraham has capably demonstrated, consider incorporating another genre into the mix to gain publishing success beyond gushing feedback and recommendations on the Web.

A bottom line: If you enjoy reading criticism and/or satirical portrayals of the current presidential administration, or simply want to be amazed at how far political fan fiction has infiltrated mainstream culture, pick up a copy of “The Obama Diaries.”

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A version of this article appeared in the Aug 31 issue of the Collegiate Times.