What’s your favorite book?

So it’s no surprise that there’s also early interest in candidates’ answers to the question, “What’s your favorite book?” This may seem an innocuous query, but it’s actually one of the more treacherous a candidate can answer. In January, for instance, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Sen. John Edwards to name his favorite book. Edwards replied that it was I.F. Stone’s “The Trial of Socrates.” On the surface, that seemed to hit just the right note. It’s plausible that an ex-trial lawyer like Edwards would enjoy a book about the ultimate historical trial, and by choosing that particular title–a serious inquiry written for a popular audience–Edwards conveyed a sense of weightiness without appearing snobbish. But the choice also opened him up to criticism. Conservative commentator Bob Novak fumed on CNN’s “Capital Gang”: “That’s incredible! Did Senator Edwards know that Izzy Stone was a lifelong Soviet apologist? Did he know of evidence that Stone received secret payments from the Kremlin?” Novak’s rant illustrated how the slightest stumble on the book question can come back to hurt a candidate.

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