In days gone by, politics was a game that only men were allowed to play. But today, women have gained access to the political arena in every dimension.
One of these women is Keli Goff, who has emerged as one of Washington's key political commentators and serves as a regular contributor to CNN, FOX News Channel, and Bloomberg Radio. Although her public arrival is several years in the making, it is quite fitting that Goff — a young, Ivy-educated, African-American female — is weathering (and dissecting) a political climate steeped with the rhetoric of change.
On February 25, 2008, Keli Goff published her first book, Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence, under the Basic Civitas imprint. And in less than 300 pages, Goff manages to introduce America to a new generation of black voters that challenges antiquated notions of racial politics.
Upon review of Party Crashing, Keli Goff managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry — reflecting on race, news media and, of course, politics.
Party Crashing covers a great deal of political ground, but it doesn't come off as purely academic. How were you able to strike that balance during the writing process?
I approached this book like a detective — as someone who's genuinely curious about the evolution of black political culture. Fortunately, I did not have to struggle with an agenda, because I was not trying to prove that a certain mode of thinking was right or wrong. I wanted to tell a story and I did not want this to be a 250-page Ann Coulter book filled with personal opinions. I wanted the final product to reveal something that I was passionate about, and that is a pretty unusual thing. You have to back it up with facts, of course, and get other people to do analysis. That is why I talked to experts and people in the public eye, like Colin Powell. Later, I added my own perspective. Once the manuscript was complete, I read it to one of my friends. He said that my book was sort of highbrow and, at the same time, very lowbrow, which was meant as a compliment. It's either Shakespeare or it's Silver Gloves. A lot of people are somewhere in between. I wanted this book to embody that, because there's an audience there. I want them to appreciate this book.
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