Old news (it’s from the last election) but I just read it.
It’s a standard question reporters ask a candidate, “What’s your favorite book?”
Romney had what I considered a surprising answer: Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard.
One, it’s a science-fiction novel and I never saw Romney as a SF guy. Two, even putting aside the movie, it’s not a highly regarded book - a pulp adventure at best. Three, there’s the controversial Scientology issue.
Huh. I read that book, and liked it OK, 25 years ago back when I was about 15. Knowing what I know know about Hubbard and Scientology, and the in-retrospect obvious subtexts, I can’t imagine enjoying it now without rolling my eyes till they fell out.
Never saw the movie.
Saw the movie. Count your blessings. Forest Whitaker still wakes up screaming.
Oh, be fair: It was filmed by the only camera operators in Hollywood without middle ears.
Good God, don’t judge the book by the movie. I mean, the book wasn’t particularly good, but it kind of works on a schlocky-space-opera-parody kind of way. The movie is appalling and not in any way representative.
And as someone who enjoyed Battlefield Earth, I think this suggests that Romney should read more.
Hopefully he’ll have plenty of time to do so starting about the second week of November.
Well, there are certainly elements of science fiction to his tax plan…
rimshot
That’s weird to me. He might have said The Watchtower is is favorite publication. I’m surprised he didn’t mention some mormon book.
Mr. Romney is not keen to keep his Mormon faith central to his image. He doesn’t shy from it, but neither is he eager to remind.
As to SF readers, it is a community so diverse that there is really no community. Wouldn’t shock me at all to hear Romney describe himself as an SF fan, though he most likely would be talking about Heinlein and not LeGuinn or Farmer. Feh!, as they say in Lubbock.
Yeah – if he’s into science fiction, he should’ve named Orson Scott Card.
Card is a zillion times better than Hubbard ever was, and he’s LDS to boot. He even scripted cartoons based on the Book of Mormon, not to mention a Mormon historical novel, Saints.
And, of course, the indispensable Saintspeak Dictionary, which I cannot recommend highly enough.
At least he didn’t say Hogg.
I liked the Battlefield Earth movie.
What?
Eh, if he’s into science fiction, he could have just said The Book of Mormon. 
(Just kidding.)
Strangely enough, L. Ron Hubbard’s favorite book was The Book of Mormon.
Card’s Homecoming Saga is also based on the BoM.
Here
is a copy of the well-known (in SF fandom) review of the book by british reviewer Dave Langford.
Page right to the bottom of the link for the passage.
I almost spit out my fruit smoothie.