Tracy Flick is the young, ambitious protagonist of Tom Perrotta’s 1998 novel, “Election”. (Reese Witherspoon was the film’s star in the film version). Perrotta’s sequel, “Tracy Flick Can’t Win” (Scribner), an imprint by Simon & Schuster and a division Paramount Global).
This darkly comic tale is set over two decades later. Flick, an assistant principal at a suburban New Jersey high-school, finds herself as ambitious as ever and tries to get the top job.
Below is an excerpt.
I didn’t want to be famous. It was more that fame was a necessary precondition for, or an inevitable byproduct, what I really wanted, which was to become the first woman President in the United States.
It’s sad, I know. People talk about dreams that never came true, or even close to it. You look foolish. However, being president wasn’t a girlish dream of mine. It was a cute little idea that fell apart at first contact with reality.
I was not a dreamer of becoming President, but it was my goal.
There is a difference.
It wasn’t an unreasonable goal. Whatever it was that someone needs to achieve a goal like this, I knew I had it in my. Even back in high school. I was especially so back then. I was intelligent, tough, had incredible potential for hard work and believed in myself. No Imposter Syndrome for me. Beyond that, my real superpower was that I wanted it more then anyone else. You didn’t want me to get in my way, trust me.
I could see the path ahead of me. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa at Georgetown, I worked for one summer as a congressional intern. It was amazing. I can still remember flashing my ID and nodding to security as I entered Capitol Building wearing my navy blue pants suit. It felt like I had granted my own wish.
Because I knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted, I moved straight from undergrad to Georgetown law school.
I thought of myself as a budding attorney. I was a budding prosecutor in those years. I loved rules and laws, and I still love them. I believe that those who break them should be punished as harshly as possible. One day, a case of high public importance would be brought to my attention. I would then go on television and discuss order and justice, as well as the righteous vengeance and justice of the state. People would always remember my name. When it was time, I would run to be elected. Congresswoman Flick. Senator Flick. Attorney General Flick. Who knows? Maybe even…
Then, I received the call.
Excerpt from “Tracy Flick Can’t Win”, by Tom Perrotta. Copyright (c), 2022 Tom Perrotta Reprinted with permission from Scribner, a Division at Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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