Kristi Noem‘s new book “No Going Back” offers a candid, pull-no-punches look at American politics and her vision to transform the GOP. But it’s her shocking personal revelations that have made this the most controversial political memoir in years.
When Kristi Noem decided to lay it all on the line for her new memoir “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” she meant it literally. The Republican governor of South Dakota holds nothing back in this explosive book, delivering an utterly candid look at her political ideology and personal life in equal measure. The result is one of the most authentic, unrestrained…and controversial political memoirs in recent memory.
Make no mistake, despite the uproar over Noem’s stunning admissions about killing pets, the core of “No Going Back” is her blunt assault on the dysfunction in Washington D.C. and her vision for reforming and re-energizing the Republican Party. Noem argues the GOP must move decisively past its traditional platform and priorities from the 2000s in order to retake the White House.
The governor vocally defends her hands-off approach to COVID-19 restrictions in South Dakota and favors giving power back to the states on major issues. Her conservatism is rooted in small government, low taxes, and individual freedoms. But she also believes the right must evolve and modernize, taking on Big Tech, charting a new path on interventionism, and tackling America’s cultural conflicts head-on.
To advance these ideas, she advocates drastic solutions like abolishing the Department of Education, implementing Congressional term limits, and holding Facebook and Google accountable as publishers, not platforms. Her policy prescriptions pull few punches and firmly stake out her philosophy as a next-gen, America First Republican.
However, Noem being Noem, it’s the shocking personal stories and anecdotes sprinkled throughout that have generated the most headlines and outrage. Chief among them is the now-infamous passage where she admits to killing her pet hunting dog and an aggressive ranch goat in shockingly graphic fashion – ostensibly to prove her ability to make tough choices.
While she defends the actions as commonplace for ranchers, the disturbing details and justifications have sparked outrage from all corners, including the inevitable tsunami of late-night TV mockery and internet memes. Critics argue the incidents demonstrate poor judgment, cruelty, and a temperament ill-suited for higher office.
Yet Noem makes no apologies for her full-throated candor, which also extends to stories like fabricating an anecdote about meeting Kim Jong Un and hiring Hells Angels members for security at a Trump rally. For better or worse, the governor’s commitment to unguarded authenticity pervades every page.
By holding nothing back about her personal life, political ideology, and vision for the future of the Republican Party, Kristi Noem has delivered one of the most transparently honest – and yes, controversial – mem
