The epic Franken-Coleman affair made Bush-Gore 2000 seem like a brief encounter. What the national media in DC observed through binoculars, Jay Weiner saw through a microscope. He's written a vivid tale of legal wrangling, political maneuvering, and chutzpah told with a sportswriter's flair that puts to rest the notion that middle American politics are dull and shows that 'Minnesota nice' is nothing but an outdated cliche.

It is a detailed accounting of the Coleman–Franken recount from start to finish ... and it is a very good read.

Weiner’s lively description of the ins and outs of the recount battle will please election junkies, political scientists and political consultants.

Those who were pulling for Al Franken will enjoy this detailed account of how the 2008 Senate race in Minnesota and its subsequent recount contributed to the Democrats' total of 60 senators—the magic number needed to beat back a Republican filibuster. As nasty, ugly and unappealing as the battle between Franken and Norm Coleman was, watching the two sides explore every opportunity to pick up a vote or three in the post-election recount was just fascinating. No, it wasn't Florida, as the title suggests. The presidency was not at stake. And in that contest, the Democrats lost. But they won in Minnesota in the Great Recount of 2009. And if nothing else, the moral of the story is that every vote—every vote—counts.

Weiner provides a lively play-by-play of a recount that fascinated the state, if not the nation.

Although Weiner's political sympathies are not difficult to discern, he makes a compelling case that superior legal finesse helped the Democrats secure the victory in the Coleman-Franken Senate race. And that, in the end, Franken had actually received the most votes.

Most process books are as boring as watching U.S. Senate proceedings on C-SPAN 2, but This Is Not Florida is the rare exception. . . . This Is Not Florida brings us the calm, sober reflection of most all of the participants of one of the most engrossing political events of the 21st Century. . . . I did learn a lot.

Weiner, a veteran sports journalist who was serendipitously thrust into covering the 2008 Al Franken vs. Norm Coleman election recount, adapted brilliantly, delving fearlessly into the complex legal machinations of the recount, objectively observing the candidates as they navigated through the minutiae of Minnesota election law. Weiner’s book is a significant illustration of the infrastructure of democracy: he deftly translates arcane recount procedures and legal jargon into straightforward prose. . . . Weiner often sketches [characters] in impressionistic tones that lend the book some welcome humanity amid the legal thicket of absentee ballot statutes and judicial opinions. This is an exhaustive examination and an electoral law primer written at a level accessible to all readers seriously engaged in the legal and political story. Political science and electoral law specialists will want to read it.

A stark and straightforward account of key lessons for any campaign to embrace if it finds itself in a recount.

This book is a highly entertaining read that nicely chronicles the political maneuverings and motivations of now-Sen. Al Franken (D), then-Sen. Norm Coleman (R), and the key players on their staffs.

Those who are intrigued by both the legal aspects and the politics of recounts will find this book a treasure trove of information.

Weiner does a very good job at providing a tightly-focused “you are there” perspective. An engaging read.

It reads like a turn-pager of a novel, and is full of inside information on the key players involved in the Minnesota recount.

Though his book is obviously of interest to political scientists and election junkies, Weiner has crafted a fascinating page-turner for anyone interested in this recount.

Weiner’s book makes the recount far more entertaining than it seemed from a distance.