Christine O'Donnell Book 'Troublemaker' Excerpted

Aug. 16, 2011 — -- Christine O'Donnell became a national figure when she ran for the U.S. Senate seat in the state of Delaware last year. But even though she defeated the heavily favored GOP frontrunner candidate in the primary, the fame she gained failed to carry her to a victory in the general election.

A favorite of the Tea Party movement, O'Donnell's candidacy was not without scandal. The conservative faced questions about her finances and educational qualifications, and was forced to explain comments she made in her past, including that she "dabbled" in witchcraft. A political ad produced to refute those earlier comments contained the memorable line: "I am not a witch." It was parodied and generally thought to have backfired.

In the book "Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again," O'Donnell tells the story of her childhood, how she became a conservative and a political activist, and details what she sees as ailing America.

Here are a few highlights from the book (the full excerpt follows below):

Read an excerpt from O'Donnell's book below, then check out some other books in the "GMA" library

The O'Donnell family quilt is a colorful patchwork of classes and cultures, and political affiliations, but the common thread that knit us all together is a tireless work ethic, a fierce determination to stand for something (and for each other), and an enormous sense of pride, place, and love.

We have our disagreements, just like any other American family, but we work past them and set them aside because we love each other. We come together from all these different, sometimes opposing views and opinions, and we find our way to common ground, to a place of shared purpose and meaning.

I think every American family is its own little melting pot. In ours, there was a whole lot of Italian and Irish, with a healthy dose of American blue blood thrown into the mix. Initially, I wasn't really sure about including any stories from my childhood, because they don't only involve me. My parents and siblings were put through so much scrutiny and hardship when I ran for office and declared myself a public person. The moment I became a candidate, my life became an open book— and my life is so intertwined with their lives that my family was thrown right out there with me. Then I realized that my goal in writing this book is to inspire real people to engage in the political process. And real people have real lives and real problems.