Jackson Free Press

When it comes to political memoirs, most are either too safe to be interesting or too salacious to be taken seriously. With political thrillers, the plots are often either too thin to be enthralling or too complicated to be enjoyable.

But every now and then comes a political memoir that makes everyone sit up and take notice. Ditto the political thriller that is a captivating romp of intrigue and danger.

If you could in some way take the best parts of your favorite political memoir and blend it perfectly with the most engaging political thriller you've ever read, then you would likely come up with something akin to "We're With Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics" (William Morrow Paperbacks, 2012, $15), an honest and eye-opening look into the world of two political opposition researchers.

Authors Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian make their living researching the lives and backgrounds of political candidates. They view their role in the political process as not digging dirt but uncovering the truth. What political operatives do with their information is not their concern. This unabashed desire to present an unbiased assessment of their subjects comes from backgrounds in journalism.

"We began working together as journalists, working across from each other," Rejebian said during a phone interview, describing how the men began their 18-year professional relationship. "We knew back then that we worked well together and shared similar passions."

As one reads the alternating chapters—simply titled "Alan" and "Michael"—their complementary attitudes and individual tendencies show how they have become among the most sought-after and successful political researchers in the country.

"Alan is more likely to go down a rabbit trail looking for something, seeing where it leads," Rejebian said. "I'm more organized and methodical, going piece by piece. It works out well that way. The way we each approach the projects helps us find things one might have missed on our own."

"We're With Nobody" gives a one-year account of their travels from Louisiana's back roads to the government offices of Washington, D.C. They offer a candid and humorous look behind the scenes of how the content of so many "attack ads" come to light.

The writing is far from staid. That Rejebian and Huffman made their early living writing doesn't hurt. "We're With Nobody" opens with Alan "in the rural countryside near the North Carolina-South Carolina line," which is to say the middle of nowhere, approaching an interview subject who sits in the darkness of his porch with a shotgun resting across his lap. From there, it never slows down, regardless of who is writing.

The imagery and dialogue will satisfy your thirst for a well-written thriller, while the details of what the two men uncover along the way provides the non-fiction reader with more than enough meat to be filled.

What is most interesting about "We're With Nobody" is not only that Huffman and Rejebian did not provide identities in their work, but that foregoing the "tell-all" and focusing on the "tell-how" made for a far stronger and much more interesting read.

"We had a plan of what we wanted to write early on, and we never intended to call names," Rejebian said. "Not only because we wanted to focus more on what we do and how we go about it but also because who's going to care in 20 years if some guy got a DUI?"

Together, the two authors make up Huffman and Rejebian, a political consulting firm based in Jackson.

Rejebian is a Texas native and former journalist, who served as communications director for the Office of Mayor for the City of Jackson. He is a political adviser to Attorney General Jim Hood. He also has an affinity for metal detecting, especially looking for Civil War and other historic artifacts.

"I love searching for stuff," he said. "I guess that's one of the parallels with the book. It's more about the search and the digging than what we find, because we never know what we're going to find or if we're going to find anything at all."

Huffman's political work also includes work for Mississippi attorneys general and governors. Today, in addition to working with Rejebian, Huffman is a world-traveling photographer and freelance writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Los Angeles Times, National Wildlife Magazine, Oxford American magazine, Smithsonian Magazine and Washington Post Magazine. In addition to co-authoring "We're With Nobody" with Rejebian, Huffman is the author of three non-fiction works: "Ten Point," "Mississippi in Africa" and "Sultana."

This book is clearly about Huffman, Rejebian and their craft. While I'm an admitted political junkie (I'm one of those guys who takes their truths and writes those nasty negative ads), this is work that will appeal even to those who despise politics. After all, both Huffman and Rejebian reveal that their fortitude for political narcissism is severely limited.

It's their desire for the truth that is insatiable and keeps them pounding the pavement—and the dirt roads and marbled hallways—in search of it.

Meet Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian Feb. 21 at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., 601-366-7619) at 5 p.m. A reading follows a book signing.