Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

Like a proverbial swarm of locusts, book buyers are descending on stores coast-to-coast to devour endless stacks of a new publication. Talk and news shows are devoting so many hours to discussing the author, even John Grisham might be jealous. And the subject of all this literary wonder: Sarah Palin.

The ubiquitous former governor of Alaska is once again blasting over the American political landscape, this time astride her super-charged snowmobile of a memoir, “Going Rogue.” The actual sales figures are changing by the hour, so let’s just say she moving more paper than Dwight Schrute. Harper Collins reportedly planned to print 1.5 million copies in the first run, and industry insiders say they’ve rarely seen such pre-release demand for a non-fiction book. Although, having done some fact-checking, I must say putting it into the non-fiction category may be a stretch.

Anyway, with her custom bus rumbling from one town to the next for these Take-Back-America tent revivals, it’s like a Shania Twain concert tour without the band.

The striking thing about Palin is the fervor she evokes from both sides of the aisle. Her fans see her as one of their own; a conservative politician who speaks plainly and without apology. She talks about complex subjects as if they are easily grasped. She barbecues public discontent with politicians like a nice moose steak, and serves it up steaming with just a hint of red meat in the middle.

And what pleases her fans infuriates her foes. Want to watch a liberal friend start breaking dishes? Just say “You know, Sarah Palin has some good points.” Never mind that she has made big-enough blunders to undermine any future run at a major political office. (Hey, just look at the polls.) Forget about the fact that she is engaged in that wacky battle with her erstwhile, sort-of-son-in-law, the Playgirl posing Levi. She still drives the opposition completely nuts.

Why? It comes down to something very simple. America is interested in her. For good or for bad. And in the modern age of celebrity politics, where popularity often trumps policy, that makes her a player. Heck, she’s raised that game to such a level you might even say she wrote the book.

Follow Tom on Twitter @tomforemancnn.