With five children ranging in age from one year to 20, Sarah Palin has had little ones underfoot throughout her career. Sometimes literally. "After she was born, I took Willow to council meetings with me, toting her in her car seat and tucking her next to my legs under the old wooden council table," the politician writes in Going Rogue. "I didn't care too much what the good ol' boys said about it either."

Later, some in the national media criticized her for using Trig as a prop on the campaign trail. "I'm a mom," she fires back. "Trig's my baby. No one told me that running for office means a woman candidate has to switch off her maternal instincts and hide her children from view. If that's required, then count me out."