Rating: 
Summary: A Valiant Ignorance
Review: To borrow a phrase from Shakespeare, O'Reilly displays "a valiant ignorance" in the writing of this completely ridiculous book.
Rating:
Summary: The elevator doesn't go all the way up
Review: Although I agree with some of O'Reilly's opinions and disagree with many of his conclusions, this book is ultimately a flop. It is a book of great width but no depth. O'Reilly rants about his likes and dislikes, but provides little supporting information, no evidence or research, and zero philosophical support for his positions. Take religion, for example. Here is a chapter that is not worthy of the ink it took to print it. O'Reilly proudly proclaims faith in a deity because there's just too darn much stuff science can't explain. That's it. That's as deep a thought as he can muster. To use such a flimsy premise as justification for worhsip of an invisible power reveals how shallow and ludicrous O'Reilly's logic is. Such thinking places him just one step ahead of those who once sacrificed virgins to appease the volcano gods. No thank you, Mr. O'Reilly.
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive and Fun.
Review: I can't think of a book which made me laugh more. The only book that may have made me laugh as much was Joesph Heller's "Catch 22." This book, however, is not a comedy. It is a honest and open reflection on Mr. O'Reilly's life, his philosophy, and his views on 20 selected topics. The laughter comes because Mr. O'Reilly writes with great wit and intelligence. Unlike most teachers, Mr. O'Reilly knows that if no one is listening, it doesn't matter what you say. And, boy, O'Reilly has alot to say. He reflects on his life in working class Levittown. He discusses his background; his family, his father, his religion. O'Reilly uses these personal bits to connect to his reader and discuss larger and more important issues. The essential message of this book, a very positive one, is that honest and hard work pay. It doesn't matter how much you have or how famous you are, as long as you have and maintain respect. The rest will come. Again, he does this in a very funny and witty way. For example, when he discusses goverment corruption and stupidity, he doesn't just say that, he demonstrates it. Did you know that the U.S. government spend $230,000 dollars in 1998 to study the sex habits of flies or $27,000 dollars to discover why inmates try to escape jail? In Mr. O'Reilly's words "because (he) is a concerned American, (he) will give the government the following information -"houseflies mate when no one is looking; prisoners don't like prison. I've just save the nation $257,000 dollars. Where is my medal Mr. Clinton?" I think lines like those are funny. Mr. O'Reilly is at this best, though, when he talks about his family life. First, he describes the need for a strong father. In particular he tells a story about and his own fear as he could hear his father walking up the steps towards his room whenever he did something wrong - his father had a "no knock" policy. He also remembers his mother with great love and affection. She was aware that he was, in his words "a thug", but she loved him very much and always showed him care and compassion. One time he told her that the red marks on his neck, after a date, were a "rash". She sent him out of the room, even though she probably knew the truth. How much did each of our parents let each of us get away with over the years anyway? I almost regretted finishing this book, because I enjoyed it so much. I certainly recommend it, will definitely re-read it, and I now look forward, I hope to his next writing effort. Thank you Mr. O'Reilly on an excellent book filled with things many people should read.
Rating: 
Summary: insightful at times; ignorant at times
Review: I'll make it "pithy," as Mr. O'Reilly would want it. I like his show, not because of his intellectual brilliance, but because he'll root out corruption among government officials and public figures like no other journalist around today. That's commendable. But to the book. Good ideas about curbing the drug problem. President-elect Bush would do well to consider Mr. O'Reilly's opinions on this subject when coming up with his own solution. The parts of the book dealing with the goings-on in American media were also worth reading. Now to the bad parts. The book was sometimes hard to read. Mr. O'Reilly continually inserted different sections and "Talking Points" and "This Just In." It was as hard to read at times as that last sentence. But more importantly, the chapter on religion was ignorant. As a Catholic, I can almost guarantee that Mr. O'Reilly has never read Lumen Gentium from Vatican II or much of anything else in the form of serious Catholic theology. I'm not judging, that's his deal. Be ignorant about your faith if you want. (If I were a personal friend, I'd have a deeper discussion with him). But please don't write a best-selling book giving your uninformed religious views that make it seem as if Catholicism is nothing but a feel-good religion with some good customs. Catholicism is a bit more intellectual than O'Reilly's presentation in his book, that's all.
Rating:
Summary: A mistake
Review: O'Reilly's big mistake was in making his book just like his T.V. show. Journalistic writing and pithy T.V. talking head shows are two differnet things. This was his chance to prove his journalistic integrity and maybe flash some of that Harvard education. However, this man is not stupid. He was smart enough to know he could cash in on the vulgar and ignorant masses. This book was a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Pithy isn't the word
Review: As O'Reilly himself would put it, this book is pithy. Anyone on a reading level above the 8th grade may want to look for something with a little more substance. Is O'Reilly a simpleton? No, he's a Harvard graduate. He just seems to be dishing out common sense in a language that everyone can understand. The book is short; not even 200 pages. I would recommend it to teenagers and maybe young adults. However, anyone over the age of 22 should know this stuff already. If you are looking for informative and interesting social commentary for adults, I recommend "The Ten Things You Can't Say in America" by Larry Elder. This is much better reading material.
Rating:
Summary: Sad
Review: This is the work of a meglomanic who thinks he has the inside track to the secrets of life. The book is a sophomoric attempt to tell people how to live their lives. I would recommend anything by Steve Allen is you are truly interested in how a life should be lived. What one can glean from O'Reilly is that he is opinionated and his opinions oftimes outstrip the facts. If you like the show then you will probably like the book. For me I don't watch his show anymore and it was this book that weened me from it.
Rating:
Summary: The O' Really Factor
Review: Bill O'Reilly's book is a wonderful fresh look at America. Long over due and full of brave insight. O'Reilly bravely stands up and points out America's problems logicaly in an orderly fashion and more wonderful offers us workable solutions. Curtiss De Vedrine - author "The Second Coming Of Age"
Rating:
Summary: So-so book by TV commentator
Review: This book was somewhat autobiographical, for the most part. Some of the stories are boring, while others are fairly exciting. Politically speaking, Mr. O'Reilly offers some good insights and solutions to some problems that face society today. Religiously speaking, a large portion of his opinions are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. I got kinda of bored during the middle of the book, reading it for the sake of finishing the book, and no other, but he regained my attention during the last three or four chapters.
Rating:
Summary: I Never Knew ....
Review: As a soldier living out of the states, I never knew that there was actually anything good on TV back home. I'm a voracious reader of non-fiction works and when I saw this on the relatively few shelves of my Military book store, I thought I'd give it a chance. Incredibly informative and persuasive about the issues of our time, it's a must read for all those who find themselves opinionated - but have no basis for their opinions. This might just change your mind about a few things.
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