Rating:  Summary: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME Review: I enjoyed O'Reilly's program until I read his book. I liked his wise-guy, confrontational style, and assumed that he must more depth than a TV format could showcase. He doesn't. Within a dozen or so pages it becomes quite clear that O'Reilly is not much of a thinker. He simply dabbles in issues, and makes bold, black and white, shallow pronouncements. And he wants you to believe that this means he's principled and a champion of common sense. For O'Reilly, there is only RIGHT and WRONG, and HE'S ALWAYS RIGHT, and those who disagree are ALWAYS WRONG. Period. Reading "The Factor" reminded me of sitting next to the loudest, most strident drunk at the bar. Finally, O'Reilly's writing style seems to be aimed at a grade school reading level. Maybe he's just cashing in on a not so educated audience that lacks the capacity to understand complicated social and political issues, and needs to be told what to think in simple terms? Nah, he couldn't be that cynical could he? A guy who stands up for the little guy, and the flat tax?
Rating:  Summary: He Reports. He Decides. Review: Bill O'Reilly of FOX News spews the same nonsense here that he does on his "balanced" TV show, and proceeds to "prove" he is not some flailing right-winger by supporting gun control. Wow. I see and read a book by a lucky TV guy who gives us loud wiseguy bromides and inane observations that are better said each day by construction workers on the the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y. But no book of "observations" by someone of Mr. O'Reilly's politcal persuasion could be complete without trashing William Jefferson Clinton. Bubba damaged the nation? Really? Was it the 22 million new jobs? Or any of the other dozen ecomonic successes that have made more Americans more prosperous than at any time in their lives? Lower crime rate? More teachers? Mr. O'Reilly, of course, says it's just plain luck or, better yet, just thank the Republican congress. Think he would be saying the same if a Republican were president during the last eight years? Of course not; in fact, cannonization would be in order. And finally, Mr.Reilly's seems to wear his Levittown childhood and his insecurtity on his sleeve, revelling in his mediocrity. As the reader feels when he reads this book.
Rating:  Summary: Bite-sized drivel Review: OReilly revels in telling us how he feels about the world. Nothing is too trivial to talk about. Too often the book reminds me of his TV Show. Opinions backed with weighty reasoning like:"I am not a constitutional expert...but here is my opinion anyway" "I do not buy into all this statistics hogwash because I know better." The show and the book may appeal to some of us who are tired of the 'liberal' intellectuals and want our opinions unadulterated by facts. But even then, there may be too many opinions. If you are in the O'Reilly Fan Club (and many are) and want to know all his opinions, this is great. If you want thoughtful analysis (of any bent), you may want to try the many other books on both sides of the debate.
Rating:  Summary: O'Reilly brings entertainment and a few insights Review: The entertainment value I've gotten out of reading these reviews is, by itself, worth the price of admission! I love the people who say that O'Reilly's views are half-baked, or that he doesn't tackle the important issues. Of course he tackled the important issues - the ones that were important to him! Just because an issue is important to you, it doesn't make it a universally important issue. That's the whole point of books - to discover what's important to other people! As far as O'Reilly's half-baked ideas - the truth doesn't have to be complicated, people! The best point Bill makes in his book is to keep it as simple as possible. Sure, some issues take more thought, but don't OVERthink it. Let's face it, no one agrees with everything someone says - that would make for a tedious life! This book was a fun, fast read. A reinforcement of most of the values I already have, and a few amusing personal stories in between. I look forward to the next installment.
Rating:  Summary: "We report. You decide." Review: What should anyone expect from a guy who has a show on a network run by Roger Ailes... Having read a little criminology in the past, I can think of good reasons to pay for a study of the reasons prisoners want to escape, as the Amazon reviewer alluded to. But I would venture to say that a reader interested in that sort of thing would not be considering reading this book anyway. No one who has this many opinions forms them carefully. This is a performance rather than a book of ideas. The author can not criticize what he has not tried to understand. If you are part of the herd of people who finds this entertaining, or if you mistake this type of talk for insight, you might like this book. And go ahead and buy it if you like the show--you deserve it!
Rating:  Summary: The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, Bad, and completely Ridic.... Review: You will be disappointed if you hoped to see less of the emotional and bombastic TV performance and more of a demonstration of well written jounalism to counter the stilted TV personality. If being mean spirited and bitter works as a life style for you then this should be an entertaining book to read and justify your own predjudices. Even the issues I agree with the author about made me feel I really need to rethink my beliefs given the narrow minded logic employed by O'Rielly. Certainly not a book that will be remembered in history as thoughtfull.
Rating:  Summary: Just Like It Is.... Review: As a new fan of the Fox News Channel, I've watched Bill O'Reilly rip Republicans and Democrats alike, to shreds. And I've enjoyed it. During the 2000 Campaign and Election, I've learned more about the political arena than I've ever know my entire life and part of that credit must go to Mr. O'Reilly. His no-nonsense approach to the facts made chapters like: The Politics Factor, The Race Factor, The Celebrity Factor and The Parents Factor among my favorites- each just telling it like it is. His "Notes" that begin almost every chapter deliver a straightforward punch to people like Sharon Stone, Pamela Anderson, Hillary Clinton and others. His "Ridiculous Notes" gives readers insight to the world of the absurd truth such as this favorite clip of mine: "Hillary Clinton used her own intuition about sex to explain to a White House aide that her husband's goal with Monica was to 'offer spiritual advice to a very troubled young woman.'" Only Bill O'Reilly can get away with writing the truth, as the American people need to know it. This book is a must read for anyone wanting a straight approach without the BS that often fill our lives courtesy of the Clinton News Network [CNN] and other media outlets.
Rating:  Summary: Completely Ridiculous Review: O'Reilly says everyone should read this book. Some of the reviews giving this book 5 stars were written by 13 year olds. Other reviewers keep saying how their children liked the book. Why? Because this book is written for children. As a college student, I normally enjoy the O'Reilly Factor television show. It hits much harder than any other show i've ever watched. And I guess that I should have expected the format of the book to be similar to the tv show. But reading this book was bad. Its like reading reader's digest, with more interuptions and less depth. I was expecting a book, with some continuity, but I read better writing in Rollingstone, or even Gear. Although he does give examples, he doesn't develop stories, and he can't see things in shades of gray, only black and white. In addition to his bad writing, we also learn that O'Reilly's somewhat of a megalomaniac. What purpose does telling us that a woman bid $3000 to take you on a date in 1990 serve? And you say "don't kiss and tell", but then you tell us how far you got on a first date at a drive in. And then your name dropping! Reviewers bashing the book who bash it because of lack of objectivity are off the mark. I don't like this book because it makes me feel like a child.
Rating:  Summary: Witty, non nonsense, down to earth! Review: O'Reilly is aggressive in confronting problems with government but he needs to hold business accountable as well. A general search on the internet will reveal much customer dissatisfaction with business practices in nearly all sectors. Lack of accountability is not limited to the government. The ordinary person can maintain spotless credit for years, but let a layoff or other circumstance affect their ability to pay, and years of good credit can be wiped out in a single instance of economic misfortune with no remorse by creditors. Colleges and universities, charging in some cases tuition almost equivalent to a condominium do not have the customer service focus that businesses claim to have and so their captive clientele must pay exorbitant fees with no expectation of a satisfaction guarantee. But try to obtain a decent job without a degree! O'Reilly focuses on politicians and accountability but politicians have relatively little authority in the big picture. The federal reserve chairman and the Supreme Court and the intelligence services probably have more authority than any politician. Laws written by congress are vague and if anything,designed to guarantee work for other lawyers who must called upon to decipher the ambiguous passages.
Rating:  Summary: Not as exciting as hyped Review: O'Reilly has a good attitude and takes the moral high-ground. I liked his values and opinions. I do think he took a little poetic license when recalling his childhood and it may not have been as tough as he wanted one to think. His book is similar to his television show, he gets you worked up on a topic and then leaves you flat without giving his thoughts on a solution.
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