Rating: 
Summary: Demagoguery
Review: First off, I'm not a foe of O'Reilly nor am I a fan of his or his show on Fox news. I rate this book poorly because it is of the same nature as his program. It's predictable and totally composed of recycled themes and right wing slogans (you can predict the whole book just by reading the first chapter). Its virtually an amalgam of bumper stickers. There's nothing wrong with being conservative, as long as you've reasons for that viewpoint, but this is mindless composition of the lowest calibre. Unless you can't get enough of his shtick, don't buy this book. You'll find nothing provocative or interesting in it. This work is for those who only wish to read things which well reinforce their a priori views. As such, it is worthless.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Advice from O'Reilly
Review: The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life is the frank opinions and observations of TV newscaster Bill O'Reilly. In addition to political discussions about the failure of Bill Clinton and Janet Reno, he also includes common sense advice that few Americans follow. He tells us to indulge in alcohol in moderation, keep out of credit card debt, and understand mainstream society's view of tattoos and piercings before getting them. His advice is useful for succeeding in this competitive world. The O'Reilly critics love to describe him as an egomaniac who seeks to push his right-wing agenda on the American people. By perusing chapter one "The Class Factor," we see the author criticizing large corporations and deriding the boundaries that class has on Americans. These are two beliefs that are hardly right wing. For those wishing to read right wing opinions, I recommend Pat Buchanan, Sean Hannity, or Rush Limbaugh. For left wing opinions, Al Franken's book will suffice. On his show and in his book, he criticizes as many conservatives as liberals. Anybody who comes on his show earns my respect because he is the toughest interviewer on television and asks the questions that Connie Chung, Barbara Walters, and Larry King will not. He wants honest government and the powerful held accountable no matter what their ideology. O'Reilly's tragic flaw is his arrogant, self-serving attitude. He titles his first book after his television show and names sections in the book after those in his show (i.e. Back of the Book.) At the end of every television broadcast, he hocks the "Factor Gear" and membership at his website which costs $50 per year. He will take up insignificant issues and discuss them for several shows if it supports his personal agenda. He constantly mentions the success of his television show, and his books on-air forgetting that most viewers tune in to watch his interviews not to be sold his products. "The Factor" book contains useful advice on a variety of subjects for anybody open-minded enough to accept it. The best advice is to put your ideology and your opinions about O'Reilly aside, and just open the book and read. You will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: The Bach of the Airwaves
Review: The O'Reilly phenomenon is difficult to understand. Here we have a man who towers so high above his peers, who seems to effortlessly capture a large audience and whose book climbs to the top of the charts as if lifted by some unseen hand. While such things might defy explanation this book impressively portrays O'Reilly's television show and even has the occasional bite of wit and humor. With almost caustic-like poetry O'Reilly unleashes his opinions on gays, Pamela Anderson, his old nemesis Geraldo Rivera, conspiracies behind the assassination of JFK, and his fond fascination for shows like Baywatch, and even his profound envy and contempt for David Hasselhoff. I must say that such refreshing candor from someone of O'Reilly's stature was truly moving. Who knew that he secretly wished to be a German pop rocker? Although I imagine that he might have recently changed his views seeing how the Germans did not support the United States in this war. Nevertheless O'Reilly is truly a magnificent gentleman, a man whose demeanor harkens back to Victorian England, a time when there was order and class, and duty was not such a dirty word. Obviously O'Reilly's personal philosophy will seem atavistic in such a libertine society like modern America where the young are alienated, rebellious and yet barely literate. O'Reilly's toughness might not have much of a market, but I find it admirable that he sticks to his guns, that he never flinches from controversy and calls things like he sees them. A very disciplined guy, he notes that "chaos breeds more chaos," and parents, teachers, and all those in authority over children must be responsible and act as role-models. This is why he comes down so hard on the Catholic Church, despite being a votary. Advice such as this might sound discordant in a culture that wallows in debauchery and hedonism, but ultimately O'Reilly's clarion call to dot your I's and cross your T's will provide the young, especially those trapped in the inner-city ghetto, with a moral framework to apotheosize the American Dream. O'Reilly's history as a tabloid talk show host and a purveyor of lurid news stories for Inside Edition really symbolizes his duality. In his first incarnation he seeks out the dark underbelly of the world, traveling on the "Girls Gone Wild" tour bus, then he becomes a leading polemicist discussing the merits of marginal tax rate policy, nationalized healthcare, and Aquinas' five proofs for the existence of God. I was astounded to learn that in this book O'Reilly mentions how he thinks most philosophers have misconstrued Aquinas' proofs for God's existence, and that in reality Aquinas' ideas are actually closer to Leibniz's. In his chapter on those whom he most admirers he discusses his heroes like Bobby Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Gustav Fugger, Rasputin, Catherine De'Medici, Heinrich Himmler, and the Habsburg Dynasty. Ironically, he mentions how he likes to dabble in the occult and tries to use subliminal messages and Masonic symbolism in luring viewers to his television show. While such confessions might put a damper on those who believe his success is genuine, it shows more honesty and frankness than virtually in other talk show host. All in all, this was a vitally important book and should be read by everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: The book is entertaining, but does not capture Bill O'Reilly's true talent which is on screen journalism. Covers O'Reilly's opinions on hot button topics like sex, celebrities, crime, politics, etc.
Rating:
Summary: His interesting views made me unable to stop reading!!
Review: Book Review 2
Philip Sun
Per. A
05/15/03
Government P
Mr. Jimenez The Good, Bad, and Completely Ridiculous in American Life, by O¡¯Reilly Factor, Broadway Books, Published in 2000, 224 pages. Author: He was born in Manhattan and raised in the suburb of New York. His family was a working-family, thus did not have that much money. He earned a degree in History from Marist College Poughkeepsie, New York. Then he entered Boston University¡¯s Broadcast Journalism program and received a Masters degree. He worked for WCBS-TV and ABC News. After, he went back to school and got another Masters degree in public policy from Harvard. Other famous books he wrote are The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America, and Those Who Trespass: a Novel of Murder and Television Thesis: As the title of the book suggests, he, as the Fox News host, listed his own opinions on the issues that most of American people want to talk about. He listed diverse topics, such as controversies in politics, religion, money, education. However, most of his opinion was not positive; he tended to criticize on those topics.
Summary and Analysis: Bill O¡¯Reilly mainly expressed discontent to many things that happened recently. First of all, he did not like an existence of SUVs, which made him insist that SUVs are supposed to be outlawed right now. He even criticized Bill Clinton, an ex-president, and federal spending of American government. When criticizing a certain thing, he illustrates an appropriate example to support his opinion effectively. Overall, his views on many things were not positive; he disliked most of them. He also liked to lower himself by swearing himself. In that way, he is giving readers an opportunity to read and think about the topics that he illustrated with fun. (My favorite part is here: criticizing the bloated federal budget, for instance, he points to these shockers: $230,000 for a study of housefly sex habits, $27,000 for an analysis of why prisoners want to escape, and $100,000 to find out why Americans don't like beets. (To which he replies: "Houseflies mate when no one is looking. Prisoners don't like prison. Beets don't taste good.")
Reviews: ¡°O'Reilly dislikes many things, and he isn't shy about sharing his opinions: "SUVs should be immediately outlawed," he rants. Here's O'Reilly on President Clinton: "What a ridiculous waste!" Attorney General Janet Reno is a "ridiculous, incompetent woman" and President Clinton's "primary 'enabler.'"¡±(Cited from Amazon.com)
¡°O'Reilly criticizes federal spending: "$230,000 for a study of housefly sex habits, $27,000 for an analysis of why prisoners want to escape and $100,000 to find out why Americans don't like beets.¡±(Cited from Amazon.com)
Rating:
Summary: The O'Reilly Factor
Review: This book is brief, simple, and straight to the point as it discusses Bill's feelings on fifteen simple factors that are split into various segments and blurbs. However, I really enjoyed this book because it was unlike any political book I had ever read before. This is so because it included humor, irony, and simplicity and addressed the ideas that individuals are capable of achieving great things through discipline, determination and awareness of what's going on in life in America by facing the truth. O'Reilly gives his own advice on subjects like race, class, sex, parents, success, fame, and of course, the good, the bad, and the completely ridiculous. Then he backs his subjects up with the facts and nothing but the facts! Some of the book also includes anecdotes from his childhood and career from way-back-when until now and he uses those to support his subject as well. Many people attempt to dismiss Bill O'Reilly and label him as a "conservative," despite his repeated insistence of political independence, without delving into his views carefully and logically. I think he certainly possesses plenty of conservative viewpoints, but he also holds a great many "liberal" views as well making his claims possibly "independent". The message of this book is for Bill to express to you the good the bad and the completely Ridiculous in American Life throughout fifteen different subjects which are back up by tons of facts. I didn't have to read into the message very much because of what he said I basically agreed with or had already heard before. I didn't find any of his point very shocking or completely ridicules however I found them more so funny and humorous especially the chapter on dating.
Rating:
Summary: The Unadulterated TRUTH, without all that factual hogwash!!!
Review: ... Anyway, onto the review: O'Reilly is like Mike Tyson for TV news... O'Reilly is about the most pro-government guy in existence, when government is Republican. He is a defender of the establishment, and acts as an opiate for the "dirty, unwashed masses" who are frustrated with corporate America's stranglehold on democracy... He's got great style, but almost no substance...
Rating: 
Summary: Better listened to than read
Review: I listened to this book on the audio CDs and found it much more enjoyable than reading it. O'Reilly's voice and tone come across much clearer and much less annoyingly smug.
Rating:
Summary: Scary populist, not a conservative
Review: I bought this book to get a better insight into O'Reilly. I try to watch his show but Fox News is such an overproduced Hollywood monstrosity I can hardly stand it. On the plus side it sometimes takes a more conservative view of the news (though far less than people would have you believe). I had been given the impression that O'Reilly was the new face of conservative commentary in America and I bought this book to see what he had to say. Let's make this short: O'Reilly is about as conservative as Stalin. Just because he bashes liberals like Clinton doesn't make him a conservative. If you listen to his actual politics he's as far left as they come. So what if he more of a national socialist, whereas the Clintons are international socialist. The are both morally bankrupt concepts that do not deserve the time or attention of true freedom loves. Take it from me and skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Straight Shooting, Hard Hitting, Americanism.
Review: No doubt many folks have strong opinions of the star of is own show, the O'Reilly Factor. This book is brief, simple, and to the point about how Bill feels about a great many viewpoints and those who hold them. The book is split up in to about fifteen chapters, each split up into segments and blurbs - a nice change of pace, even though it gets a bit too simple and unsubstantiated at times. Even though, however, Bill quite clearly writes for a simple, blue-collar audience - a group he rightfully asserts is the foundation of what makes America so special. Too many people dismiss Bill O'Reilly and label him a "conservative," despite his repeated instistance of political independence, without delving into his views carefully and logically. I think he certainly possesses plenty of conservative viewpoints, to be sure, but he also holds a great many "liberal" views as well - making his claims to be an "independent" plausible. At any rate, I enjoyed reading this particular book and look forward to the next one.
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