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Summary: Patriotic and probing view of America
Review: Mr. D'Souza loves this country with a soaring passion. This book is his attempt to explain to the reader, why he loves America and correspondingly what makes this country worth loving. Interwoven into that central theme are almost Tocquevillian observations about America such as affirmative action and its antecedents (i.e. slavery, civil rights, etc.), examples of America as a land of opportunity and a comparatively extended analysis on the source and impact of the 9/11 terror attacks to name just a few.Mr. D'Souza is a controversial writer and his critics claim that he is far too academic and does not live in reality. Such censure is probably a bit unfair. While you may not agree with everything that D'Souza writes, he makes cogent arguments for some of his positions while other arguments stand on a bit shakier ground. A weak argument for example, D'Souza strongly believes that 3/5th Compromise was strictly political and the Founding Fathers personal beliefs in slavery were not an issue. Unless Mr. D'Souza somehow managed to ask the Founding Fathers themselves and in the absence of strong evidence, I find his argument on that topic hard to believe. Mr. D'Souza may be more convincing because he was born and raised in India. As such he is able to more clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of this country more starkly. He feels his professional and personal success and happiness could ONLY have happened in the United States. Therefore this book is probably his thank you to this great country.
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Summary: D'Souza Systematically Dismantles the Left's Sacred Cows
Review: The title might sound simplistically jingoistic, but the book is far from it. D'Souza's brilliance lies in his ability to articulate a genuine patriotism that is not only intellectually defensible but intellectually compelling. He begins by acknowledging the indisputable truth of many of the harshest criticisms leveled against the West - and America in particular -and proceeds from that seemingly tenuous foundation to build an equally indisputable case for the U.S. having produced the greatest, most important culture in the history of the planet. Those looking for facile cheerleading will be disappointed. But those looking for a vigorous and inspiring refutation of the ongoing slander against America by its critics, be they radical Islamists or just garden variety university leftists, will be more than gratified. They will be sated. I especially recommend this book to OPEN-MINDED leftists. I rather doubt that most of the "one-star" reviewers here have even read the book. They see the title and D'Souza's name....and that's enough for them. In point of fact, if you regard yourself as a serious leftist you owe it to yourself to read this book and understand the case he presents - as it bears no relationship to the caricatures presented by negative reviewers on this forum. Ed
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Summary: Democratic voter who liked this book
Review: I tend to vote for Democratic candidates more than Republicans, and liked this book. The arguments are very well done, and I agree with the vast majority of them. So, why do I give this only 3 stars? Well, I wanted to give it 3.5 but Amazon doesn't let me; but I don't give it a higher rating because of one key weakness. D'Souza would have you believe that there's some monolithic "liberal" philosophy that agrees on all of the subjects that he dissects and discounts one-by-one. Maybe this is the case in the left-leaning wings of academia, but here in the "real world" I don't get the impression that most people care about things like reparations for slavery, believes that the third-world is better than America, or believes that our "decadence" will be our downfall.
Because D'Souza gets to project a boilerplate image of "liberals" that he wants, he gets to choose the easist subjects to argue against. As a result, some less thoughtful conservatives might be inclined to think in "black and white" terms, and use this book to conclude that anyone except a person that always votes for Republicans is against all of D'Souza's arguments. It simply isn't so. In this way, D'Souza uses a similar technique that Rush Limbaugh (and Al Franken and Michael Moore) like to use too. D'Souza provides a much more thoughtful analysis and does a much better job than a conservative like Limbaugh, however. I guess D'Souza sort of had to take this approach. After all, "real issue" books (as opposed to those lambasting "neo-cons" or "liberals") are a lot harder to sell. Thankfully, D'Souza doesn't stoop as far down to the inflammatory level of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore, or Al Franken. I give him a lot of credit for that. Anyway, I thought it was a good read and it's well worth the time and money. One more note: Subsequent to reading this book, I read D'Souza's "The Virtue of Prosperity" and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as this one.
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Summary: What a fascinating book!
Review: I usually don't write reviews of books that already have scores of them already written. After all, what could I possibly have to contribute that somebody else hasn't already said? But I finished this book literally minutes ago and I consider it one of the best books I've ever read. An Indian immigrant, Mr. D'Souza brings a unique perspective to the topic of American culture and politics. He lays out a realistic and intellectually impressive argument that "there is something great and noble about America." He revisits the history of Western civilization and offers an interpretation that is foreign to any contemporary student of American and European history: that--above all else--the West, with America embodying its ideals, has had an undeniably positive impact on people's lives throughout the world. D'Souza takes on tough issues, like the impacts of slavery, racism, colonialism, and the cultural permissiveness that the non-Western world hates, with skill as a writer and erudition as a philosopher, historian, and political analyst. "What's So Great About America" is my first D'Souza book, but it certainly will not be my last. Mr. D'Souza's writing is personal and smooth; he seamlessly weaves anecdotes with facts, history with philosophy, and humor with logic. I couldn't get enough of this book. One last note that is important to make is that Mr. D'Souza is as far from partisan (or even ideological) as one possibly can be. He takes on everyone from Noam Chomsky to Robert Bork. Don't dismiss the book upon seeing its title. It is not the "feel-good" book that the cover makes it out to be; it is profoundly intellectual, even eye-opening. It will, if nothing else, broaden your worldview.
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Summary: Another good book
Review: I like this guy D'Souza. His books are not only interesting but also educational. This book is no exception. D'Souza challenges the equalitarian viewpoint that all cultures are equal. He makes the case that in many ways American culture is a superior culture and society and we should be proud of it and not apologize for it, but he does acknowledge that not all is perfect and he points out some of the criticism are justified. This book covers many contemporary topics including race relations and Affirmative Action (he recounts an interesting debate he had with Jesse Jackson) and he gives his perspective on the 9/11 tragedy and its aftermath. He gives his perspective on how we are viewed around the world and his perspective on why some of the criticisms are unjustified (or in a few cases justified). It is refreshing to read a book like this that isn't mindlessly denouncing America or our free society. Considering he is an immigrant, it is astonishing how well informed D'Souza is about American history. He covers some world history and how American Ideals developed. He not only has a deep understanding of world and American history, but he also grasps the transition America has gone through in the 1960' and 1970's. D'Souza is not only a scholar, but he has a great sense of humor (he made me laugh in a couple of areas). This book is a pleasure to read.
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Summary: A Noble Cause.
Review: This book is really a "how to" book. It depicts ways in which you can defend the country that many others are ashamed to say they live in. The author attempts to understand radical Islam as opposed to simply condemning it. His analysis of the Islamic mentality is concise and thoughtful. We will understand those who hate us much better because of his efforts.
What D'Souza does here that is truly unique is that he puts geopolitical events in the proper perspective. There is no denial to be found in his pages. The US is far from perfect. We have committed numerous wrongs but in the final analysis we are the freest, kindest, most generous country on this planet. We should all be as proud as D'Souza.
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Summary: I LIKE THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT TOLD ME WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR!
Review: I'm glad I read this book! I wanted to read a book that would tell me, an American, that America is the greatest country ever. This book did not fail to disappoint. By comparing America to third world countries instead of first world countries like Sweden or New Zealand, D'Souza makes me feel very proud of my country. Also by rejecting the idea that we made a buttload of money off of slavery and imperialism, and still do to this day. In fact, this selective comparison and omission of facts has caused me to never, ever, believe that America is anything OTHER then number one, despite factual or logical evidence! (It's not like I'm going to read a slave narrative as my next book or anything...DUH!) When somebody tries to rain on my parade by having me compare the feedoms enjoyed by me and those enjoyed by a guy living in Belgium or something, I don't have to pull out "America is the greatest nation ever!" from my butt, because D'Souza has done so for me in book form! For other ways to love your country, not because of what it is or what it does, but rather as if it were a team sport, I suggest the music of Toby Keith, and the fashion stylings of shirts with American Eagles crying about 9-11 on them. Oh and don't forget the flag for your car that's probably made in China! USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA we are the best! Hell yeah!
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Summary: Graceful, probing and ultimately uplifting
Review: This book blew me away. The author is a wonderful writer, full of grace and reason and humor - also highly educated and knowledgable about history and culture. He writes about America from a fascinating perspective - that of an immigrant well-versed in Islam - and clearly views both the downside and benefits of becoming an American. He looks at American history and culture in all its guises and with all its faults and flaws - and comes to some remarkable and stirring conclusions about what really makes America tick, why there is so much dissent within our borders today and why we are so hated in the world today. But unlike most books nowadays, this one is not pessimistic or hysterical. It is reasoned and wise - and an absolute must read for all AMericans in this troubled election year.
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Summary: Wonderful Book: should be required high school reading
Review: This is a wonderful book.
As the study of ecology integrates all the various studies of natural science, geology, weather, etc. So does D'Souza combine the subjects of ancient and recent history, philosophy, anthropology, religion, sociology, politics, science, and current events (terrorism)\ to make sense of the "American" phenomenon. He accurately illustrates why we are both hated and loved in every country of the world and he does it with a profound understanding and education most of us are lacking. Also, he sprinkles in a wry sense of humor.
His balanced evaluations and illustrations help us see how we can discuss these issues with more understanding.
I have lived in the Middle East for 2 years and in Germany. I appreciated the insights I gained while reading this book twice.
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Summary: Extremely well written. A great book!
Review: Seldom have I come across a book that does not waste any words in what it's trying to say. This is one of them. I tend to earmark pages of books that have good little comments or one-liners that I'd like to remember. I literally earmarked every page in this book. This was a great read, and helped me confirm my beliefs that I already had.
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