Rating: 
Summary: The United States - A Great Experiment that's Working
Review: Dinesh D'Souza like so many first generation Americans is able
to see what most people in this country do not see - that
inspite of our many faults, we remain a country that is truly
dedicated to wiping out injustices and racism - both within
and everywhere. I have been amazed at how quickly we
Americans (I am now an American) can look in the mirror and not
only see our faults - but do our best to fix them - this includes
our despicable past with slavery, Jim Crow, religious intolerance
and all that - Yes, we have our problems - but we remain the only
country truly dedicated to the ideal that "All Men are Created
Equal" Mr. D'Souza does an outstanding job of telling Americans as to
why WE should be proud of who we are and what we do - Perhaps it
takes an initial "outsider" like Mr. D'Souza (and me, an Indian
immigrant, Chemical Engineer -BS IIT-Bombay, PhD Rice University)
to remind us that We here in these USA have high ideals and
are not afraid to look at our faults and try to do the right
thing - One of these days, someone will write the story of the thousands
of immigrant engineers and scientists who voluntarily decided
to come to this country - drawn by it's ideals and describe the
magnificent environment they found - of the incredible human
potential that is in this country from peoples all over the
world - of the possibility that yes, even with a name like
"D'Souza" or "Chittur" we can be Americans also.
This idea - of becoming an "American" - no matter where you
are from or what your name sounds like or spells - is truly
exceptional in human history - The United States is indeed
the most powerful country in the world - but not due to our
nuclear stockpile or airpower - but the incredible humanity
that lives between the Atlantic and the Pacific - between two
countries that would die to be who we are. Mr. D'Souza does
an exceptional job of describing this wonderful phenomenon called
the "United States of America"....
Rating:
Summary: D'Souza's a Great Teacher!
Review: Yes, D'Souza is a great teacher.....he taught me a wonderful intellectual description of what I experienced and learned as I passed through my teen years of the 50s to my advancing seniority in the beginning of the 21st Century....from the old morality to the new morality. I knew that American values had changed in the 60s, but I wasn't sure how they changed. He was so "right on!" The Pre-Rousseauian versus Post-Rousseauian ethics shift in Americans is so obvious to me now. I realize why Bill Bennett, Gary Bauer and Robert Bork are so villified by the Left and, importantly, why I feel so in tune with their philosophies and ethics today. I never bought the "freedom without responsibility" madness of the 60s and beyond. Thank you, Dinesh, for clarifying my belief system. With his help, I now know how to engage the Left far better than before. And, I will be a better American patriot as a result of his thoughts, interpretations and history lessons. I thought the Muslims hated freedom....now I know that we need to encourage our fellow Americans to live in a "freedon with responsibility" culture.......that is, to stand up against moral relativism. Thank you for an outstanding read!
Rating:
Summary: Fully assimilated
Review: Although this book is a post-September-11 paen to patriotism and has something to say about Islam in that context, the emphasis and real value of the book is elsewhere. I found D'Souza's comments on immigration thoughtful, insightful, and the perfect counterblast to the negative xenophobia of some anti-immigrant writing; the most recent example being Buchanan's THE DEATH OF THE WEST. D'Souza has a much more positive outlook - and refreshingly for those of us who have read him before - here he's less polemical, more humorous, and also more personal. It's easy for immigrants to tell you WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT AMERICA. It's the appeal of the "universal civilization", a term used by one of my favorite writers - V S Naipaul - who like D'Souza is an immigrant of Indian descent; Naipual however migrated from Trinidad to England. At the center of the civilization is the idea of the pursuit of happines; something that has universal attraction and which is still most closely associated with the U.S. Naipaul offers the best expression of what D'Souza writes about here when he says the "universal civilization" implies "a certain kind of awakened spirit". D'Souza acknowledges this spirit throughout his book and describes it in less philosophical terms but pragmatically with some specific examples from his experience. There's nothing to criticize about his view of a US that through policies that recognize merit, and the support of native-born Americans, gives immigrants an opportunity to fully assimilate and go on to become productive and prosperous citizens. This D'Souza contrasts with the views of multiculturalists where individualistic "authenticity" and very subjective experiences of "victimization" contribute to contentious demands for recognizing ethnic pluralism. In D'Souza's view the heterogeneous nature of the country is not an issue as long as citizens see themselves as Americans and immigrants continue to see "American" as something to aspire to. It's in the extension of this idea to race where, like in his previous books, D'Souza always falters. In his experience as an immigrant there's no racism, nor does he see much around him, and as such he is critical of those who continue to speak about its existence in the US. African-Americans are of course not immigrants. Native-born, their problem has nothing to do with assimilation but everthing to do with integration. By lumping all ethnic and minority group issues under the heading of multiculturalism D'Souza is blind to this very important distinction and therefore doesn't allow himself to see racism. This is the only problem I had with this otherwise timely reminder on the positives of our country.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific read with some bonuses
Review: The best way I know to compliment this book is to tell you that I am the father of 2 small children, one of whom is 5 days old. For those of you who don't have children, what this means is that sleep is hard to come by right now. My point is that notwithstanding these circumstances, I found that my desire to finish the book outstripped my need to get a few more precious hours of sleep. In addition to making a compelling argument for America, D'Souza also analyses our current conflict with fundmentalist Islam and explains it clearly, with a framework newspapers and mass media have neither the time nor the inclination to pursue. In making his argument, he does not merely cheerlead, but examines critiques of America seriously. Indeed, it is one of his central concerns that if we love America, we do so because America is good, and not simply because we happen to be Americans. This is an outstanding book.
Rating: 
Summary: Naive & Short-Sighted
Review: D'Souza is excellent at presenting simple and logical explanations. However, he is unwilling and unable to see complex issues. History, institutional violence, racism, sexism, economic stratification: these things did not affect him. Therefore, he claims they do not exist. D'Souza's America is a simple, defensive, and arrogant. America is a wonderful country and there are opportunities, but there is more to America than a shining city on a hill. "America" is a reflection of the people that live here. Culture, religion, race, politics, and history: Americans have diverse and conflicting beliefs. And, America is a complex and diverse unity. Us/them and either/or analysis does nothing to solve actual problems. Check out Michael Moore or even Limbaugh for deeper and more passionate essays. D'Souza is severely limited.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: D'Souza seems to think the fact of the high-consuming American standard of living SUPPORTS his argument that this is a great country. While there are indeed many, many, great things about this country, certainly our ceaseless drive to continue consuming the world's resources at an increasingly unsustainable pace, and worse, infecting the rest of the so-called "developing" world with this ceaseless appetite for unsustainable consumption, is an indictment of our moral core and our imperialist behavior in the world. It is nothing short of obscene to view these problems as assets. It is also offensive to hear anyone repeat the Bush Administration's laughable assertion that other nations, especially Islamist nations, hate us because they envy our wealthy lifestyle. They are *not* envious. They are enraged at our arrogant view of the non-American world and our foreign policy behaviors that so clearly illustrate it.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good message
Review: The author does not give a balanced view of America. He misses poverty, the class system and about a billion other problems that would be of interest to a savvy reader. Give us all a break!
Rating:
Summary: Americans are why America is Great!
Review: First I would like to advocate that America may have its faults and has made mistakes, but this book is a look at a nation that despite any and all criticism is undoubtedly the best nation in the world. I am truly delighted to have taken the time to read and relish in this refreshing look at why America is so great. This book will remind us that we are all immigrants in some form or fashion, and that we all have come to, or have been born in this great nation, to be given the opportunity and freedom of prosperity.
I recommend this book to anyone who is compelled to better understand why America is percieved and interpreted in negative assumptions. It will leave you with an insight as to why many people of other nationalities regard us in the manner that is less than complimentary. It is unfortunate that other nations choose to view us in a negative fashion, but this book at least gives one the understanding as to "why" and "how."
Rating:
Summary: Should be Required Reading!
Review: This book articulates very deep feelings and reasons to hope for the future of America. It should be required reading in every college and high school in the United States to counteract much of the negativitism rampant in too many circles!
Rating:
Summary: Another jingoism fix for a society on the verge of overdose
Review: The problem with books like these is that it reduces a population to pacifism. If we're the greatest country in the world, then why bother improving? Better yet... anyone who wants to improve things must be against America! A true democracy thrives on feedback and evolution. A great nation has humility and respect towards other countries and cultures. Blind nationalism paralyzes the process and results in a nation that never gets better... and likely worsens over time for it's inflexibility.
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