Rating: 
Summary: D'Souza Will Make You Think
Review: Dinesh D'Souza's book "What's So Great About America" is at heart a defense of America by an immigrant to this country. The reason why America needs defending is the unrelenting attacks on this country made primarily by liberals at home and abroad. He takes a variety of issues such as colonialism and race relations among others and causes you to think about them in new ways. For instance, he points rightly that while America was wrong to have practiced slavery for several hundred years, we are also one of the few countries in the world to abolish it (and the Civil War was an extremely high price that was paid to abolish it). D'Souza is honest and admits that America is not perfect, but it is also not deserving of the hatred and animosity displayed in varying degrees by many groups profiled in the book. Be prepared to have conventional thinking challenged when you read the book.
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Summary: Exposes the Multiculturalist's Agenda
Review: Thanks to this book, I can see the M.C. agenda in my children's grammer school.Dinesh is great!!!
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Summary: Simplistic praise of ideals of US, though not without merits
Review: Reading "What's So Great About America" was like reading a Chomsky. To Chomsky US is an "evil empire," and nothing US attempts to do is without evil. Likewise in this book, US is the ultimate good, and D'Souza constantly asserts that we should understand it as such. Writings of both authors are lucid, persuasive, inculcating, and there are more than little for us to learn from their arguments. However, perhaps needless to say, neither of them provides a complete, balanced view. Consider the following segment, where D'Souza argues why US isn't to blame for the starvation of Iraqi children after the first gulf war: "...By refusing to trade with Iraq America is to blame that Iraqi children are hungry. To see this fallacy, consider an example. I am walking down the street, eating a sandwich. You approach me, give me an account of your troubles, and ask me to share my sandwich with you. For whatever reason, I decline to do so. Now my reasons for this refusal may be good ones of bad ones. But in either case I am not to blame for your plight. I didn't *cause* your hunger..." Such argument was not very convincing. Certainly it is one thing not to offer your own sandwich and another to strike an agreement (the UN resolution) with everyone you know not to offer sandwiches to the hungry. There were quite a few passages that relied on such simplistic arguments/metaphors. Another such argument was regarding colonialism. There is no doubt, as D'Souza asserts, that colonialism had had helped construct social infrastructure in the colonized countries, though not intently. The question is whether the colonized countries could have developed without colonialism. As the examples of Japan and Thailand (a country with approx. annual $7,000 GNP (PPP) as of 2002, a country that had never fallen victim to colonialism) demonstrate, colonialism does not seem to be a prerequisite for social/economical modernization in my view. Yet D'Souza seems to think that colonialism had been a detrimental factor in "bringing millions of non white people into the orbit of Western freedom." The fundamental problem with the book lies in the author's identification of US with the ideals of US. I cannot agree more that the ideals of US represent the best among competing political systems, but there is always the problem of implementation. Should there be enough motivation to "fight for" US in case the highest statesmen deviate from the ideals is highly questionable, and this book does not address this problem. It could be argued that the intent of the book was to assert it worthwhile to fight for such ideals. However in my view one does not simply choose to fight for something without a consideration of all factors involved. Also included in the book are observations on various cultural/political phenomenons. D'Souza's arguments were especially poignant in the matter of racism. An immigrant from India, D'Souza's position is particularly suited to comment on this touchy issue. Political correctness in my view has been a binding factor in political debates, and in this sense his arguments are very welcome. The frequent mentioning of his own background and family gives D'Souza's writing a very personal tone. This, together with US' current confrontation with terrorism, may explain the reason behind D'Souza's recent popularity.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I have ever read
Review: I am college student at one of the more liberal campuses in the US (maybe the world for that matter). The liberal and multiculturalism myths that are preached as the gospel in campuses like mine are fantastically debunked in the strikingly original work. Dinesh D'Souza provides an almost complete basis for the conservative thought process. EVERY American should read this book with an open mind. It challenged many of my own personal views on certain ideas but reinforced most. The book is less than 200 pages but is probably the most insightful book I have ever read. Witty, courageous, absolutely astounding. Take a few hours to appreciate the pillars of democracy, science, and capitalism that make this country the greatest civilization in history. The author puts it best when he describes that a united America is invincible. The only war the US has ever "lost" was caused in large part because people did not understand what we were fighting for. As we face Islamic fundamentalist terrorism, it is very important that we all remember just what we are fighting for and what is so great about America. God bless the USA.
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Summary: Getting Down To The Bedrock Issues
Review: D'Sousa makes a sound case for the issue of religious liberty from a secular vantage point. As a native of India and now an American citizen, he brings a unique outside-in perspective to the issues of American global dominance both militarily and culturally. He seeks to answer the question, "What's so great about America?" He addresses bedrock philosophical issues that involve the American structure of government and culture. He pulls no punches dealing with the things that are wrong, debauched or flat out corrupt in American society. Yet he puts the issue in perspective showing that American principles of freedom do not produce these problems. It protects the people and allows them to freely express themselves leaving responsibility in many cases to the individual. He contrasts a government that promotes and protects 'freedom' (USA) as opposed to governments that are based in, promote and legislate 'virtue' (i.e. Islamic). D'Sousa deals with the Islamic mindset, the multicultural perspective and the indigenous American liberal rationale. D'Sousa deals extensively with the corrosive influences of "multiculturalism." The philosophical impact of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his 'authenticity' principles (which we see played out in ex-President Clinton) deserve close examination. This examination would reveal attitudes, and principles at work in even the most conservative American churches today - churches which should be the bulwark of morality are in fact undermining their own reason for existence. I would recommend this book be read by any and all church leaders, serious thought leaders. It is only by properly understanding other cultures that the minds of the people can be reached with truth and hopefully set free to think for themselves. As the scriptures state, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Rom. 14:5. I love books that make me think, that get down to the bedrock issues. This book rates as one of the best of them.
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Summary: An uncomplicated explanation of complicated times
Review: Dinesh provides a book that presents an uncomplicated view of the complexity of modern America. The author will probably be the first to admit that America has its faults. However, read this book and you will understand what is great about America and you will find it much easier to simply shrug off her detractors, for their arguments are based on little more than misplaced anger and opportunism.
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Summary: My favorite book
Review: Thanks go out to Rush and National Review Online for recommending this book last year. This book explains why America is better (yes, I did say that) than Norway, Australia, Canada, or my home country of Russia.
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Summary: IT's the truth without beating about the bush
Review: IT has excellent ideas and its very refreshing. It offers arguments and answers from different angles. It has the
knowlegde of one who has been outside America and who is thus,
able to appreciate this country for what it is while at the
same time acknowledging that it does have its minuses.
I love America and I knew why I love it after I read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Cogent defense of America
Review: D'Souza makes a deeply convincing argument for what is good about America, as it is. His reasoning is calm and gentle --- a refreshing departure from the over-the-top, name-calling political commentary printed everyday. He shows a deep understanding of the position of the America-bashers, and duly proceeds to break down their arguments. The book is an easy read, and the author explains his points in plain language, avoiding political jargon.
Rating:
Summary: I enjoy D. D'Souza's straightforward, logical approach.
Review: I received this book for my birthday and really enjoyed it. This book has the same point-blank, logical, and factually based (and documented) that Dinesh D'Souza incorporates into all of his writings. He talks about why the Arabs hate America (some you have heard and some you probably have not), why the West has succeeded, America' uniqueness and other topics. I found the chapter on reparations very intriguing.
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