Rating: 
Summary: media bias? us?!? heck, no!!
Review: oh, the book's ok. not great, not wretched, just stossel telling his stories. chances are, the closer you are to the "libertarian" end of the political spectrum, the better you'll like the book. but as to that ol' "media bias" thing.....if you'll notice, on amazon's 'opening page' of the book, the review from publishers weekly is included. using the words "the conservative bernard goldberg". (the guy who wrote "bias") in "bias", goldberg tells us that HE'S NEVER VOTED FOR A REPUBLICAN FOR PRESIDENT. but because he dares criticize the media, goldberg is described as a "conservative". interesting.....and maybe stossel's onto something, eh?
Rating: 
Summary: Haven't I heard this before?
Review: "Give Me a Break" is just Stossel using what he learned in the book "Culture of Fear" (written several years earlier) and Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine and rewriting it to make a fast buck.Stossel points a finger at the sensationalistic media, but he engages in the same crap himself. I first learned of Stossel when I saw his report entitled "The Trouble with Lawyers." Since Stossel had been sued by someone and had to hire legal counsel to defend himself, he decided to paint all attorneys with the same, "they make millions of dollars off of the pain of their clients" brush using class action attorneys as the sole support for his position. Yet, he failed to mention the hundreds of thousands of attorneys working for legal aid societies, public defenders offices, and other not-for-profits on modest salaries, or the attorneys who spend their time assisting children as guardians or helping do estate planning for families with disabled children. If you want to get the information which is of value in this book, without all of the self-aggrandizing Stosselisms, you should read "Culture of Fear" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Give ME a Break!
Review: John Stossel will never be accused of overthinking an issue. This guy is a complete simpleton. This book reads like it was written in a weekend. John should stick to his day job.
Rating:
Summary: Absurd
Review: The Title of the book says it all, "...Scourge of the Liberal Media..." John Stossel is in the media, and he's definitely not liberal. How can a conservative who's in the media make a claim that the media is liberal? I suppose he thinks Fox News is liberal. Gimme a break!
Rating:
Summary: Why was the yellow moon owl introduced so late in the book?
Review: This book is written in two parts. The first part establishes the conflict between the two main characters (a former Colonel in the Iranian air force, who fled Iran with his family to the US after the fall of the Shah; and a young American woman who is a recovering drug addict), both of whom wind up having legal rights to the same home, a modest bungalo in the San Francisco bay area. The home has strong symbolism for both characters, and neither will compromise in any way to resolve the growing crisis. This part of the book is gripping, absorbing, and moves forward relentlessly. The story is told from the first person and alternates between the colonel and the woman. Part one concludes after about 220 pages (in the paperback version, anyway) with the two characters established and on a collision course; yet you can see the hints at the end of this section of ways in which the situation might be resolved. My advice is to read to this point, and then put the book away. The second part (last third or so of the book) degenerates into a story of kidnapping, hostage taking, and gun-toting that is so formulaic that is is frankly silly. A third charcter becomes pivotal, but his story is always told from the third person (for some reason; who knows why) wheras the stories of the othe two main characters continue to be told from the first person. The ending is probably supposed to be "tragic" but it is in fact so predictable, once you see where Part II is going, that I actually threw the book accross the room in disgust. The story morphs from an interesting contemporary novel to the worst made-for-TV movie you've ever seen. The main characters seem to realize how ridiculous the story is becoming; unfortunately, the author never does. A veteran myself, I did not appreciate Ms. Stossel's final jab in the last section on defense that, quote, "anyone who has been in the military and fought in a war is a Republican. A veteran who proclaims to be a Democrat maybe should not have come back alive." Very arrogant and insensitive from someone who purports to support the military. That snafu aside, Stossel's Beowulf difenistrations bog down the aesthetical qualities of what could have been an otherwise pseudo-postmodernist critique on the yellow moon owl. Three stars.
Rating: 
Summary: An unbiased skeptic
Review: John Stossel went from media darling to enemy of the state when his work evolved from reporting on ripoffs by corporations to ripoffs by government, lawyers, and special interest groups like feminists and environmentalists. It's really refreshing to read a real investigative reporter's stories, his relentless questioning of things most people accept as fact such as the superiority of "organic" food. If you are tired of ideologues like Shaun Hannity and Ann Coulter but still lean away from today's knee jerk liberalism, this book is a "must read". It brings a bit of sanity back to the left-right battles.
Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air.
Review: In writing this review I would like to respond to a review written by someone calling themselves "Slain from right behind you." Sounds like "Slain" didn't even read this book. If they had they would have seen that Mr. Stossel had teachers, college instructors, who were on the liberal side and not only believed them but wrote and reported based on what he was taught. "Slain" also insists that "political/economical analysis is best coming from experts rather than... journalists." (I feel the same way about Dan, Tom and Peter.) Mr. Stossel quotes and prints information from experts. Slain; I'll put it in words you can understand: Whoa! Dude! Yer review was so, like, lame! No way! This is not a book that simply champions one side. (I've read several from both sides.) There is reading in Mr. Stossel's book that conservatives and liberals can agree on. This is an enlightening, even entertaining, easy read that every American should have on their book shelf. John Stossel does what EVERY TV journalist should do; look at BOTH sides of an issue or story. THANK YOU, JOHN.
Rating:
Summary: this guy is a complete joke
Review: i saw stossel on tv talking about his book and was blown away by what a moron he was. his political economical views border on juvenile - its like he just took Econ 101 and had a libertarian/conservative idealogue teacher and bought into everything hook line and sinker. his theories are just that - theories. & quite often, the theories (which are all recycled btw, there is nothing new here) have already been proven to be false.
maybe stossel is just trying to cash in w/ this book? that would explain the name of the book, obviously intended to grab attention and 'out-coulter' the competition. i figure in a couple of years we'll have books w/ titles like 'how liberals stole my baby and used it as a sacrifice to their socialist american hating god.'
regardless of whether stossel is trying to make a buck or is just simplistic... this book still stinks on ice. for starters, a good rule of thumb is that political/economical analysis is best coming from experts rather than schlock journalists. this book truly supports that rule.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This is not a typical politics book, don't judge it by the cover. There is not that much covering liberal vs. conservative thought in this, or even the liberal media. What makes it so good is that it is basically an insight into Stossel's discoveries of Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam artists in the private and public sectors. He does not bash liberals or even the liberal viewpoint, but instead just points out where big government, lousy tort laws, and overregualtion have turned good intentions into welfare for the rich and connected. You will be amazed at the examples he gives of how this is true. The only drawback is that his references are not formally cited, but most can be drawn from the text. Nonetheless, I give it 5 stars and it is leagues ahead of every other political pundit book that has come out.
Rating:
Summary: An honest account of freedom and its benefits
Review: John Stossel's book, "Give me a Break," written in jargon-free prose, is aimed to counter the prevailing views emanating from government and the media. While most politicians and the government claim to be helping us when they propose increased state or federal spending, regulations, and higher taxes, Mr. Stossel argues that we have should ignore the "intent" of politicians and the media and instead look at the "results" and "unintended consequences." By looking at the consequences for governmental and media decissions, Stossel is acting as a true journalist. Anyone can copy governmental press releases, but it takes nerve, skill, patience, and a zealous search for the truth to ask, "Okay, okay, that is your goal, but what have you produced?" The only reason the federal government has been able to spend $2.4 trillion of our money -- money spent mostly on junk, waste, fraud, and abuse -- is by telling us the great intentions in the spending. The unintended consequence, of course, is that since the government is spending the money, there is less freedom since one concentrated organization -- rather than millions of individuals -- is making the spending decissions. That makes economies less rational, creates higher unemployment, and lowers economic growth. I wish more people would read Mr. Stoseel's book -- regardless of their political orientation -- especially since this is an important contribution to the world of political theory and investigative journalism of government.
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