Right Turns : Unconventional Lessons from a Controversial Life

Rating:
Summary: Just 'enough' Detail, Humor, History
Review: For those who read the book the reference to 'enough' will
be clear, as it dates back to Medved's early days as a Vietnam
war protestor. It also reflects a book that has enough
detail without becoming mundane, enough history without
boring the reader with mind numbing detail and just enough
levity and seriousness to be supremely entertaining and
compelling as well as informative.

Having bought enough books on the reputation
of the writer and having been burned, I almost hesitated to
buy this book until some Amazon reviews appeared. I'm glad I
didn't wait as the book was absolutely fascinating providing the
inside scoop on politics, Hollywierd (Medved's term), and
Medved's story of returning to the roots of his Jewish faith.

Having discovered Medved on the radio (on a Christian station
no less) I appreciated the book for providing a more detailed
story of his transformation from a well intentioned but still
looney liberal to a supporter of traditional values. He knows
the enemy and he knows it was *us* those who bought the
party line of the 1960s--the operative word being party...

This is a book for one of those weekends when you don't have
any other pressing responsibilities. It was impossible to
put down.





Rating:
Summary: Part biography, part homily, all Medved
Review: I have four main reasons for liking this book.

(1) I like Michael Medved. He's a personable, decent, and intelligent guy; his biography is interesting because he himself is.

(2) Having never been a leftie myself, I enjoy reading accounts by ex-lefties about how they came around to good sense. (And accounts by formerly secular-leftist Jews about how they returned to traditional observance. Medved is good buddies with Rabbi Daniel Lapin, author of _America's Real War_.)

(3) I _dis_agree with Medved often enough (he didn't like the first _Batman_ film!) that his book illustrates an important point: the political 'right' is _much_ more intellectually diverse and open-minded than the lock-step Left.

(4) Medved seems to have been present, albeit in the background, at nearly every important sociopolitical event of the last four decades. It's like _Forrest Gump_ for conservatives. Heck, he was at Yale with Bush, Kerry, Clinton, and Rodham; his personal accounts of those folks alone are worth reading whether you care about Medved himself or not.

The book itself is arranged into thirty-five 'lessons', each of which is part biography, part homily. For example, Medved launches his tale with an account of his grandparents' immigration to the U.S., but rather than just presenting biographical details, he ties it in with a short account of why he thinks the existence of the United States is divinely providential. This pattern continues throughout the book, with some chapters heavier on the biography and others almost all homiletic.

There's lots of interesting stuff packed into the cracks. You'll find out, e.g., just exactly _which_ film mentioned in _The Golden Turkey Awards_ was actually a hoax.

Medved is, of course, a well-known film critic who thinks (with good reason) that 'Hollyweird' has lost touch with American values and produces films primary to satisfy left-leaning anti-American/anti-religious critics rather than to make money. If you want to know more about his opinions, look up his online columns and read his _Hollywood vs. America_, which I reviewed some years ago.

Rating:
Summary: Boooooooooooring!
Review: I listen to Neocon talk radio and peruse other Neocon media to keep up with the other side. Out of all the Neocon radio jocks I've heard, and I've heard them all, Medved is the most boring and unexciting of them all.

I listened a few weeks ago when he broadcast the so-called "lost chapters" of this corny book, and I literally became nauseous from the self-ascribed importance, self-aggrandizing and pomposity he displayed all through out the broadcast. You'd think he was reading the Dead Sea Scrolls or something.

Zzzzzzzzzz.

Do yourself a favor and pick up William F. Buckley's memoirs instead of this...zzzzzzzzzz...just writing this....zzzzzzzzz..online review for......zzzzzzzzz.....Medvedzzzzzzzzzz....book ....is....putting me to......zzzzzzzzzzz...can't....hold.....on...........nighty-night...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Rating:
Summary: A Reel Mensch
Review: I loved this autobiography. Medved charts a fascinating course through his life. The aphorism that "chance favors the prepared mind" is appropriate for this man who seems to capitalize on serendipidy more easily than most. We see a gradual change in his world view (both religiously and politically) as he matures from a naive idealistic adolescent Yale undergraduate to a wise and pragmatic man. Religion (orthodox Jew) is the arrow that directs his maturation process. The book is peppered with personal and frank observations of famous people. Medved has strong and reasoned views of the role that film entertainment plays in our lifes (for good and bad). He is not preachy by any means. This book may be especially appealing the boomers who relate to his experiences in the 60's and 70's and 80's (including hitch-hiking 82,000 miles total). The accounts of his parents, brothers, marriages (2) and his children is epecially warm. Family is very important to Medved. Liberals and conservatives alike will enjoy this wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: You Can Go Home Again
Review: I'm 58, from "flyover" country--Ohio, the state which saved the USA in 2004 by electing Dubya. I've enjoyed Michael Medved since first watching him on Sneak Previews with Jeffrey Lyons. His movie reviews shone. He was the one reviewer I trusted to hone in on the artistic as well as the moral merit of any film. So many coastal elites looked down on those of us primitives out in the hinterland. Not Michael. He was and is unfailingly respectful of traditional Christian/Catholic/Jewish beliefs.

I mourned when he left Sneak Previews but rejoiced again when Michael turned up as our Cultural Crusader. He had become a talk-show host in Seattle. I often wondered what road he took to be where he was.

Michael's life story is told in Right Turns. His story is remarkable in itself, but his story mirrors so many of our own life stories. People of my generation grew up with TV, fell in love with the Democratic Party, hated Conservatives and especially selfish Republicans, grew disillusioned by Vietnam.


Belatedly, we discovered our religious roots--ties that many of us had rejected as passe.

Vietnam, the darkest episode in America's history, is a war we could have and should have won. The so-called peace movement which was in reality a "dodge-the-draft" movement, emerges from these pages as the destructive, dishonest force that it was. As soon as the draft was abolished, the "peace" movement evaporated.

The pervasive anti-Americanism of the institutional Left is is also explained.

How did this former Democratic Operative from Yale end up as proud husband and father of three, a practicing Orthodox Jew and card-carrying conservative Republican?

"Right Turns" is a book that informs as it entertains.

Enjoy!





Rating:
Summary: The Cultural War Through One Man's Life
Review: Medved's whole life speaks to the cultural battle that's raging today. Americans are very much an entertainment and celebrity-awed people. This autobiographical work reveals much more than the life and times of Michael Medved. It provides a glimpse at America's journey through a cultural war and rapidly changing values, especially since the middle '60s. It deserves to be read by all who seek to understand why we are where we are in American culture. A very fun read, even while being blunt.


Rating:
Summary: A perspective from a film critic.
Review: Michael Medved has some interesting stories to tell, I'll give him that. But we all have personal and interesting stories to tell and lessons from our lives we can share with others.

However, after reading what he's had to say, I've become convinced of one thing. Medved feels that Hollywood is out of touch with America, but in reality it is the other way around. Michael Medved is out of touch with what makes a good movie...and I say that from the perspective of being a published film critic.

His recent reviews of Million Dollar Baby and Vera Drake are great examples of this. Instead of focusing on the elements that make the films, like characters, plot, etc., Medved let his personal beliefs dictate his review and cloud his judgment. Million Dollar Baby and Vera Drake are fine films and never misstep in what they try to accomplish; they're wonderful works, but Medved couldn't see through his conservative smokescreen.

That is a shame, because he has potentially turned people away from two excellent films. I don't want to say it is impossible to be conservative and be a good film critic, because there are always exceptions. But the truth is that I've never met a conservative film critic who could put aside their personal prejudices and judge a film objectively.

The fact is that Medved is out of touch...it needed to be said.

Rating:
Summary: Cool book
Review: Michael Medved is a cool dude and this is an most interesting book.

Medved is quite an interesting person, and you can learn a lot from this book.

Rating:
Summary: One Man's Biography on a Path Shared by Many
Review: Michael Medved occasionally points out on his nationally-syndicated radio show that he started life as a liberal. This book offers the fill-in to the blanks elicited by this admission from the now conservative host.
After outlining a family history of ancestral "little guys," Medved illuminates how he was groomed into the self-righteous ethic of Leftist elitism. What follows is the tale of the unexpected un-doing of his left-wing roots.

The heart of the book is not any ordinary tour through the decay of average innocence, but an all-access, name-dropping, who's-who expose of late 60's Ivy League academia and high-stakes political campaigns. Under these near-radioactive levels of liberalism, Medved finally begins to realize how out of touch he and his war-protesting fellow breathers of rarefied air are.

Although Mr. Medved's details are unique, none should be surprised that his political sympathies migrating rightward involved his gradually improved knowledge of human nature, having to earn and spend his own money, and marriage and children.

Beyond its biographical interest, Medved's tale offers useful insight into everything from the over-inflated quality of Ivy League education and highly-inflated egos of media and politics; to Boomers both degreed and working-class; and hitchhiking. A useful history of an unconventional life.


Rating:
Summary: Prescription for Hope and Optimism
Review: While pessimism and victimhood permeate our diverse society (cultivated by mainstream media), Right Turns serves as a prescription for hope and optimism. Michael Medved is a true American whose deep appreciation and love for our country is contageous. The lessons learned in RT are invaluable for audiences of any background or persuasion. A real page-turner leaving the reader wanting more.