Rating: 
Summary: The Nitty Gritty
Review: Mr. O'Reilly discusses his hard upbringing and hard work it took to get where it is and he did, especially when compared to peers in his success group. Mr. O'Reilly also was able to attend 2 of the finest schools- Boston University and Harvard. Here is an example of another:A man i'll call " Tom" was put into state child care at 1 year old or so. The child later turned out to be cripple and spent more than a couple of years alone in the hospital with no visitors while being treated. On release to his biological mother, the child was released into a home where drugs,alcohol, suicidal and homicidal impulses raged between mother and stepfather. The stepfather was an outpatient at mental hospitals. Tom spent the next few years graduated from full-length wheel chairs to full leg braces (see "Forrest Gump") to crutches. It would be ten years before the boy was given a clean bill of health. At 'home' , of which the child was not even aware who these people were, the child was beaten,tortured and perhaps sexually abused by the stepdad. Time and time again Tom,age 4, had to call in the fire dept for help as his mother collapsed in substance-related stupors. The family was forced to leave after the apartment caught fire one night By age 5 Tom was attempting suicide by throwing himself down stairs or trying to jump out of cars on the highway.Finally Tom was permanently removed from 'home' after police stormed the apartment to remove the stepdad attempting to stab death the mother with a large kitchen knife. For a couple of years Tom had spent an aggregate of perhaps 6 months total with the mother and 18 months bouncing around various foster homes or emergency placements. Over the next few years Tom was placed with a foster family where he was beaten, humiliated,burned and constantly told he and his family were no good. At school ,administrative personnel ' had to get him under control' by whipping him with a belt about the face,chest - anywhere. But some teachers did show kindness and this was the beginning of a change. Tom showed some signs of possible sexual abuse and was beaten for it.Tom was eventually moved after a few more placements to a residential program. On initial testing, Tom showed gaps in education from all the bouncing around but exceeded the scale of the tests on reading and vocabulary. Tom showed and was encouraged with special tutoring at the program. Several more foster placements put Tom in a home where they expected Tom to work at the family business, almost never did anything recreational and where the parents harped constantly about how much it cost to feed and clothe Tom even though the state reimbursed the mall or most of the expense. Again, the foster father suggested " maybe he needs a good beating from time to time". Another placement put Tom with a seasoned foster family who constantly belittled Tom's educational achievements and refused Tom to date and allowed Tom recreation only if he worked a job to pay for it. At 14 ,Tom was working fulltime during school vacations while other kids in the home were given money and allowed to date. If Tom objected to the constant ridiculing and harassment, he was told "how about we smash your face in?". Tom eventually attempted suicide and came very close to succeeding- so despairing was he in this home and his complaints of constant harassment and ridicule fell on deaf ears. Tom bounced around some more and ended up in a shelter for homeless teens. Testing on entry brought strong recommendations by the testing staff that Tom be enrolled in college immediately. Instead of college, Tom was sent to a hard labor camp breaking granite boulders with sledgehammers 12-15 hours per day in the hot summer sun at a program for kids in trouble with the law.Tom had no trouble with the law- he was just homeless. Tom was strip searched and had all his clothes and personal belongings taken from him and all communications were banned- no phone calls and only letters once pre-screened by the staff. if Tom didn't like it, he could go to a youth lockup until age 21. Tom ran away and with some help from his brother into the sphere of a reputed male sexual predator with interest in NAMBLA. Here Tom learned about kids that got into gay prostitution, drugs, legbreaking and so on though Tom was not into this. Other kids Tom knew got into prostitution,escort services, organized crime. Many went to prison, died young, or drifted. Tom worked hard multiple jobs supporting himself through high school graduating in the top 20% and a National Honor Society member. Unable to afford college, Tom would spend the next 20 years sometimes working 4 jobs simultaneously and more than 105 hours per week to afford college and technical schools never making good money. To was rejected by Harvard. Tom actively volunteered for many organizations,sometimes volunteering hundreds of hours per year to a given cause. He finally earned multiple college degrees and certificates and lectured graduate students in teaching and psychology by invitation on what he learned from it all. Tom never got any practical support in terms of money,room and board or any other support a sold family can give. By age 18 Tom had already been an apartment renter for over 2 years. So what became of Tom? Tom decided to write a book ,concealing the names and places of people involved except his own name, about his experiences for the benefit of both layman and professional. The reaction was strong and resulted in Tom becoming unemployable and as of this reading, is officially homeless. Did Tom get help? He did get help in resolving his past and was in a promising career field with a decades long work history before being laidoff. Writing the manuscript did him in. Tom had no substance abuse problems, criminal background, no history of mental illness as a healthy,well-adjusted working adult. A loser? O'Reilly might think so. " You decide".
Rating: 
Summary: Brutally Candid
Review: Perfect book. While I can see how some people may react to O'Reilly in the sense that he is very frank and speaks his mind, this book was refreshingly charming and open in how it deals with the state of politics, cultural, interpersonal relations, child-rearing and how life in America was once lived. Basing a lot of his opinions, of course, on his experiences, O'Reilly is precise and to the point. Bing. Bang. Done. It's playful and deadly serious at the same time. And it's a nice read, allowing you to think, to murmur, to "tisk-tisk", and to respectfully disagree. Kudos.
Rating:
Summary: It's fluff, but not bad fluff
Review: Anyone who's seen the O'Reilly Factor knows what to expct from Bill. He fashions himself a brash, fearless populist, looking out for the little guy as he grills the newsmakers. While much of this is just showmanship, he does produce an entertaining program. The same holds true for his book. The book lacks substance, but it's an enjoyable read. Bill provides a brief, disjointed biography, which helps you see the man behind the television show. He also opines on a wide variety of topics from Jesse Jackson to proper parenting. Bill can rant with the best of them and he is in rare form here. Don't pick up this book expecting a deep discussion of public policy. It's full of easy answers and quick fixes. Despite that, it's a fun summer read.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty much dead on...
Review: I find myself agreeing with Bill O'Reilly about 95% of the time. He definately stands up for the little people and it is hard to tell- is Bill a Dem or a Repub? Doesn't matter- as he is equally critical of both when necessary. Personally, I think he's wrong about tattoos though, as I have four AND a good job... but I see his point.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Voice of Honesty and Truth
Review: We live in a synthetic world where materialism and stupidity is everywhere, from greedy politicians all the way down to the loud neighbors next door. Even the so-called "intellectuals" in society are as dumb as a clueless teenage slacker, giving no solid solutions to our problems. Thank heavens that Bill O'Reilly has come on the scene. He's the only real personality in mainstream TalkNews who has both balls and brain cells. He shoots out words from his mouth at his psuedo-intellectual guest that are so filled with logic and common sense that I feel I need to get up and cheer. His book is the same way; his words go straight to the point and are honest. It's obvious Mr. O'Reilly isn't trying to win the approval of the upper-class or a certain group of elite people. Forget about dumb folks like Larry King, Rush Limbaugh, and that guy on Hard Ball; Bill O'Reilly is undoubtedly the KING OF TALK. And I would suggest O'Reilly fans check out these other talk personalities: Jeff Rense and William Cooper
Rating: 
Summary: This Just In ... T.V. Format Works Best On -- TV
Review: This is a hit and miss book. An easy read, O'Reilly has penned a world view in the same quick in and out format that makes his TV show interesting and fast paced. The problem is that the format -- which works very well on T.V. --- seems shallow and thin in book form. It reminded me of reading a television script. You might love the Seinfeld show but it makes much less impact in script form. I genuinely like O'Reilly's show and agree with him on a lot of issues. On tv, he is very good at not allowing guests to wiggle or spin their way past hard questions. It's the best part of his show. Unfortunately, the book doesn't allow him to exercise his trademark skill, primarily because he's interviewing himself on these pages. The twelve or so chapters delve into broad life topics. Everything from fornification to dating to children to politics, race and the media are given an eight to twenty page treatment in a fast style. Some are better chapters than others. Unfortunately the first few were the weakest and almost caused me to put down the book. O'Reilly begins by ranting about what "they" are doing to the average guy (financially and socially) and sounds more like a shrill conspiracy theorist than the reasoned voice he can be. It gets better. Surprisingly (to me), some of his best chapters deal with child rearing and male-female relationships. He had one or two sections on advice to kids that I re-read because they struck me as very well reasoned and succinct positive messages for keeping kids functioning with in parental expectations. So what you get is a very quick book that doesn't dawdle to long on any one subject. Some topics are better than others, which makes for an uneven read. But you do get the unvarnished O'Reilly, just like you see on TV. His presentation just works better on the tube than in print.
Rating: 
Summary: Where did this writing style come from?
Review: I must say, first of all, that I am a semi-quasi fan of Bill O'Reilly's FOXNews show, The Factor. However, when it came to deciphering his ramblings in book form, I must say that I grew quite confused. I never finished the book, I wasn't able to. Mr. O'Reilly jumped from topic to topic, point to point, and then back again so quickly I was unable to derive the logic of the book. What may work on Television, which I usually enjoy, just did not cut it for me in written form. At some point, I hope to be able to finish the work, but I must say it will have to be at a point and time in my life where thoughts and logic run awry.
Rating:
Summary: Entertainment this is.
Review: If you take this book for more than entertainment you will probably be a little disappointed. If you want to laugh and groan, then this is a book you should read. O'Reily is pompous, arrogant, opinionated, brash, egotistical, sarcastic, blunt and harsh at times, but he is entertaining. This is better than anything Rush Limbaugh put out. It's entertaining. O'Reilly doesn't pull punches with anyone. He's entertaining. If you are looking for deep political or moral insight, look elsewhere. If you want to be entertained, this is a book you ought to read.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Journalism
Review: O`Reilly is a journalist who is not afraid of what is out there. He goes for the truth and gets it. He reports on what is really going on. His interviews are firece and get the answers that he demands. This book was awesome. I am also a huge fan of his television program.
Rating:
Summary: The Review Factor
Review: If you like strong opinions in a straightforward style, then this is the book for you. Bill O'Reilly takes his 'no spin zone'/take-no-prisoners attitude into the book realm with this work, which is an enjoyable read despite its simplistic chapter titles ('The Sex Factor', etc.). Partly biographical, 'The O'Reilly Factor' treads familiar ground to anyone familiar with the author's show on the Fox network: working class background, fairly conservative, confrontational, and, in the author's mind, to the point with no 'spin'. There's a lot of humor as well, and a very good distillation of the conflicts that are apparent in American society today, and of course, O'Reilly's solutions to these conflicts. This is not a book that will take a long time to read -- and unfortunately, its major flaw is that once done, its points make no longlasting impact on the reader. Unless, of course, you are already a fan, and then the book tells you what you already know: we are living in ridiculous times, with leaders who contribute to the problems rather than solve them, and a society which needs to get some kind of moral backbone. Since the book has topped the best seller list, O'Reilly must be hitting a nerve, whether you agree with him or not!
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