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Summary: Phenomal Book
Review: Anyone who enjoys reading will enjoy this book. It it so refreshing, so persuasive, so thought-provoking, and so insightful, that it is simply a joy to read. Showdown is a real mind-opener and challenges the status quo in a way that no other book truly does. Elder destroys commonly held misconceptions, originally argues points many are afraid to make, and demonstrates the frightening dominance the left has over the media and education. You have to read this book.
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Summary: THE WRONG PEOPLE ARE READING THIS BOOK
Review: Everyone who respects Larry Elder and has similar views will enjoy this book because it exposes the myths of the liberal agenda while reinforcing conservative values and beliefs. Unfortunately the people who need to read this book the most...namely liberals, leftists and what Larry refers to as "viticrats" will not read it, because it undermines and disproves their fundamental beliefs. Give this book to your liberal friends and watch their jaws drop when they read it. If you can't convince them by yourself, let Larry help you. I've added Larry's book to my liberal conversion kit which consists of books by Shelby Steele, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell and Dinesh D'Sousa.
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Summary: Should be read by all students
Review: Excellent book with solid facts and information. Should be read by all students, young and old alike.
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Summary: Larry Elder Charts His Intellectual Landscape
Review: For long time listeners to Larry's show in Los Angeles and new listeners to his syndicated show, this is your opportunity to appreciate Larry's intellectual landscape. In Ten Things You Can't Say, Larry shot his thoughts on American culture out of a cannon, intentionally displaying the provacative side of his personality that has won him such a large following. In Showdown, Larry takes a few breaths to allow the followers of his ideas a chance to catch up with him. As he charts the intellectual landscape that serves as the foundation for his ideas on freedom, Larry introduces his readers to the people in his life who have influenced him and his ideas: his family, his fans, and the other intellectuals he liberally quotes. The anecdotes about his family life are a joy to read, the letters from fans are inspirational and the books he mentions approvingly are a guide to further participation in Larry's ideas.
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Summary: A good book, but more detail would be appreciated
Review: I had heard of Larry Elder before, but since I live in an area where his radio talk show is not carried, I hadn't heard or read any of his positions until I got this book. For the most part, they are very good. Elder advocates a very common-sense policy, stressing the need to examine the actual results of political policies, rather than supporting those that merely sound like they were formulated with good intentions. Many government programs created with good intentions nonetheless have deleterious effects, and too often, to speak out against them is to be vilified by people who won't look beneath the surface. Elder exposes many such cases. The one point of Elder's that I agree with most strongly is that irresponsible parenting is the single greatest problem our country faces. The importance of this issue cannot be overstated. If children are performing poorly in school, the problem is often that their parents are apathetic about their children's education. If children are getting into too much trouble, the problem is often that parents aren't taking their roles as disciplinarians and role models seriously enough. Irresponsible parents breed maladjusted children, who in turn grow into problematic adults. Obviously this problem is not one that can be solved by a few simple policy changes -- the final responsibility rests with the individual, not with the government -- but Elder offers a few steps we can take in the right direction. Now, on to what I think is the book's major shortcoming. Mr. Elder is a libertarian (He is now a member of the Republican party, but still holds the same libertarian point of view.), and libertarians tend to favor some pretty drastic changes in our approach to government. Consider the following three statements, taken directly from the so-called Ten-Point Elder Plan: 1. Abolish the IRS.
2. Reduce government by 80%.
3. Take government out of education. Those are three tremendous statements. If you say you're in favor of, say, legalizing marijuana, few people will have difficulty understanding what you want to happen. But if you declare that we should eliminate the income tax (and all corporate taxes as well, according to Elder), you've got a lot of explaining to do. One cannot simply declare the IRS dissolved; it must be done very gradually, with a very specific approach in mind from the outset. The same goes for all three points listed above, not only because they are colossal in scope, but because they are interconnected. For example, you can't responsibly reduce income until you reduce expenditures, and you can't move away from public schooling until taxation has lessened enough that people will be able to afford to pay for education individually instead of collectively. What's more, you can't simply shut down all government-run schools at once. The transition must be smooth enough that no one is left without opportunity. The problem of public education is one of the most daunting in the United States. The difficulties in the system are so numerous and so tangled with one another that it's very difficult to know where to begin. Perhaps privatization is the answer, but unfortunately, Elder doesn't have a lot to say on how it would be done, only that we should do it. Extreme positions like the ones listed above tend to turn people off quickly just because they're so far outside mainstream political opinion, and if one expects them to be taken seriously, one had better be prepared to offer a detailed treatment of just how those propositions could be shaped into reality. That is the main problem with the book. Even if a reader gets through the whole thing and agrees with nearly everything Elder has to say, he may very well close the book after the last page, hesitate, and ask himself, "Just what am I supposed to do about it?" Although I recommend this book to everyone, I think that a truly useful treatment of libertarian ideals will require a good deal more analysis than you'll find here.
Rating:
Summary: Superbly Written
Review: I may be a bit biased, since I've been a huge fan for years. But this book surpasses "The 10 Things You Can't Say in America" in both the quality of the writing as well as in content.
A black Conservative is something that strikes fear in the heart of Liberals. And one as eloquent and intelligent as Larry "The Sage from So Central" Elder is flat-out frightening to them.
Kenny Bond,
Los Angeles
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Summary: pretty good
Review: I really enjoyed Larry Elder's first book, Ten Things You Can't Say in America. Showdown was equally as good. In Showdown, Elder focuses on how big government may not be helping people. He deals with issues such as one of the biggest problems in this country in the breakdown of the traditional family and an increasing number of single mothers. This is problamatic because children need both parents present. This creates problems such as increased crime rates and poor school performance. The government has only increased these problems through welfare programs that make the government involved in raising children like a parent would. Elder also focuses on how the media can skew information by either ignorning information or favoring parties/candidates. Elder also fouses on contemporary race relations such as Jesse Jackson, reperations and the extent to racism in America. Also Elder focuses on how government programs relating to race such as affirmative action may not be helping black students. Elder also provides information about third party candidates and how they can challenge the two party status quo. Third party candidates have the potential to shake things up like Ross Perot and Jesse Ventura. Several Libertarians have been a signifanct factor in the loss of some Republican Congressional elections. Overall a great read.
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Summary: An Incredible Distortion of "Facts"
Review: I"m a conservative. I generally believe in less government being in the best interest of the general good. This book, however, slams government in the most unprofessional manner I have ever seen. I read about half of it and it made me sick. It appears that Elder's writing style follows his radio show...or perhaps he is attempting to follow in the steps of fellow radio personality Howard Stern....everything appears to be written for "shock value" ...never have I seen such an intentional and incredible distortion of "facts." I have seen Mr. Elder speak on many occasions and he is quite an accomplished speaker who seems knowledgeable...I even acknowledge that I liked listening to him and that he was thought-provoking. Unfortunately, the only thought provoked by this book is [bad].
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Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: If you are a limited government conservative or a liberarian, this book will reaffirm your beliefs and give you the facts you need to support your arguments. If you are left-of-center this book might change your mind. There are many conservatives out there whose used to be on the political left, but often times when exposed to a thorough examination of the facts, changed their beliefs. This book, with it's penetrating analysis, excellent prose, and masterful evaluative techniques, is likely to do just that. The book artfully makes the case for a free and capitalist society, and proves once and for all that there is a deep-rooted leftist bias in education and the media, and it shows how damaging that bias is. If you care about this nation and its future you will read this book--either to arm yourself for debate or to rethink your assumptions about the world.
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Summary: Exposing the Lying Liberals
Review: It is wonderful to have authors like Larry Elder to write books like Showdown. This very readable book addresses the mass audience on a serious subject of media bias and to debunk the ultra-liberal litany that has saturated the broadcast network and the "mainstream" print media, and at the same time offers an alternative, positive outlook for the vast captive constituency of the Victicrats. Elder's book covers much ground on the socio-political landscape. He exposes what is oftentimes craftily hidden from news stories. One striking example captured in this book: to what length would a liberal go to deceive his audience? Just listen to Stephan Schneider, and environment "scientist", who famously said, and defended "...we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have...Each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest." I am sure the reader will be able to come up with a much less torturous sentence by using a three-letter verb. Elder devotes a good portion of this book to address the predicament of the black and Hispanic communities. Elder himself is one of the many many examples of how the right set of values, role models and hard work and perseverance can bring success to people despite formidable adversity. Of course, success manifest in many ways; few people, regardless of race, are able to achieve to the level of Larry Elder. He, along with Thomas Sowell, Alan Kayes, Walter Williams, Clarence Thomas, and many whose name I might not be familiar, are great heroes and role models for blacks (and indeed for all of us.)
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