Rating:  Summary: One of the better books in the crowded "talking head" genre Review: In writing "Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism", Sean Hannity has ventured down the same path of Rush Limbaugh, Ken Hamblin, et al, who created a popular talk radio and/or television show, then capitalize on the fan base by writing a book about the current political scene. As with those that preceded him, Mr. Hannity is sure to have a bestseller on his hands, but it will be justified, as he has crafted one of the better works in the "talking head" genre. A very definite theme in Mr. Hannity's book - and perhaps due to fortuitous timing - is the September 11 terror attacks. A good portion of the book is devoted to, or can be tied to, that tragic day. Mr. Hannity documents his feelings about the attack, and then opens the book with chapters citing numerous cases of liberal/Democratic influence on poor security and intelligence functions. Through this, Mr. Hannity lays the groundwork to show how liberal thinking and policy has compromised our freedoms and security. Taking this argument further, Mr. Hannity then ventures into other political topics, such as taxes, abortion, and patriotic displays to further prove a liberal attack on our freedoms. His documentation of quotes - taken from speeches, articles in the media, and even his own radio and Fox News Channel show - are plentiful and strong, damning evidence of how the liberal mindset works. However, these citations are a double-edged sword. In places, they are used appropriately in laying out his convincing arguments. Other times, he tends to use it in what I can only describe as a style of an avalanche; he fires off so many citations and quotations that his ultimate point gets lost in the deluge. ... But more importantly, he portrays a nicer, kinder, "average guy" image that translates very well in his writing as it does over the airwaves. ... A larger issue to consider in review of this book is its long-range viability. That is, how will Mr. Hannity's book stand up over the test of time? In most cases of authors in the "talking head" genre, the books have a relatively short shelf-life. To get a year of interest out of them is largely considered an overwhelming success. But even with those successes, the lion's share of books in this genre quickly find themselves on the sale racks of bargain book outlet stores and even more rapidly disappear from the public mindset. It may be too early to determine how viable Mr. Hannity's book will remain in the long-term, but I would tend to think it will be a success because it could remain popular for that one-year window. Further, I think that, given its link to the September 11 attacks, it may be more viable and useful over a number of years as the debate and reflection continues on that important date in American history. In whole, I give this book a four-star rating, and would recommend it to conservatives, moderates, and liberals alike. It is not a preachy work, it doesn't "talk down" to the reader, and nor is it full of the egomania found in other books of the genre. Mr. Hannity should be credited for authoring a work that stands above an otherwise crowded field.
Rating:  Summary: Sean for president! Review: Sean Hannity is right on the money! I listen to his radio show every day, and he is intelligent, consistent, and honest, which is more than most of our national leaders. His chapter on taxes is amazing! I cannot beleive how naive most Americans are towards taxes and liberals. Please read this book.
Rating:  Summary: conservatives love revising history Review: OK, kneejerk conservatives hit that "this review has been unhelpful to me" button--you've already made up your minds. But seriously, Sean Hannity writes and rants and whines as if there is no tomorrow. He also has no sense of the past. He spits out lies and exaggerations about liberals as if conservatives were completely blamefree, have done nothing wrong. Yes, look up the word "Watergate" in Hannity's index and you won't find that word. Hannity blames liberals for everything. End of story. In Hannity's world, there was never a McCarthy Era, no Watergate, no "catsup is a vegetable" speech by Reagan, no Savings and Loan scandal, no corporate greed killing our environment and costing people their jobs. Oh yes, and Ollie North is a martyr. Forget the fact that we have spent many tax dollars bailing out Nixon, Reagan, Bush and his sons. Conservatives who didn't like the fact Clinton was elected by the American people (unlike our current prez) effectively sabotaged his Presidency. Hmmm, Mr. Hannity, you mean you approve of Linda Tripp wearing a wiretap and tricking Monica Lewinsky to talking about what should have been a private matter and then having Kenneth Starr spending millions of taxpayers' money to nab Clinton? Well, conservatives approved of "Tricky Dick"'s methods, so what is new? As Dubya continues to make ridiculous errors and continues to put his foot in it, I think conservatives may have to learn to start explaining themselves. I give Hannity an extra star for chutzpah, but I'm predicting this book, which is a tad less psychotic than the poor Slander, will end up in bargain bins in the near future.
Rating:  Summary: The perfect conservative book Review: I just finished reading Let Freedom ring about a week ago, and it was the best non fiction book i have ever read. Sean Hannity clearly lays out how liberals are destroying our country from the inside out, and we need to stop it before it goes too far. Its eye opening, because you dont know how bad the problem is until you read this book. This is the most brilliant piece of political writing ever, and is clearly a must have for any conservative.
Rating:  Summary: Standard Hate Propaganda... *snooze* Review: This book is wonderful reading for people looking for excuses to hate their fellow Americans. Another sad example of divisive, hateful rhetoric wrapped up in a flag. Heaven forbid you disagree in the land of freedom.
Rating:  Summary: Can't wait to get it Review: After reading the review by that professor who said he would give him a C I knew I needed this book. Anything that makes a liberal professor mad must be worth reading.
Rating:  Summary: Hannity rules Review: What a great book! This book is the perfect companion to talk radio - which I love. For years, my favorite author was Rush Limbaugh because when an issue was too complicated for me to figure out myself, he told me what to think. Now Sean has been handed the baton and this book proves how smart he really is. I hate the fact that liberals in this country think the constitution gives them the right to speak their mind or present a different side to an issue. The thesis throughout this book just proves how ridiculous middle ground and compromise are in todays black and white world. Thanks Sean for showing how evil the liberals truly are! Move over Rush, Sean's book is now the place I go to tell me how to think !
Rating:  Summary: The Truth Will Set You Free Review: ...and Sean Hannity speaks the truth in this much anticipated book. Of course, there will always be those who refuse to accept the truth as evidenced by some of the reviews. Oh right, most of them don't even think there's any such thing as truth, do they? But truth there is, and Hannity backs his assertions with facts which can be ignored but not disputed. We in the USA have gotten ourselves into quite a fix haven't we? September 11 should have been a wake-up call and for awhile it was, but here we are, a year later, back to the same old attitudes that got us into this mess in the first place. If we just looooooove everybody, let them stream into our country without documentation, shower them with hard-earned tax payer dollars they'll looooooove us right back. Give me a break. As Hannity so eloquently points out, this jihad is for real and in the end will either kill us or them. Get that through your heads you bleeding hearts. Nothing but tough action will stop this now. We'd better wake up and get our act together or the liberal left will find themselves wringing their hands and wondering what happened as they watch the next buildings fall, a city wiped out by contaminated water or disease, or a nuclear power plant blow up. Maybe it will be that bad and maybe it will just be small strikes killing a hundred or less at a time, but we're heading there. Thank goodness there are clear-thinking people like Sean sounding the alarm and telling the truth.
Rating:  Summary: Really, really disappointing Review: I know that talk radio and political "point-counterpoint" TV shows don't always lend themselves to in-depth argumentation and the logical articulation of a well-developed philosophy. That's what books are for. And as someone who has encountered Sean Hannity on radio and TV, I was looking forward to watching him develop an argument over 300 or so pages. Maybe this would be the "Conscience of a Conservative" for our time. No such luck. Certainly, Hannity does a fine job waving the flag and reminding his readers of a few important facts and truths. However, he really hasn't taken advantage of what the print medium offers. Instead, his chapters read like transcripts of his radio shows, or maybe his lecture circuit notes. Much of the news isn't new (the liberals want to abolish the CIA!), and the analysis, while accurate as far as it goes (Mike Spann, good! John Walker Lindh, bad!), seems to stop about halfway down the trail toward the point he's trying to make. Compared to this title, Ann Coulter's "Slander" reads like Buckley. I've heard Hannity say, in speeches and on the radio, that his "liberty over liberalism" subtitle was deliberately chosen. And in fact, he's said that if he'd known how much that formulation would outrage the Left, he'd have made it his title. Unfortunately, Hannity's argumentation takes much for granted: he seems to think it self-evident that a strong CIA and no Clinton defense cuts might have prevented September 11. Those dots, however, remain unconnected. In other cases, Hannity's logic moves in bizarre directions. Here, too, I wish he had made it clearer what he really means. For example, he notes on page 125, "I can't tell you how many times I've sent one of my radio producers out on the streets of New York on a Friday afternoon ... to interview people and see if they can recite the Pledge [of Allegiance] -- and they can't. They don't even know the most basic elements of Civics 101. It makes me wonder: How are we supposed to remain 'one nation' and 'indivisible' if we don't teach the next generation the basics of good citizenship and respect for the traditions of our country?" Is the author really saying that the most fundamental duty of a citizen ("Civics 101"), one of "the basics of good citizenship," is the ability to recite the Pledge of Allegiance? Is citizenship really that cheap, that its basis is the rote memorization of a few lines of free verse? I wish Hannity had laid out his philosophy of conservatism more explicitly and fully-- with less about Lee Greenwood and the Pledge, and more about the real fundamentals. It would be fascinating to see him set within his context of true-blue Reaganism statements like, "It [education reform] means more vouchers, tuition tax credits, and educational savings accounts -- and whatever else it takes to break the nearly total government monopoly on K-12 education in this country" (pp. 162-3) Tax-funded vouchers break the government monopoly? Or: "In response, we must continue to claim the high ground and continue to preach racial color-blindness and egalitarianism -- strongly and proactively. That's what conservatism is all about" (p. 294). Conservatism is all about egalitarianism? Equality of opportunity, sure. But egalitarianism? That one definitely deserves more explanation. C'mon, Sean. You're smart and articulate. You can do a whole lot better than this.
Rating:  Summary: Conservative reader Review: While I watch Hannity and Colmes almost every evening, this book was a disappointment. Sean has a tendency of over-simplifying every problem: We are good guys, liberals are wrong, arms race is good, abortion is bad, we, Americans won the WWII, missile defense program is a savior, and as soon as we have school vouchers, they will solve all problems of inner city youth. While the book "Slander" by Ann Coultier is very well researched, and has tons of references, this book is mostly declaration of Sean's views. Actually, Sean is unfortunate to publish his book right after Slander, it looses in comparison. And finally, the style is not something I would expect from such good TV and radio host - Sean uses clichés like "man and women in uniform" so often that it is surprising. Want to read a good book - buy Slander or "Bias" by Bernard Goldberg.
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