Rating: 
Summary: An Acheivement of Personal Courage under Rethoric Fire
Review: Mr. Horowitz's commentary, " Uncivil Wars" is a very hard and open look at what may seem either wrong or right, depending on what sidelines of the political arena you may fall in. In it's own right, away from the emotional squabbles of the Race Issue, one that steps out of the box should ask the simple question as to who would be deemed as written to recieve these reperations and where would the money come from? If it came from the Tax-payers, then that would mean a good portion of America's money would go into a contraversial law suit with an origin that can be found so far in the past that most people who were directly related to the issue of Slavery are either dead or have been put to justice. < and their have been recent cold cases involving murders during the 60's that would attribute to this>
Now, having said that, although History recognizes the terrible crimes of slavery, it would be a stain upon the black community for putting a set price on the issue because then you are implying that your willing to walk away quiet at a price, a price which past civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King had died and fought so strongly for equal rights, without peddling for dollars and change --- because the fight cannot have a price placed upon it. It was a human tragety. It was a fight for man to be seen as equal in the eyes of the very nation he lived in -- as well as women. Are we as human beings, to measure inhumanity by a dollar ammount --- will it even fix the problem?
This is a very good book, very short yet to the point, and advise people who are intressted to read the other books that this author has written, and yes, it is true --- The facts in this book are presented on both sides, and it is up to you to decide. Its how a political book should be.
Rating:
Summary: Devestating indictment of mendacity of radical left
Review: As some of the previous reviews have mentioned, this book is more about Horowitz's confrontation with the University radicals over the issue of reparations than it is over the reparations itself. What we have here is a book that details the sociology of radical left student activists--demonstrating how little these people care either about ideas or the truth or even common decency. Their hatred of American society is only rivalled by their absolute insistence that they never be criticized or challenged. They are against the Open Society as such and pretend to be "offended" if anyone questions their twisted ideals. Despite being among some of the most privileged individuals in the history of the human race, attending expensive colleges where they are catered to by an indulgent administration, they never cease complaining about how oppressed they are and the horrors of the "white establishment" that "rules" America. They have no sense of history or the human condition. They believe merely what they wish to believe--and God forbid if anyone should try to shake them from their dogmatic slumbers!Their attempts to silence Horowitz's campaign against reparations would rate as first-rate farce if it were not so pathetic and disturbing. Not only did not one radical leftist attempt to refute all of Horowitz's ten arguments against reparations, not one demonstrated that even understood any of Horowitz's arguments. The radical Left's fanatical ideology prevents these poor children of darkness from being able to understand what they read--a huge problem for American intellectuals, especially those on the Left. It never occurs to these individuals that the goal of reading is to understand what someone else is trying to say, in order that one may learn from that person and be challenged by him. But these people have no interest in learning. This is a widespread problem among American intellectuals. This was clear to me when I was doing the research for a book critical of Ayn Rand. Neither Rand nor her followers seemed to me capable of reading. They inevitably twisted everything they read that disagreed with their point of view, giving it a malicious interpretation. (Of course, if anyone misinterpreted anything Rand said, they would howl with indignation.) But in comparison with these radical leftists, Rand appears a very model of fair-mindedness. At least Rand and her followers pretend to respect logic and rational argument. These leftists, as described by Horowitz, don't even offer the merest pretense of logic or respect for rational argument. Horowitz's arguments against reparations, which most Americans would agree with, they dismiss as "offensive" and "racist," and that's as far as they go in the direction of rational argument. Some students reported weeping because their feelings were so badly hurt! If these students really are that hyper-sensitive (rather than merely histrionic), how do they expect to make it in the real world, where no one will have any indulgence for such absurdities? I fear that these radical leftists will be in for a hard time of it when they leave the shelter of the university. Such are the consequences of adopting an ideology so contrary to fact, so belligerently opposed to the demands of everyday life.
Rating:
Summary: Common Sense for a Divisive Issue
Review: David Horowitz has written a book of concentrated common sense on the latest campus cause celebre, "reparations for slavery." What this represents is not compensation for slavery, since all the slaves are dead, but a massive transfer of wealth from people who never owned slaves to people who never were slaves. It makes no sense except to further the leftist agenda of defining society as a collection of villains and victims. Horowitz attempted to buy ads in various campus newspapers opposing reparations for slavery. Later, he spoke on the subject in various campus forums. He was shouted down, insulted, threatened, and required bodyguards to protect him from radical students while merely exercising his right to free speech -- not hate speech, not racially divisive speech, not incendiary speech, but reasoned and factual discourse. What have our universites become? Horowitz's book filled me with dread and alarm, to realize that so many of our universities are in the hands of a radical political elite where racial diversity is praised while diversity of opinion, ideology and thought are all but banned. Indeed, in one of the universities where Horowitz's ad opposing reparations was published, radical students simply stole all the student newspapers so no one could read it. Many of these student radicals seem to be ideological bullies who refuse honest debate. They censor and slander the opposition, shout down conservative speakers in campus forums, bully campus newspaper editors and monopolize all poltical discussion. If you are a university student, you should read this book. Whatever political issue you encounter in college, it likely will be neither balanced nor fair, given the current intellectual climate. You owe it to yourself to be fully informed on this most controversial issue.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging read
Review: David Horowitz takes on a subject charged with emotion, as most race related subjects are, and does a very credible, factual job of arguing why we should not pay reparations.
I agree with many of the other reviewer here, however, in expresing my digust of our nations institutions of "higher learning." Should any minority receive the reception that Horowitz got at these schools, there would have been an immediate cry of racism. The fact that Horowitz is white and is arguing, factually, against a subject that the liberal elite have embraced, only ensures that his reception anywhere liberals hold sway would be uncivil, to say the least.
This book also illustrates another point I've read elsewhere...the point that, in general, conservatives argue logically, with facts that can be researched and supported, while liberals argue with emotion and name calling, especially of the "racist/sexist/fascist" variety.
Read this book, it's definately worth your time!
Rating: 
Summary: Good but only for some... specially the open-minded.
Review: Horowitz uses this book to document the efforts used to PREVENT THE DISCUSSION of his ideas on major college campuses. The shocking and shameful fact is that those efforts were condoned or aided by faculty and administration. School by school Horowitz documents the hysterical response to the very idea that he should speak on campus. Under the current regime, Black students are considered unable to defend their ideas in honest debate. Blacks must be protected from heretical ideas by the prohibition the dissemination of forbidden ideas. This is censorship, pure and simple, only now the unacceptable material is labeled 'hate speech' Horowitz is not a racist. He is someone who does not want to see the country devolve into a collection of warring tribes. The history of Ugana/Rwanda and of Francophone Canada are examples of what he seeks to avoid. Parents of college age students should read this book and should check out the history, anthropology and sociology departments to see what passes for scholarship.
This book is a MUST read. Anyone reading this that has not already done so MUST also read the Horowitz autobiography 'Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey'. One of the most important and informative books I have ever read and one I give as gifts to people that I think are open minded enough to learn from it. OK, so I haven't been able to give all that many away but I endeavor to persevere. This book is loaded with the TRUTH. The TRUTH is plainly anathema to the vast majority of the Left as they only embrace the truth when it doesn't deviate from their intolerant ideology or how they WANT the world to be! Having lived and worked a significant portion of my life in and around San Francisco I am well schooled in the ways and smear tactics of the Left. I can all but guarantee that any negative review of this tome of truth will hail from a concerted Left wing tactic to sway and smear. Don't buy the smear. BUY the book.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for the open-minded
Review: In this book, conservative commentator David Horowitz actually fights two fronts in he liberal-conservative "culture war".One is the idea of race reparations for slavery, the other, the entrenched leftist ideology of the modern American university. Horowitz began his battle by formulating "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery Is A Bad Idea--And Racist, Too" and sent it to 71 college newspapers nationwide in the form of an advertisement. The first half of the book deals mainly with reaction to the ad on college campuses. Horowitz details the reaction of university student newspaper editors, profeessors and administrators at places such as UC Berkeley, The University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Brown University. Here, Horowitz tells a chilling, frightening account of the kind of censorship attempted by the far left-of-center campus "commisars". This section is an eye-opener for those who still believe that our American universities are centers for the free exchange of ideas. The section on Brown University, and the lengths that some of the students would go to to suppress the ad is particularly disturbing.The last sections of the book are mainly devoted to the idea of reaparations for slavery itself. The idea itself has been floating around for many years, but has gained monmentum in the last decade due to the publication of the bestselling book "The Debt" by black activist Randall Robinson as well as the formal adoption of the reparations concept by the city councils of several US population centers including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Horowitz gives a reasoned,well-researched refutation of the reaparations concept which leaves one wondering what the folks populating the campi were worried about. Could they be afraid of the truth? Buy this book. It is an essential part of the debate on an issue that will continue to be part of the American landscape, and a revelation to those who seek the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking, illuminating, alarming
Review: Not only a thought-provoking argument against reparations, but an alarming chronicle of the dire state of free speech on American college campuses. Concerning the issue of reparations, Horowitz dispassionately dissects the issue from a variety of angles, applying principles of fairness, casuistry, and appeals to common good. I found his arguments clear and compelling, and the supporting material provided some interesting historical and economic discussion of slavery. Most importantly, I understood his motivations to be based not on hate, but on true compassion and a desire for what is best for all Americans and for black Americans in particular. The real story of this book is not reparations, however, but the reactions to the publication of (and attempts to publish) his opinion in a variety of American college campus newspapers. The responses ranged from irrational, highly-charged emotional outbursts to outright censorship and suppression. His well-documented account paints an alarming picture of the stranglehold of "politically correct" ideology in our universities, and the seeming lost art of rational debate (as opposed to ad hominem attacks and binary categorizations) in our culture today.
Rating: 
Summary: Thesis of Book: Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!!
Review: Professional polemicist and gadfly David Horowitz here follows himself around the country on his "campus tour" in defense of his advertisement giving ten arguments against reparations to black Americans for slavery. As it happens, I agree with his general point. Nevertheless, this is an awful book, an embarrassing exercise in self-promotional grandstanding. Most of the work, "The Controversy," is a self-aggrandizing account of his successful attempts to bait student opponents into shouting matches, providing him the requisite anecdotes to join in on the tired rant about how contemporary universities are bastions of tenured-radical-America-hating-proto-totalitarians. It's evident that Horowitz doesn't spend much time at the everyday life of universities, where impassioned but reasoned debates are routine. Spend some time in just about any college classroom any semester, David; you will find students and faculty engaged in passionate but reasonably informed debates. The conservatives like to play the part of the aggrieved and embattled minority defending free speech. Apparently that big lie has been effective, ... The final chapter in the book, "Reparations and the American Idea," at least presents a reasoned analysis of the reparations debate and defense of America's progress on the race issue, despite Horowitz's inability to understand the historical scholarship of slavery on its own terms rather than as fuel for his polemical fire. You can stand in the bookstore and read that chapter, the only worthwhile portion of the book, in ten minutes. Save your money and instead purchase one of the many stellar works on the history of slavery such as Ira Berlin's MANY THOUSANDS GONE or Philip Morgan's BLACK COUNTERPOINT. Don't waste your time with this agit-prop.
Rating:
Summary: Horowitz Gets Mugged On Campus
Review: The last forty pages of this book contain arguments against reparations for slavery. Most of the book is an account of the reception that Horowitz got when he tried to place a paid ad arguing against reparations in campus newspapers. For challenging leftist racial orthodoxy, Horowitz was systematically branded a racist. Many university papers refused to run the ad. Others ran it, but editorialized against Horowitz in the same edition, to protect themselves. Papers that ran the ad without comment often suffered threats, protests, and insults. Universities held panel discussions denouncing Horowitz's ideas, without inviting Horowitz or anyone else to defend him. When Horowitz was invited to speak in university fora, he got shouted down and tarred a racist for his troubles. All this for what? Because, like 75% of Americans, he opposes the idea of reparations for slavery. So in a sense, this book is about reparations. Really, it is about the reparations debate, and how Horowitz's experience in that debate reveals that American universities, rather than being centers for the free discussion of ideas, are gladiatorial pits in which one side, aided and abetted by faculty and administration, tries to howl the other out of existence.
Rating:
Summary: Horowitz Does it Again
Review: Uncivil Wars chronicles David Horowitz's attempt to initiate a dialogue on reparations for slavery at American colleges. Horowitz brilliantly exposes the vicious, ideological intolerance within American Universities, which threatens the very integrity of education. In addition, Horowitz challenges the reparations argument and exposes the radical agenda of the pro-reparations movement.
Following the placement of an anti-reparations ad by Horowitz in a dozen University newspapers, students and faculty erupted in cries of racism and attempted to censor the newspapers. Horowitz portrays the campus leftists as ignorant, hateful and comparable to totalitarians. At Brown University, for instance, students stole every edition of the Brown Daily Herald to prevent distribution of the ad. None of the students, however, directly addressed Horowitz's arguments, which were both logical and thorough. Horowitz's premise was that the reparations movement is a product of historical revisionism by radical leftists. Such misrepresentations of history include the notion that America has never confronted the issue of slavery due to the fact that the Civil War was about economics and that Abraham Lincoln was a racist. Among other things Horowitz suggests that reparations will isolate blacks from the rest of America and create a damaging sense of victim hood. Yet the students at Brown and other schools where the ad appeared, blindly condemned Horowitz as a racist using tactics not seen since the McCarthy era. Nevertheless, Horowitz's stance of reparations is widely held by most Americans as evident by recent polls. The Universities represent the fringe of the political left and in the name of inclusiveness, campus administrators have created an environment of intolerance. As vital as these institutions are to our democracy, they are themselves undemocratic. Horowitz points to the fact that on many college campuses Republicans are less visible than Marxists, greens and other contingencies of the far left. This does not reflect the nation wide reality that America is almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
Uncivil Wars is an excellent read and highly informative. For one not familiar with University life, Uncivil Wars provides a shocking insider's view of our nation's most prestigious institutions. Horowitz presents logical and intelligent arguments that transcend party affiliation. Horowitz rips apart the reparation argument with undeniable truths that expose the reparation supporters as far-left radicals. This fascinating journey through American history and the insolated world of America's universities should not be missed.
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