I first heard Glenn Beck on the radio while working as a delivery driver many years ago. I was not a big fan. I thought some of the show’s humor sometimes strayed into the gutter. When it came to the more serious stuff, though, I liked that Beck discussed ideas and principles. I didn’t always agree with what he was saying, but the subject matter was refreshing and was a definite break from the pandering to party that most of the other radio show hosts engaged in. Beck’s partisan-free outlook has always been intriguing to me; his willingness to see conspiracies in so many things is off-putting. That hasn’t changed much over the years.
An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck (ISBN: 978-1-4165-5219-2) discusses some of the big political and social problems that face America. There are 22 chapters that take on topics ranging from global warming to avoiding chick flicks and from illegal immigration to dating. The book takes a simple tack: a problem is discussed, some examples or arguments from one side are given, Beck’s rebuttal is given, and then a solution is proposed. The book, which is more akin to a coffee table book than anything else, features illustrations and little thoughts (usually humorous) thrown in throughout. With a couple exceptions (i.e., chick flicks as mentioned above), the problems are ones that seem to define America and that seem to divide America. As one would expect a conservative media host to do, the writing is straightforward and holds nothing back; as one would expect from Beck and his team, there’s a bit of humor worked in. It is also full of a wide range of material that keeps things interesting.
Published in 2007, An Inconvenient Book was only Beck’s second book. He’s, obviously, written (or had ghostwritten, as the case often is with celebrities and books) quite a few more as of this writing. The problems discussed are still relevant, which is kind of sad. It makes one of the points in the book, which is the general inefficiency of government, seem to hold water. It was interesting to see the old Beck, before he got more serious as he tried to found his own media empire, in the book. Only one chapter engaged in the conspiracy-like thinking that Beck is sometimes prone to engage in. Overall, it was an interesting book and one that, if one has an open mind about the country’s problems, presents some worthwhile information, which can get you thinking about what your positions really are.
An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck (ISBN: 978-1-4165-5219-2) discusses some of the big political and social problems that face America. There are 22 chapters that take on topics ranging from global warming to avoiding chick flicks and from illegal immigration to dating. The book takes a simple tack: a problem is discussed, some examples or arguments from one side are given, Beck’s rebuttal is given, and then a solution is proposed. The book, which is more akin to a coffee table book than anything else, features illustrations and little thoughts (usually humorous) thrown in throughout. With a couple exceptions (i.e., chick flicks as mentioned above), the problems are ones that seem to define America and that seem to divide America. As one would expect a conservative media host to do, the writing is straightforward and holds nothing back; as one would expect from Beck and his team, there’s a bit of humor worked in. It is also full of a wide range of material that keeps things interesting.Published in 2007, An Inconvenient Book was only Beck’s second book. He’s, obviously, written (or had ghostwritten, as the case often is with celebrities and books) quite a few more as of this writing. The problems discussed are still relevant, which is kind of sad. It makes one of the points in the book, which is the general inefficiency of government, seem to hold water. It was interesting to see the old Beck, before he got more serious as he tried to found his own media empire, in the book. Only one chapter engaged in the conspiracy-like thinking that Beck is sometimes prone to engage in. Overall, it was an interesting book and one that, if one has an open mind about the country’s problems, presents some worthwhile information, which can get you thinking about what your positions really are.
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