Conservative talk radio's fastest-growing superstar is also a New York Times bestselling phenomenon: the author of the groundbreaking critiq...
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Jan 07, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it: 
Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin (pp. 256)
Subtitled “A Conservative Manifesto”, Levin does a strong job of articulating a modern conservative perspective without a lot of the base pandering hyperbole. The first two chapters read much like an intro level Poly Sci class referencing Jefferson, de Tocqueville, the Declaration of Independence, and other origin classics.
The problem with reviewing any political text, especially one by a popular TV/radio host, is that persona More...
Subtitled “A Conservative Manifesto”, Levin does a strong job of articulating a modern conservative perspective without a lot of the base pandering hyperbole. The first two chapters read much like an intro level Poly Sci class referencing Jefferson, de Tocqueville, the Declaration of Independence, and other origin classics.
The problem with reviewing any political text, especially one by a popular TV/radio host, is that persona More...
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Feb 01, 2010
Kipi
rated it: 
4.5 stars
Most of the polls I’ve been able to find have our country fairly split 45% conservative/ 10 middle-of-the-road/45% liberal. The levels of conviction of those two groups of 45% vary from “very” to “moderate, leaning” on both sides. While most of the mainstream TV media (with the exception of Fox News) leans left, talk radio leans right, and that’s where Mark Levin has found his niche. Here in the DFW area you can hear his show every afternoon on WBAP 820 from 5:00 - 8:00. More...
Most of the polls I’ve been able to find have our country fairly split 45% conservative/ 10 middle-of-the-road/45% liberal. The levels of conviction of those two groups of 45% vary from “very” to “moderate, leaning” on both sides. While most of the mainstream TV media (with the exception of Fox News) leans left, talk radio leans right, and that’s where Mark Levin has found his niche. Here in the DFW area you can hear his show every afternoon on WBAP 820 from 5:00 - 8:00. More...
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Jun 26, 2009
Charlotte
rated it:
I have been a student of economics and free markets for awhile now. While I'm no professor, I do have a pretty clear grasp of what makes a healthy and strong economy and country, and what hurts one. I thought that reading Levin's book would be more preaching to the choir, but I was very pleasantly surprised. He is knowledgeable, factual, and presents things in a most refreshing way. I often have to revisit concepts I thought I was familiar with to really grasp what he was educating us about in h
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Apr 16, 2011
From 1776 to 1781, the U.S. founding fathers worked to draft and ratify a document that established a limited government that would bring together a confederation of the states. Their goal in limiting the scope of government power was to protect the sovereignty of states and maximize individual freedom. It quickly became evident that the powers granted the Continental Congress were simply too weak for effective governing and our current Constitution had to be drafted. Their desire for a limited
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Jan 20, 2012
Ben
rated it: 
This was a present from a coworker. I knew I was going to dislike it, but I felt compelled to at least give it a try. I am abandoning it after 75 pages, as I find myself becoming an angry, bitter man after reading it. Here's what I learned so far.
* Private property is good and corresponds to human nature as created by God.
* To live under a system where your private property is taken from you is to live under tyranny.
* Taxation -- i.e. the government stealing your priva More...
* Private property is good and corresponds to human nature as created by God.
* To live under a system where your private property is taken from you is to live under tyranny.
* Taxation -- i.e. the government stealing your priva More...
Jul 27, 2011
Kash
rated it:
I've never listened to Mark Levin before. I am not a fan of his radio show either. Too busy with other stuff. Though I have to admit I liked his recent book "Liberty And Tyranny". It gave me enough knowledge and information to figure out the correct path in each debate, especially on health care and immigration issues. I think this book is a great one in terms of reminding people of how powerful they can be in rolling back the Statists' agenda. The book is written in an eloquent way th
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Oct 15, 2010
Joseph
rated it:
Much of what I have to say about this has been adequately stated by other reviewers. First off, this book is unlike other books written by pundits, which tend to be directed at specific people or address a particular event or issue within politics.
Liberty and Tyranny is a must read for the moderate, libertarian, anarchist, liberal, and Republican. For well read American conservatives, this may not tell you anything you don't already know. This volume concisely makes the case that cons More...
Liberty and Tyranny is a must read for the moderate, libertarian, anarchist, liberal, and Republican. For well read American conservatives, this may not tell you anything you don't already know. This volume concisely makes the case that cons More...
Sep 18, 2010
Kirk
rated it: 
Perhaps I should put a disclaimer as to why I read this book. I am a "grassroots empiricist," meaning: 1) the literal meaning of words matter and 2) localized community experiences matter more than centralized ideologies. When I first saw the title I immediately was disinclined to read it because: 1) liberty and manifesto do not belong together literally, so 2) I suspected that this was some type of ideological propaganda. I did not really know anything about Mark Levin ahead of t
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Nov 10, 2009
Spaniard
rated it:
Mark Levin begins his masterpiece by meticulously detailing the idea of American Sovereignty which is rooted in a belief that God has given man a desire for liberty. In so doing he describes how liberals reject this notion of American Superiority and how they seek to surrender voluntarily the sovereignty that our forefathers fought and died for. According to Levin the desire of the founders was to give their posterity a free nation, unencumbered of political weights that always run any nation ag
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Aug 23, 2009
Rick
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I liked this book because it was succint and to the point. Each chapter takes a general political ideology and breaks it down to the facts of how we got to where we are today on the topic (like gloabal warming) and describes how a conservative (not a Republican) would/should deal with the topic. Growing up I always heard about DDT and how it was a terrible chemical that caused deformities and contaminated food and water. Come to find out there has never been any evidence of deformity and the dru
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Jul 11, 2009
Chris
rated it:
As promised, an excellent read, laying down the foundation for Conservatism, it's history, why it's essential to preserve it, and ways of preserving it. Levin methodically and empirically submits the case of liberalism (i.e. statism) versus conservatism and why conservatism is THE only ideology (historically and presently) that exists to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the people of this great land. Statism is a stealth and dangerous ideology and one that cannot "
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Jun 15, 2009
Emily
rated it:
I loved this book. I borrowed it from a friend, but I will definitely be buying my own copy and making it part of my home school curriculum at some point. It is one of the most well-informed political books I have ever read. It explains in detail how we have strayed greatly from the Constitution and what the consequences of that are. Levin is very intelligent and explains things very well, without being too high brow--anyone could understand what he is talking about. The book is presented as a s
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May 17, 2009
Lynn
rated it:
Mark Levin has crafted an outstanding summary of the heart of conservatism. Possibly the most striking approach is that he does not identify "liberals" as the antithesis of conservatives, but rather Statists. In doing so, he frames a poignant argument that provides a valuable yardstick to identifying Statists dressed in conservative clothing.
Far from simply being a summary of conservative principles, Mark Levin draws from today's national scene and compares and contrasts More...
Far from simply being a summary of conservative principles, Mark Levin draws from today's national scene and compares and contrasts More...
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May 07, 2009
Douglas
rated it:
Every generation is eventually defined, in history, by how they responded to and reacted to the challenges they faced. For better or for worse, everyone from Academia to the typical blue-collar worker will issue the generation, collectively, a grade on their performance. As the people of America remain divided on their opinion of progress inthese confusing times, Mark Levin, a constitutional attorney who served in the Reagan administration, helps the reader simplify the effects of our efforts an
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(1 person liked it)
May 04, 2009
I am neither condervative nor liberal. I got the book from the libary, becuase I listen to his talk show and he is very loud and rude. However, The book was interesting and gave a lot of historical facts; but, it truly shows how america has not grown. This book has been on the best sellers list for four weeks. Mr. Levin actually has the audacity to state that we need to force Latino people to assimilate. Does Mr. Levin not forget what happen the last time this country forced assimilation on a ra
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 04, 2009
Ray
rated it: 
This book is subtitled "A Conservative Manifesto", so it's clear what it's about. I don't see it as one which will convert the non-believers, but one which will reinforce the Conservative viewpoint.
Levin sees the ever expanding government as a threat to our historical liberty, and offers his common sense conservatism as the answer to this threat. The FDR Administration is one example of government excess which Levin refers to often. He cites FDR's administration as an More...
Levin sees the ever expanding government as a threat to our historical liberty, and offers his common sense conservatism as the answer to this threat. The FDR Administration is one example of government excess which Levin refers to often. He cites FDR's administration as an More...
Oct 20, 2010
Jon
rated it:
Extremely well written and enjoyable relative to the subject matter. What I really liked about Levin was that he stayed away from classifying either party as one being liberal (Democrat) versus one being Conservative (Republican). He simply spoke from the pragmatic view of conservatism which is a direct contradiction to statism - the former espousing inalienable rights of the individual versus the latter espousing that the state knows best for the individual. He did not hesitate to be critica
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Jul 26, 2011
Ronald
rated it:
Billed as a "manifesto", key terms are made proper nouns (e.g., "the Conservative", "the Statist") to flag the right-wing code words. The things Levin likes are of course "Liberty", and everything else is equated to "Tyranny", sometimes with no supporting logic except that he does a short rant about something and concludes the paragraph with, "and that is tyranny."
There's nothing new in this book you won't find in Glen Beck, B More...
There's nothing new in this book you won't find in Glen Beck, B More...
Jul 07, 2010
Nathan
rated it:
"Poorly argued" would be the short way I would describe my dissatisfaction with this book.
As for the longer version... I guess my biggest problem would be that the "opposition" the author describes appears to be a creation entirely of his own imagining. Everything from their background to their ideologies to their political agenda is outlined, yet nowhere does the author provide any evidence that there exists a group that actually matches the provided description. More...
As for the longer version... I guess my biggest problem would be that the "opposition" the author describes appears to be a creation entirely of his own imagining. Everything from their background to their ideologies to their political agenda is outlined, yet nowhere does the author provide any evidence that there exists a group that actually matches the provided description. More...
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Apr 12, 2009
Jason
rated it:
Liberty & Tyranny is the current darling of the American conservative movement, and its record-breaking sales (Amazon) and place on the New York Times bestseller’s list is a point of pride for those who believe in the political ideology Levin espouses.
The books presents conservative beliefs, their origin, and contrast with the opposing point of view depicted as the “statist”, who can best be defined as the enemy of freedom and those who desire power over other people through manipulation o More...
The books presents conservative beliefs, their origin, and contrast with the opposing point of view depicted as the “statist”, who can best be defined as the enemy of freedom and those who desire power over other people through manipulation o More...
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Jun 15, 2011
Michael
rated it:
I asked a conservative family member to recommend some authors/books on conservative thought and practice. This book came highly recommended and was a decent delivery, though he should probably stick to radio.
As a liberal democrat and a scientist, the first several chapters were fairly painful to read. The subtitle was very well-chosen, it is a manifesto: all opinions intended to be interpreted as facts. Reading the first several chapters always made me think "But why?! What about More...
As a liberal democrat and a scientist, the first several chapters were fairly painful to read. The subtitle was very well-chosen, it is a manifesto: all opinions intended to be interpreted as facts. Reading the first several chapters always made me think "But why?! What about More...
Feb 26, 2010
Laura
rated it:
This was the book club choice for February. In the short synopsis I read on Amazon of this book I determined that this would not be a reading choice ranked high on my enjoyment scale. I decided to be as open minded about this read as I could manage. That said, if you are looking for an objective treatise on conservative politics verses liberal politics this is not it. To paraphrase a friend of mine who posted a review of Levin’s book recently on Goodreads — Conservatives = Saints- Liberals =
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Jul 14, 2010
John
rated it:
Interesting read, so far. Author appears to be well versed in the Constitution. Certainly has an agenda in terms of this book and that's to bash Obama. I'm neither an Obama lover nor hater but I have a hard time calling everything black or white. I'm a little suspicious of anyone that takes an extreme point of view. His take on the Constitution is spot on - there are a lot of powers that should be leveraged by the states however over the last 200 years they've allowed the government to take
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Feb 26, 2010
Greg
rated it:
Mark Levin's Liberty & Tyranny (A Conservative Manifesto) is more like a 200 odd page assault on the Democratic party. While he chooses to create the image of a pitched battle between "The Conservative" and "The Statist", it's pretty easy to see straight through to the core of his message, Democrats are evil and want to create a Stalin-esque authoritarian state in America (or more specifically, that they already have).
This book is fraught with tautologies and stra More...
This book is fraught with tautologies and stra More...
Jun 15, 2009
Andy
rated it:
Probably the best book I have read recently for my liberal friends to read to understand conservatism, and why we believe the "state" is not your friend.
For my unaffiliated or independent friends, a great read on why you can't stay on the sidelines.
For my libertarian friends, a solid reminder and primer on why conservatism is the current home of liberty.
For my conservative friends, an excellent primer on the why's and how's of conservative thought and action.
The More...
For my unaffiliated or independent friends, a great read on why you can't stay on the sidelines.
For my libertarian friends, a solid reminder and primer on why conservatism is the current home of liberty.
For my conservative friends, an excellent primer on the why's and how's of conservative thought and action.
The More...
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Sep 26, 2009
Howard
rated it:
This is easily the best book ever written by a right-wing talk radio show host, which probably won't you as very high praise. But, while Hannity, et al. tend to write flag-waiving remainder bin paperweights, this book is a much more serious work. It is also - as of 2009 - the go-to book for a short sharp statement of conservative principles in the social, political, legal, economic and cultural arenas. For conservatives and libertarians, this book is a call to (intellectual) arms, and a handbook
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Aug 05, 2011
At first, I thought this was a comedy book like Stephen Colbert's "I am America". More long winded and very much drier, but a little research revealed that Mr. Levin is serious. That is scary!
He calls Rachel Carson to task for exaggerating the percentage of children dying from DDT by her not pointing out that less children are dying from other causes such as malnutrition. Clearing this up would evidently bring the number of children dying from DDT poisoning down to acceptable levels fo More...
He calls Rachel Carson to task for exaggerating the percentage of children dying from DDT by her not pointing out that less children are dying from other causes such as malnutrition. Clearing this up would evidently bring the number of children dying from DDT poisoning down to acceptable levels fo More...
Aug 19, 2010
Ryan
rated it:
An excellent read on where we are as a country today, where we've been and how disastrous is the path we're on if we care about our personal liberties, our ability to have a say in our own lives and that inconveniently existing document that's supposed to guide our way (known as the US Constitution).
The unfortunate part about it is the subtitle, "A Conservative Manifesto". Much of it is really about the faults and corruption of the statist and indirectly points at the the c More...
The unfortunate part about it is the subtitle, "A Conservative Manifesto". Much of it is really about the faults and corruption of the statist and indirectly points at the the c More...
Jun 13, 2009
L-V
rated it:
Haven't read it yet, but I'm going to buy it tomorrow. I seriously worry about the future of our personal liberties. I do not want to be slowly assimilated into a socialist society. I don't believe in big government and I choose not to be passive anymore. I need to educate myself on what to watch out for. I haven't read any books like this before - I hope I learn something.
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Nov 26, 2011
Steve
rated it:
Obviously a partisan book, but a good read. Having said that, I do feel that most conservative partisans are more honest with the details and logic than their liberal counterparts. I can't remember it exactly, but I do remember the details on slavery were interesting. Maybe the 3 stars because I kept hearing Levin's voice in my head as I read. Not endearing.
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