An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems

by Glenn Beck

book data

1,012 ratings, 3.94 average rating, 351 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		30%
4		41%
3		20%
2		5%
1		1%

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published

November 20th 2007 by Threshold Editions

binding

Hardcover, 256 pages

isbn

1416552197 (isbn13: 9781416552192)

description

The world is a mess. It seems that every time you turn around, there's another problem: Iran is developing nuclear capabilities. Public schools actual...more

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01/21/08

Jared rated it:

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: Anyone willing to try to make change

I rated this at 5 stars just to counter the mandatory 1 star I had to give Al Gore's book. This book is by no means just a counter to Gore's book but includes other issues as well. Some are deserving of this rating and others are just meant to be humorous.

The chapters on global warming, marriage, radical islam, political correctness, income gap, minimum wage, UN and others have good ideas and counter so much of the crap that we hear from so many sides in the media today.
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09/04/08

Benjamin rated it:

Read in May, 2008

Wow. If you have ever had a desire to be simultaniously entertained, horrified, and informed this is the book for you. Glenn Beck offers his opinion on everything from global warming to illigal immigration, marriage and dateing, minimum wage, child molesters and dozens of other topics.
It really got me thinking about a lot of things and because he is an entertainer as well as a comentator he does an excellent job at taking some topics that would be rather dry and making them fun. I love...more

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02/01/08

DeLaina rated it:

bookshelves: politics

Read in January, 2008

recommended to DeLaina by: Paul-my husband

I started reading this book late one night because I didn't have any other books to read. The first few pages produced some stifled giggles, but then I started howling w/laughter at the "global warming" section, to the point where Paul asked me to please go somewhere else so he could sleep.

I like Glenn Beck's writing and his self-deprecating sense of humor. He doesn't take himself too seriously but is able to convey some of the world's serious problems and offer some good s...more

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02/18/08

Emily rated it:

Read in February, 2008

I'm a Glenn Beck fan, so I enjoyed this book, though not as much as his other (The Real America), which I really recommend. The book is a lot like his show with side notes, humor, and random thoughts. It is an easy read, as it is broken up in many sections, and looks like a junior high school textbook with all sorts of charts, and graphics. He is a funny guy with some good ideas (and some crazy ones, that just might work).

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12/31/07

Elaine Moore rated it:

Read in January, 2008

I found myself laughing, thinking, and being down right scared at times as I read this book. It took me a while to get used to the change in subject and the off shoots(ADD moments), but it would not be Glenn Beck without them. Overall, this book gives what it promises, political issues from a perspective you just don't hear.

My favorite quote is, "As a parent of a toddler you mission is clear: Keep Them Alive."

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05/27/08

Brian Hodges rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2008

I have been a huge fan of Glenn Beck's radio show ever since he became syndicated back in 2002. If you actually take the time to LISTEN to his radio show for an extended period of time you realize that he is in a constant state of analyzing his choices, his philosophies and his political alignments. He is not, despite what his detractors think, a mindless republican stooge... or even a mindless CONSERVATIVE stooge. He's just a regular guy who has made it big but who stays close to his values ...more I have been a huge fan of Glenn Beck's radio show ever since he became syndicated back in 2002. If you actually take the time to LISTEN to his radio show for an extended period of time you realize that he is in a constant state of analyzing his choices, his philosophies and his political alignments. He is not, despite what his detractors think, a mindless republican stooge... or even a mindless CONSERVATIVE stooge. He's just a regular guy who has made it big but who stays close to his values and never EVER lets anyone in politics or the media tell him what to think. And he is, quite simply, a radar detector for hypocrisy and bullsh***, which is what I think I love about his show the most.

That being said, every time Glenn tries to branch out into a different medium, it simply reaffirms to me that RADIO is where he truly belongs. His first book was simplistic drivel. His TV show is, I find, pretty much unwatchable. I haven't read his magazine but I imagine it's equally bad. And "An Inconvenient Book" pretty much continues that trend.

The book isn't exactly HORRIBLE. In fact it does raise some interesting points about the major issues that are affecting us today. True to form, Beck comes at these issues (Global Warming, Terrorism, Political Correctness, Illegal Immigration) from a questioning standpoint, pointing out the inconsistancies in logic that a lot of politicians and special interest groups seem to wallow in. He tries to infuse all his arguments with a heavy dose of wit, sarcasm and self-depreciating humor, which never really comes off as all that funny. He also tries to break up the heavier chapters with chapters that deal with such innocuous topics as how to rent a movie with a spouse and how to deal with your daughter's first boyfriend. Again, it's obvious that these chapters were intended to be comic relief... I tended to skim or skip them altogether since they weren't really all that funny.

So do I recommend this book? Actually yes. If you can find it at the library, pick it up for a quick read. Whether you are rightly or leftly slanted Beck DOES make some good points and does so by avoiding the cliche'd arguments that each side tends to fall back on. You may or may not agree with everything he says, but I find Beck, whether you agree with him or not, does present the issues in a way that at least makes you think. His prose ain't Howard Zinn, but it's mildly interesting nonetheless. Still, I stand by my original statement which is to say that if you REALLY want to see what Glenn is REALLY about, you should spend a couple weeks listening to his radio show.
(less)

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05/19/08

Walter rated it:

This book made me, laugh, think, and laugh some more. While I don't agree with everything that Glenn Beck says, I must admit that he more on the ball than any other political commentator I have listened to. He has this novel approach with stories, he actually investigates them! Whereas most "conservative" political commentators are merely spokespeople for the Republican Party, Glenn is a spokesman for actual conservative family values.

In other words, he tests to see if t...more

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04/08/08

Anthony rated it:

bookshelves: politics-political-thought

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys intelligent political discourse

If you have a sense of humor, don’t take yourself too seriously, and can take off the kaleidoscope glasses of contemporary liberal thought long enough to take an honest look at the world, you have to love Glenn Beck. Glenn is a funny guy, a smart guy, and sometimes a scary guy. Glenn frequently, self-depreciatingly, refers to himself as a rodeo clown. If you know what the rodeo clowns are really doing down there in the arena you may agree that this reference is actually a pretty accurate al...more

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6 comments

03/25/08

Doran Barton rated it:

Read in December, 2007

Oh, you were really surprised when you came across this book review, weren't you? Yeah, I'm a big Glenn Beck fan. Proof of just how nuts I am about Glenn Beck: I wrote a Perl script to convert the live streams on the Glenn Beck Insider site (which include bumper music and other types of material not fit for the "podcast" MP3s) into MP3 or Ogg files I can listen to when I want. Yeah. I'm a fan... a geeky fan.

Okay, so about this book... It is very, very good. In my opinion, t...more Oh, you were really surprised when you came across this book review, weren't you? Yeah, I'm a big Glenn Beck fan. Proof of just how nuts I am about Glenn Beck: I wrote a Perl script to convert the live streams on the Glenn Beck Insider site (which include bumper music and other types of material not fit for the "podcast" MP3s) into MP3 or Ogg files I can listen to when I want. Yeah. I'm a fan... a geeky fan.

Okay, so about this book... It is very, very good. In my opinion, this is how all conservative pundits and talk radio jocks should write their books. While a significant chunk of the book is about hot political issues like illegal immigration and global warming, there are chapters about less political topics... like going to the video store or tipping service staff. It's a pretty well-rounded capture of what goes on in the mind of the third-most listened-to talk radio host in all of America.

The layout of the book is also impressive: Every page is printed in 4-color process and the text is accompanied by charts, graphs, and humorous drawings/pictures that go along with the topic at hand. The designers also gave each page a seemingly unique watermark, or background, that gives it a well-handled, worn look- like maybe you've spilled a cup of coffee, or in the case of Glenn, a can of Coke Zero, on it, by accident.

From my perspective, as a rabid fan of Glenn's, I found the book a bit lacking in detail. That is, aside from the packaging of the book itself, there really wasn't much new here for me, content-wise, that I hadn't already read on Glenn's site, heard on his radio program, seen on his television program, or experienced myself at one of his stage shows. But... hey... I'm the exception here. If you've had some exposure to Glenn Beck or none at all, this book is an excellent way to jump in and find out what he's about.

Want to buy the book? Head over to Amazon and get it. It may be hard to find at your smaller local bookstore as it has been one of the top New York Times bestsellers since its release in November of 2007.(less)

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12/30/07

Jake Wegman rated it:

Read in December, 2007

Hey, the guy's a conservative commentator, so obviously, take a lot of what he says with a grain of salt (just like you should Al Gore). But Glenn Beck is one of the few commentators out there that tries to break things down objectively, and then offers up solutions that come from a more conservative point of view. I can relate to such a worldview.

The book could've earned 5 stars for me, except for the fact that he muddies the message with sections on stuff like tipping and raising t...more

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01/13/08

Marcus rated it:

Read in December, 2008

So far just a bunch of Republican rhetoric and unsupported "facts." Lots of "statistics" but Beck doesn't list a single authority for them. His brilliant solution to the problem of global warming is to do nothing. What a genius. His use of the English language is uninspiring to say the least and his pathetic attempts at humor fall far short of even a mild tickle (racism and bald-faced elitism are apparently not funny--who knew). I'm only reading it to force my brother into w...more

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02/09/08

Adam rated it:

bookshelves: political

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: Political Junkies, Parents, Conservatives, and even Liberals (you might learn something).

It's a pretty good book. He offers great insights into some of the media driven liberal ideologies that seem to be crammed down our throat everywhere you look today (such as Global Warming, Minimum Wage, Illegal Immigration). But he also has some great chapters on personal lives, dating, marriage, parenting, etc. And his voice is spot on; if you've ever seen his show or heard him talk, you can hear him saying the words as you read them.

But I would recommend breaking up the book ...more

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01/15/08

Teresa rated it:

Read in February, 2008

I'm not much of a Glenn Beck watcher/listener, but my husband is. I got this book for him for Christmas and he read it in an impressively short period of time. (He doesn't really like reading.) He really wanted me to read it, too. I must admit that most of what Glenn Beck conveyed in this book made a LOT of sense. It wasn't an incredibly fast read for me because the book's layout is more like a text book. But his "A.D.D. Moments" are quite entertaining. This book informs as well...more

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02/06/08

Darin Lee rated it:

Read in January, 2008

Anyone who has an appreciation for sharp wit and sarcasm will enjoy this book. This book, like many books in its genre, has parts that every reader will likely not agree with...but...it does have some good information and is an entertaiing read. It is not the drawn and dry style so many books in its genre are written in. This book will likely get you in front of your computer researching topics brought to light in this book...and you may be surprised what you will learn.

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02/03/08

Alan rated it:

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in February, 2008

WARNING: If you are a liberal whose sensitivities are easily upset, you may be offended by this book. This is not politically correct. However, Glenn's highly slanted, sometimes abrasive observations more often than not fit with my own. I think that much of the material is presented in a humorous way; Al Gore probably would not. It's also chock full of warnings about the dangerous path on which our nation is heading.

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01/22/08

Mark rated it:

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: anyone

This book was hilarious. I've been listening to Glenn for over 6 years and couldn't wait to read this. It was hilarious, educational, true, and did I mention pee your pants hilarious. He actually proved with charts and graphs that global warming is not caused by Carbon emissions, but by people giving their kids "Ca" names, like Caleb, Cameron, Caden, Calista, etc. Would recommend to anyone.

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12/08/07

Mary Jane rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in August, 2008

recommended to Mary Jane by: Melinda Banks
recommends it for: any conservative

Glenn Beck is my best friend, who never calls. I love his opinion on politics and I am usually with him 100% of the time. He is amazing. He is one of my heros.

I finished this book for a second time. On our long drive to Illinois, I read it to my husband. It is a great read. Each chapter is a different topic.

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12/06/07

Don rated it:

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: everyone, esp. liberals

Glenn Beck is a funny guy with good common sense and realistic viewpoints on the world's "problems." Funny as heck in certain places and serious in others, it's a good read.

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05/01/08

Shannon rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in May, 2008

A friend mentioned that she thought this book was really quite funny, but I had a very hard time with it.
For someone who professes to land in the middle of a lot of issues, I didn't see that. Perhaps the "humor" comes across better in a radio show than in a book. I must admit I've never listened to him.
I agree with other readers who felt that the better parts of the book were where he stopped trying to be funny and just expressed his views.
The other thin...more

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05/08/09

Grace rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This book alternates between scaring me to death and making me laugh. The section about Islamic extremists made my stomach churn--very scary! I haven't watched, listened to or read Mr. Beck before. Now I'm done with the book, I'm thinking that Mr. Beck is conservative, but maybe not replubican. I think he may be a libertarian; albeit a conservative one. If you read any of John Stossel's books, one of which he confesses his political leanings--libertarian--you will find that many of their way...more

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""All men are <b>created</b> equal. It is what you do from there that makes the difference. We are all free agents in life. We make our own decisions. We control our own destiny."" More quotes...