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Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can WIN the Battle on Campus and Why It Matters
Campus Battlefield takes that fight to our nation’s college campuses, where the left’s decades-long campaign to transform our universities into radical re-education camps is working, and now we are seeing the disastrous results. Free speech, intellectually rigorous debate, and the simple concepts of tolerance and fairness are routinely being corrupted and weaponized to promote radical leftist ideologies, enforce groupthink, and marginalize or eliminate any student, professor, and dean who gets in their way. All the while, these hothouses of close-mindedness are staffed by blame-America, anti-free market, victimology professors who are twisting the minds of tomorrow’s leaders.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2018
169 people are currently reading
1841 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Kirk
14 books822 followersCharlie Kirk was the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 21, 2019
Paraphrasing Roger Ebert's review of Spice World: what more can be said about the formless cutouts at TPUSA other than that their distinguishing characteristic is that they have different names? Ben Shapiro is as interchangeable as Cadance Owens, as is Tomi Lahren, as is Charlie Kirk himself.
Astroturfed more heavily than-yes-the Houston Astrodome TPUSA is really a return to the blatantly fictional advertisements of the early 20th century Gibson girl with the odd difference that TPUSA still claims to be real.
Having failed the entrance exam to West Point but deciding to attribute that failure to affirmative action instead Charlie Kirk undertook the mission to combat liberal biases on campuses nationwide. With the benefit of an extremely wealthy father Charlie secured the leadership position of an organization whose raison d'etre seemed more concerned with skirting around campaign financing laws than any real interest in college students. That being said some effort has been made to apparently bolster conservative credentials on campus- although the loudest example of this attempt led to the collapse of its Kent State chapter and the purge of one of its talking heads over an attempt to "own the libs" via adult diapers and coloring within a cordoned off area outside. Subsequent attempts have been more low-key and consist mainly of Ben Shapiro "debating" handpicked opponents in rooms occupied by college Young Republican groups and videos of Charlie Kirk lounging in a lawn chair waiting to ambush students with a tried and true words: "iPhone," "Venezuela," "freedom," and "liberty." The bright side is that being conservative on campus looks pretty great if like Charlie Kirk, and Ben Shapiro you're getting paid (and surely paid well if the price of this book is an indication) for half-assed efforts such as these.
That's where I get to Campus Battlefield... The University has been the conservative fixation since '68, and if you are patient enough it's simply a matter of time before "Berkeley" is uttered in a hiss. So then after a 50 year long idee fixe what does our man Charlie add to things?
Ahhh... well he's got some tweets of his in here and his face is on the book's cover four times. He thinks rhyming is alliteration, and while decrying safe spaces he managed to courageously do so with a police escort.
I admit of course I am none too sympathetic with Charlie Kirk or his interchangeable band of plutocrats but even to a right winger I must imagine that calls for heroics from a 25 year old subsidized in full by his parents (career, housing, book deals, et. al.) must seem a little at odds with the self-reliance narrative if not a full on refutation. But then how else are conservatives to WIN the battle on campus? Appealing to college kids' desires? Of course not!
Astroturfed more heavily than-yes-the Houston Astrodome TPUSA is really a return to the blatantly fictional advertisements of the early 20th century Gibson girl with the odd difference that TPUSA still claims to be real.
Having failed the entrance exam to West Point but deciding to attribute that failure to affirmative action instead Charlie Kirk undertook the mission to combat liberal biases on campuses nationwide. With the benefit of an extremely wealthy father Charlie secured the leadership position of an organization whose raison d'etre seemed more concerned with skirting around campaign financing laws than any real interest in college students. That being said some effort has been made to apparently bolster conservative credentials on campus- although the loudest example of this attempt led to the collapse of its Kent State chapter and the purge of one of its talking heads over an attempt to "own the libs" via adult diapers and coloring within a cordoned off area outside. Subsequent attempts have been more low-key and consist mainly of Ben Shapiro "debating" handpicked opponents in rooms occupied by college Young Republican groups and videos of Charlie Kirk lounging in a lawn chair waiting to ambush students with a tried and true words: "iPhone," "Venezuela," "freedom," and "liberty." The bright side is that being conservative on campus looks pretty great if like Charlie Kirk, and Ben Shapiro you're getting paid (and surely paid well if the price of this book is an indication) for half-assed efforts such as these.
That's where I get to Campus Battlefield... The University has been the conservative fixation since '68, and if you are patient enough it's simply a matter of time before "Berkeley" is uttered in a hiss. So then after a 50 year long idee fixe what does our man Charlie add to things?
Ahhh... well he's got some tweets of his in here and his face is on the book's cover four times. He thinks rhyming is alliteration, and while decrying safe spaces he managed to courageously do so with a police escort.
I admit of course I am none too sympathetic with Charlie Kirk or his interchangeable band of plutocrats but even to a right winger I must imagine that calls for heroics from a 25 year old subsidized in full by his parents (career, housing, book deals, et. al.) must seem a little at odds with the self-reliance narrative if not a full on refutation. But then how else are conservatives to WIN the battle on campus? Appealing to college kids' desires? Of course not!
May 7, 2019
Campus Battlefield is a book geared towards conservatives to shine a light on what is going on in American campuses. It has clear examples of the left trying to shut down any speech that is different than theirs and also shows how students lives have been affected. The main message was to arm ourselves with knowledge and fight for our right to freedom of speech, not just for conservatives, but everyone in the U.S.
I had a lot of different opinions going into each of the chapters. Some felt very organized, while others were bombarding me with a lot of names of people, schools, and situations where college professors were being unfair to conservatives.
Although I agree with the key concept of this novel, I'm not sure it made me feel empowered to change anything in my everyday life. Yes, I thought some examples were outrageous and made me rage, but most of the time I felt the tone of the book was a little over the top (dramatic). It felt like the author was fighting for his life while writing it, thus making the novel feel extremely biased.
As a conservative, I again, agree with some of the points made but feel like it was an average read. If you're interested in knowing specific examples of the left tearing down the right, then read it. If not, I don't feel like you'd be missing out on a ton.
I had a lot of different opinions going into each of the chapters. Some felt very organized, while others were bombarding me with a lot of names of people, schools, and situations where college professors were being unfair to conservatives.
Although I agree with the key concept of this novel, I'm not sure it made me feel empowered to change anything in my everyday life. Yes, I thought some examples were outrageous and made me rage, but most of the time I felt the tone of the book was a little over the top (dramatic). It felt like the author was fighting for his life while writing it, thus making the novel feel extremely biased.
As a conservative, I again, agree with some of the points made but feel like it was an average read. If you're interested in knowing specific examples of the left tearing down the right, then read it. If not, I don't feel like you'd be missing out on a ton.
August 18, 2023
It’s mind boggling that anyone listens or even knows who Charlie is. I’m not sure which is worse, that people know him at all or believe what he says.
Charlie, rambles in his book about the “evils” of higher education and its “leftist” lessons. Maybe, Charlie hates it because he doesn’t understand it or doesn’t want to understand it. Either way, it is evident that Charlie isn’t very bright.
Charlie, rambles in his book about the “evils” of higher education and its “leftist” lessons. Maybe, Charlie hates it because he doesn’t understand it or doesn’t want to understand it. Either way, it is evident that Charlie isn’t very bright.
November 16, 2024
Hilariously disingenuous.
While the book attempts to inform the reader that universities have somehow been overtaken by Marxist-extremists who bash innocent conservatives into submission, it does little to provide citations, context, and transparency between mentioned opponents in these stories.
Much of the book is retelling accounts of which TPUSA members or anonymous users online experience seemingly sudden and unwarranted pushback for ‘free speech’. The author provides no citations of which to look further into these allegations, and upon further research, I later discover some much needed clarification that the author somehow must’ve ‘forgot’ to mention.
For instance, more often than not TPUSA members usage of ‘free speech’ includes but is not limited to:
- holocaust denial and antisemitism (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics...)
- Organized and sometimes paid harassment of college faculty (https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/21/us/uni... /// https://truthout.org/articles/young-f... )
- Rubbing elbows with white nationalists
and more. (https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2...)
The issue is the author ironically praises the college activists of old, with their anti-war and anti-racism sentiments, while rehashing red-scare talking points when referring to activists of today.
By also misappropriating MLK Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, it’s made clear that the author hadn’t regarded the iconic activists other quotes, such as:
“We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad”
or even
“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children."
Fascinating how he didn’t include these.
Criticism non-conservatives have of republican politicians are presented as moot, or as if the criticism is simply of a politician’s ’small government, free speech’ stances. Scott Walker is one such politician mentioned as being ‘smeared’, though I believe it’s less about ‘small government’ and more about his stances including not allowing abortion for rape victims, prison privatization, public funding for private schools, promoting climate change denial, and more.
Throughout the book, the author’s tone and the double standards are laughable. The lack of transparency and citations are red flags when it comes to presenting situations as black-and-white. The author does little to dismantle his opponent’s stances, instead focusing on how hard it is for him to understand. He presents student-led groups and classes or random online blogs as if they are mandatory curriculum.
This book is not a dissection of college campus life and curriculum, this is an advertisement for the author’s conservative club made all the more evident by the closing chapter framing it’s members as hapless victims without stating what exactly the author and the organization’s stances are.
While the book attempts to inform the reader that universities have somehow been overtaken by Marxist-extremists who bash innocent conservatives into submission, it does little to provide citations, context, and transparency between mentioned opponents in these stories.
Much of the book is retelling accounts of which TPUSA members or anonymous users online experience seemingly sudden and unwarranted pushback for ‘free speech’. The author provides no citations of which to look further into these allegations, and upon further research, I later discover some much needed clarification that the author somehow must’ve ‘forgot’ to mention.
For instance, more often than not TPUSA members usage of ‘free speech’ includes but is not limited to:
- holocaust denial and antisemitism (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics...)
- Organized and sometimes paid harassment of college faculty (https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/21/us/uni... /// https://truthout.org/articles/young-f... )
- Rubbing elbows with white nationalists
and more. (https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2...)
The issue is the author ironically praises the college activists of old, with their anti-war and anti-racism sentiments, while rehashing red-scare talking points when referring to activists of today.
By also misappropriating MLK Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, it’s made clear that the author hadn’t regarded the iconic activists other quotes, such as:
“We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad”
or even
“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children."
Fascinating how he didn’t include these.
Criticism non-conservatives have of republican politicians are presented as moot, or as if the criticism is simply of a politician’s ’small government, free speech’ stances. Scott Walker is one such politician mentioned as being ‘smeared’, though I believe it’s less about ‘small government’ and more about his stances including not allowing abortion for rape victims, prison privatization, public funding for private schools, promoting climate change denial, and more.
Throughout the book, the author’s tone and the double standards are laughable. The lack of transparency and citations are red flags when it comes to presenting situations as black-and-white. The author does little to dismantle his opponent’s stances, instead focusing on how hard it is for him to understand. He presents student-led groups and classes or random online blogs as if they are mandatory curriculum.
This book is not a dissection of college campus life and curriculum, this is an advertisement for the author’s conservative club made all the more evident by the closing chapter framing it’s members as hapless victims without stating what exactly the author and the organization’s stances are.
August 3, 2020
Read this book if you want to hear recommendations about college from an author that didn’t go to college. Bonus a Forward written by a guy who’s dad paid someone to take his SATs
September 25, 2025
Charlie highlights the extreme (a.k.a. absurd) ideologies of the left as they affect college students and their direct experience at universities. Charlie is reasonable and foundational in his approach. No one cared more about college students than Charlie Kirk. May his legacy live on.
June 28, 2020
Lack of knowledge
December 7, 2025
I read “Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Alex Haley, released posthumously in 1965, 9 months after Malcolm’s assassination, assigned reading as a journalism major at the University of Oregon in the early 70’s. I wrote a letter to Malcolm expressing my disagreement with him that Black people were superior to white people. After discovering he’d been assassinated I felt sad that he gave his life to express those words, even though I disagreed with him.
In 2008 speaking in front of the Ventura County, California government center during a “Tea Party” event, my message was supporting our local government, first responders and teachers while asking the Federal government where the money came from for the bailouts and where it went.
Charlie Kirk’s message was also one of supporting the efforts to improve our lives, locally, while eliminating waste in the Federal government. Like Malcolm, I read the book after his passing and am profoundly sad that he, also, was silenced. I can Imagine Charlie having a discussion with Malcolm X about their beliefs in a peaceful, constructive fashion. Something we can all aspire to as we move forward.
In 2008 speaking in front of the Ventura County, California government center during a “Tea Party” event, my message was supporting our local government, first responders and teachers while asking the Federal government where the money came from for the bailouts and where it went.
Charlie Kirk’s message was also one of supporting the efforts to improve our lives, locally, while eliminating waste in the Federal government. Like Malcolm, I read the book after his passing and am profoundly sad that he, also, was silenced. I can Imagine Charlie having a discussion with Malcolm X about their beliefs in a peaceful, constructive fashion. Something we can all aspire to as we move forward.
December 11, 2025
Reading for All
Regardless of which political “side” you’re on, Kirk makes valid arguments we should all be looking at. Great read. He shows the flip side to many issues to open dialogue. Whether you lean red or lean blue, this makes for good discussion.
Regardless of which political “side” you’re on, Kirk makes valid arguments we should all be looking at. Great read. He shows the flip side to many issues to open dialogue. Whether you lean red or lean blue, this makes for good discussion.
December 24, 2019
I would absolutely recommend this light and easy read. Charlie Kirk is articulate and knowledgeable, and he has created an exploding movement that will change the course of the war against freedom. Whether as “newbie” to the free speech, free market movement; or as an old hand in researching the subject, you will find Campus Battlefield informative and uplifting. Those who are past college age will want to pass it on to all our children so that they can start life on the right side of history.
For way too long we have left the higher institution brainwashing totally to the “progressive” Utopians and it is past time to fight back. This book may be the Fort Sumter cannons opening the Civil War, which will redefine American freedom. Written in the study halls and classrooms of the American nest of vipers that the universities have become, this is the antidote to the poison that the Frankfurt School of Socialism has injected onto our civilization.
To my seven-month-old grandson Tommy, I fully expect that the university experience will have regained it’s value because this is the “Turning Point USA”.
For way too long we have left the higher institution brainwashing totally to the “progressive” Utopians and it is past time to fight back. This book may be the Fort Sumter cannons opening the Civil War, which will redefine American freedom. Written in the study halls and classrooms of the American nest of vipers that the universities have become, this is the antidote to the poison that the Frankfurt School of Socialism has injected onto our civilization.
To my seven-month-old grandson Tommy, I fully expect that the university experience will have regained it’s value because this is the “Turning Point USA”.
May 25, 2020
While I agree with the book's message, it overall could've been done better. Instead of selling the facts, Kirk spends 150 pages (AKA, the entirety of the book) selling himself. He's in just about every chapter, either through recounting personal experience or through literal quotations from his Twitter page. It became rather quickly that, while Kirk was set on fixing the overtly-prominent liberalism in college, he was also selling himself, and Turning Point USA. The entire so-called conclusion basically followed the lines of "here's my company, you just read about our message, now invest in it."
His message rings true, but others have done it better. The editing, organization, and writing could've definitely done with an upgrade.
His message rings true, but others have done it better. The editing, organization, and writing could've definitely done with an upgrade.
April 12, 2020
A fascinating look at how leftists are taking over America's college campuses and attempting to ban conservatives from offering an opposing point of view. Since the beginning of the modern era (1945), our nation's colleges and universities have had a liberal or leftist tilt. This took a radical turn around 1995 as the anti-Israel, America-hating student contingent, aided and abetted by leftist faculty, took over and began to dictate who is allowed to speak. Kirk mentions numerous examples and insists on his right to offer an opposing view.
Looking forward to reading Kirk's latest, The MAGA Doctrine.
Looking forward to reading Kirk's latest, The MAGA Doctrine.
October 22, 2025
Interesting read
This is the first Charlie Kirk book I have read. Nothing that I read in this book supports the critics of Charlie Kirk. I did not find one thing to object to our colleges and universities must reform and I think turning point USA is a step in the right direction for that effort
This is the first Charlie Kirk book I have read. Nothing that I read in this book supports the critics of Charlie Kirk. I did not find one thing to object to our colleges and universities must reform and I think turning point USA is a step in the right direction for that effort
October 8, 2025
We are Charlie Kirk
Read this book if you want to be educated in the manipulation of students by liberal professors and colleges in the current environment. If you truly value free speech, this book is for you.
Read this book if you want to be educated in the manipulation of students by liberal professors and colleges in the current environment. If you truly value free speech, this book is for you.
October 28, 2025
Charlie was a special human being!
What a great book to expose what our American education system is teaching. It’s pathetic and wrong, Charlie had a lot of courage to stand up against the far left and change the younger generation for the better. Charlie will be missed!!
What a great book to expose what our American education system is teaching. It’s pathetic and wrong, Charlie had a lot of courage to stand up against the far left and change the younger generation for the better. Charlie will be missed!!
December 17, 2019
Very aggressively partisan approach to campus culture reform, but Kirk is well-spoken and makes some good points. Good read if you aren't aware what's taking place on college campuses these days.
March 11, 2021
Because this book is about ideas, it is hard for me to use simple terms of "I like it" or "I did not like it." If everything in this book is true then this should not be happening, which is why it is hard to use a 5-star scale in terms of likeability. In this case, 3-stars means neutral and not that I like it. With that said, I am going to dive into this review.
The Premise
This book's premise is that conservatives are under attack on college campuses, but as long as conservatives keep having a presence and keep facing those who impose them then Conservatives can have a presence in colleges.
The Argument
14 chapters was establishing the evidence and what the political left is doing. For me, my biggest criticism about this book is there are no footnotes or a bibliography. There are websites mentioned and specific examples, but there was nothing about where you can directly find the information. This is the second book I have read by Charlie Kirk and the second book with no footnotes. If you are saying you want people to think and have a dialogue with you then should you not supply where your evidence comes from?
Based on paper, the argument is quite persuasive. Without verifying the evidence, this sounds like a real problem. All ideas should be heard, because sometimes not hearing an idea can cause long-term problems. This means if people are doing this then that should not happen.
Win?
Bad ideas should never win. On the other hand, I was not fan of how this sounded like a "us vs. them" thing. Nobody should bully, harass, and all of the other negative words. To open a dialogue with someone in hopes to understand and maybe change someone's bad ideas, you have to do it from a place of compassion and empathy. I felt this part was not coming off strong enough for me, especially when using the word "win." Win implies losers and winners. You could put this in terms of ideas, but when the focus seems to be more on people it is hard to not think of it as "us vs. them."
The Author
I do find Charlie Kirk's story fascinating. Putting together an organization after high school is no small task. What he has managed to do is no short of impressiveness.
Verdict: If everything in this book is true then people should make sure everyone feels their voice is being truly heard and represented.
The Premise
This book's premise is that conservatives are under attack on college campuses, but as long as conservatives keep having a presence and keep facing those who impose them then Conservatives can have a presence in colleges.
The Argument
14 chapters was establishing the evidence and what the political left is doing. For me, my biggest criticism about this book is there are no footnotes or a bibliography. There are websites mentioned and specific examples, but there was nothing about where you can directly find the information. This is the second book I have read by Charlie Kirk and the second book with no footnotes. If you are saying you want people to think and have a dialogue with you then should you not supply where your evidence comes from?
Based on paper, the argument is quite persuasive. Without verifying the evidence, this sounds like a real problem. All ideas should be heard, because sometimes not hearing an idea can cause long-term problems. This means if people are doing this then that should not happen.
Win?
Bad ideas should never win. On the other hand, I was not fan of how this sounded like a "us vs. them" thing. Nobody should bully, harass, and all of the other negative words. To open a dialogue with someone in hopes to understand and maybe change someone's bad ideas, you have to do it from a place of compassion and empathy. I felt this part was not coming off strong enough for me, especially when using the word "win." Win implies losers and winners. You could put this in terms of ideas, but when the focus seems to be more on people it is hard to not think of it as "us vs. them."
The Author
I do find Charlie Kirk's story fascinating. Putting together an organization after high school is no small task. What he has managed to do is no short of impressiveness.
Verdict: If everything in this book is true then people should make sure everyone feels their voice is being truly heard and represented.
November 29, 2025
Campus Battlefield: How Conservatives Can WIN the Battle on Campus and Why it Matters, the second installment in Charlie's works was a well put together litany of the left-wing plagues infecting our college, and even highschool campuses.
Once again, if you are an American patriot, you will read this book. And if you do, because it's 2025 you will more than likely be more than familiar with all of the plagues that Charlie discusses. And although the right, mostly through Charlie and Turning Point USA have done a lot of good work, there is still so much more to be done.
Charlie, your hard work will not be forgotten, and your death will not be in vain.
Rest in Peace.
Once again, if you are an American patriot, you will read this book. And if you do, because it's 2025 you will more than likely be more than familiar with all of the plagues that Charlie discusses. And although the right, mostly through Charlie and Turning Point USA have done a lot of good work, there is still so much more to be done.
Charlie, your hard work will not be forgotten, and your death will not be in vain.
Rest in Peace.
March 9, 2025
Modern day liberalism has separated itself from the roots of the Democratic party. What was once a respected party with sound values has gone off the deep end. Prohibiting free-speech and open debate all the while shunning and shutting down conservative voices in universities. Charlie Kirk does a good job in highlighting the issue of censorship and collectivism of the far left in universities.
September 26, 2025
Written as a challenge to the college academic environment regarding true acceptance of the exchange of ideas without limitations. Topics reviewed include free speech, academic freedom, cultural diversity, classical western education, and political correctness. The book's arguments weaken at times when personal attacks on different ideological values are done. The limitation of the author not completing an undergraduate degree or thoughtful critiques on a university's published core curriculum reveals a limited perspective and a political motivation to attack the "liberals" who are "placing western civilization at risk."
October 27, 2025
Charlie lives on🇺🇸
The tragic, unexpected and evil slaughter of Charlie Kirk will and already has sparked a worldwide backlash on progressive warped ideology.
The tragic, unexpected and evil slaughter of Charlie Kirk will and already has sparked a worldwide backlash on progressive warped ideology.
November 1, 2025
Good Man
Charlie has identified that threat that could bring down our great country. It is the liberal faculty at our colleges.
Charlie has identified that threat that could bring down our great country. It is the liberal faculty at our colleges.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews