I'm a conservative talk radio addict, but over the years I've learned that's a good thing. In fact, listening to talk radio, I've learned quite a lot.
One of my favorite features in talk radio is the author interview. I'm a true sucker for these, because I often find myself so intrigued listening to the author that I purchase the book--and find myself learning even more.
Below are three books I've recently completed reading that I recommend to any American voter in this highly charged election season. Long-time readers will recognize the authors' names.
After America: Get Ready for Armageddon, by Mark Steyn
One of my favorite people to listen to, Mark Steyn has earned his link on my sidebar and his place as one of the most quick-witted and entertaining, not to mention insightful, pundits on the political scene today. I hear him almost weekly in his appearances as a recurring guest on Hugh Hewitt's radio show. His prior book, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It (2006), was a fast and fascinating read that has proved eerily prophetic about our changing global demographics, particularly regarding the consequences of Islamic influence on Western culture.
After America (2011) is a bit more in-depth, a bit more grim in its conclusions pertaining to our nation's future as a global power. But it is delivered with Steyn's trademark wit and flair, and I found myself laughing out loud at several points even as I shivered at his prognostications.
When I first heard Steyn on the radio, I thought he was Australian. As I continued to listen weekly, I learned he was Canadian-born, United Kingdom-educated, and now a resident of New Hampshire. If you haven't yet heard Mark Steyn's unique style, I recommend a visit to YouTube; type in "Mark Steyn" and take your pick of dozens of examples of his speaking. Knowing how he sounds, and his talent for phraseology, will enhance your reading experience.
Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America, by Mark R. Levin
Mark Levin is a take-no-prisoners talk show host, one who is highly intelligent, extremely astute, and completely out of patience with the liberal agenda in America. Don't take my word for it; listen to his show sometime.
Ameritopia (2012) examines in depth such classics as Plato's Republic, Thomas More's Utopia, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, and Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto to explain just how much trouble we, as a nation, are mired in. An attorney who served as an advisor in the Reagan administration, Levin makes a compelling case for the dangers of what he calls "post-Constitutional America," which can only lead us to ruin. Ameritopia is a disturbing book, but one that takes hold of the reader and doesn't let go. It teaches us where we came from, where we are now, and--if we are not more careful with our hard-won heritage of freedom--where we are going.
The Brief Against Obama: The Rise, Fall & Epic Fail of the Hope & Change Presidency, by Hugh Hewitt
A practicing attorney and law professor, Hugh Hewitt hosts a nationwide radio talk show each weekday, 3:00-6:00 p.m. Pacific time. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a loyal listener since 2002 and a subscriber to the "Hughniverse," meaning I receive his podcasts and thus never miss a show. (As I mentioned at the outset, I'm an addict.)
Applying a courtroom approach, Hewitt uses extensive quotations from President Obama to open each of the 25 chapters in The Brief Against Obama (2012). Employing the president's own words, Hewitt then methodically and with legal precision exposes the president's statements as the complete failures they have been. Obamacare, the stimulus bill, green energy, unemployment, "the Fast and Furious" scandal, foreign policy failures--and unfortunately, much more--are all covered in depressing detail.
It's very difficult to dismiss the evidence when the president's own words serve as the preface to Hewitt's carefully documented debacle of shortfalls, broken promises, and outright falsehoods.
While different in background, style, and personalities, these authors all have very important traits in common: they know their subjects well, they are meticulous researchers, they write well, and they back up their writings with facts and sources. The end notes sections of each of the three books listed above are impressive and extensive. Unlike TV network news, nothing was pulled out of thin air.
Most likely, MSM honchos would love to pull these three insightful writers off the air. With solid information such as Steyn, Levin, and Hewitt have provided in these books--in thought-provoking and intelligent ways--good luck with that.
Radio. It's the new, much smarter, TV.
