Lies The Government Told You Review

Lies The Government Told You

Myth, Power, and Deception in American History

Judge Andrew P. Napolitaon

Thomas Nelson Publishing Company

9781595552662

2010/317 pp/24.99

In the 36 years I have voted I have never missed an election.  I believe it is my right as a woman and as an American to cast that vote.  I was raised to believe that even a "white" lie was wrong yet, after reading Judge Napolitano's book, "Lies the Government Told You, " I find my core beliefs shaken a bit and some of my personal convictions and opinions changed drastically.  I have to admit that I did not want to read this book when it was my only choice to review, but a little voice inside told me to take a chance and I am glad I did.

This book made me laugh, think more than I wanted to, and get mad.  It made me mad at myself for accepting these "lies" and mad at the politicians, who ARE our voices, for telling them  I will never take political workings for granted again.  The book is an attempt of one powerful and intelligent Senior Judicial Analyst for Fox News to reveal to the American people "lies" he believes our government has told us.  Like all Americans it is comforting to think that we are never lied to by our government, yet, as an intelligent person we know that is not always the case.  Judge Napolitano write this book as if he is a lawyer presenting his case to the judge (we, the readers).  It is neither a Democratic nor a Republican attack.  It is simply a series of 17 chapters/arguments for debate like:  "All Men Are Created Equal," "Everyone is Innocent Until Proven Guilty," and "Every Vote Counts."  The beginning of the book is a discussion of the difference between a "lie" and the truth.  The chapters are well presented and filled with quotes, facts and stories that seem to back up Napolitano's claims.  I found the book a shocking an uneasy read, yet by the time I was finished I felt a strong urgency to delve deeper into these same topics and discover more and perhaps develop my own opinions.  It is a book in which the political savvy and the politically challenged can both find nuggets of useful and useless information.  It is well written but, the reader must understand that this is simply one man's opinion about the American government and the "lies" they tell us.  The reader needs to read the book with an open mind.  I would give this book a 4 star rating.

Disclosure:  I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers provided this book for free as a part of BookSneeze.com book review blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising."