The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life - Softcover

O'Reilly, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0767905296 ISBN 13: 9780767905299

Publisher: Crown, 2002

Synopsis

The million-copy New York Times bestseller from the Fox News anchor who’s brought new excitement–and massive amounts of populist common sense and rock-solid honesty–to television news.

Now four seasons strong, Bill O’Reilly’s nightly cable news program, “The O’Reilly Factor,” is one of the hottest shows on the air. In book form, The O’Reilly Factor has sold over a million copies and spent fourteen weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Obviously, Bill O'Reilly has made his mark. His blunt, ironic, no-holds-barred style has earned him a devoted audience–friends and foes alike–who send him five thousand letters every week. And with the wit and intelligence that have made him one of the most talked-about stars in both television and publishing, O’Reilly continues to identify what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s absurd in the political, social, economic, and cultural life of America.

About this title

Review:

The O'Reilly Factor isn't just the name of Bill O'Reilly's popular talk show on the Fox News Channel anymore--it's also the title of his book, which, appropriately enough, actually reads like a TV show. The narrative rarely proceeds for more than a few paragraphs before a bold-faced "This Just In" or "Bulletin" pops up on the page and breaks the stream of thought--sort of like a commercial interruption. This provides an ideal forum for O'Reilly to sound off on any number of topics with lots of verve but not too much depth. There are breezy chapters here on money, media, religion, race, and sex, among others. O'Reilly dislikes many things, and he isn't shy about sharing his opinions: "SUVs should be immediately outlawed," he rants. Here's O'Reilly on President Clinton: "What a ridiculous waste!" Attorney General Janet Reno is a "ridiculous, incompetent woman" and President Clinton's "primary 'enabler.'"

This is not a subtle book, and its bombastic approach would be even more grating if it weren't for several flashes of self-deprecation, such as when the author shares a negative piece of viewer mail, or when he writes, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a cocky bastard." Sometimes O'Reilly's put-downs are creative and funny: "If God has a sense of humor, as I believe he does, [Al Sharpton and David Duke] will be sharing a sauna in the netherworld. With one thermostat." And he's good at illustrating his points with outrageous details. In criticizing the bloated federal budget, for instance, he points to these shockers: $230,000 for a study of housefly sex habits, $27,000 for an analysis of why prisoners want to escape, and $100,000 to find out why Americans don't like beets. (To which he replies: "Houseflies mate when no one is looking. Prisoners don't like prison. Beets don't taste good.") O'Reilly is often considered something of a conservative, but he can also play the blue-collar populist: "The rich want us to believe that anyone can make the quantum leap from bowling league to country club by just working a little harder. That's supposed to keep us motivated and quiet." Fans of his TV show will probably appreciate this cantankerous book. --John J. Miller

From the Back Cover:

“A lot of people love Bill O’Reilly, you see. Then again, a lot of people would like to punch Bill O’Reilly in the nose. The joke’s on them, though. Bill O’Reilly, this brash New York guy with a brash show and a brash book, is becoming a huge media star.” –New York Observer

“He is a complicated man, at once belligerent and self-effacing, ambitious and determined to remain humble. He can be a loudmouth but also companionable. He is Everyman on a barstool, mad as hell, but with a wink.” –Newsweek

“This book bristles with assumptions, assessments, and attitudes that will either have you bobbing your head in agreement or shaking it in disbelief. No wonder O’Reilly’s ratings are rising the way the stocks once did.” –Forbes

“Personal anecdote meets political discourse in [The O’Reilly Factor] where O’Reilly is in a pure, heartfelt state. He’s softhearted and enraged in equal measures. He’s hard-driven and bemused by where his drive got him. He’s the male sphinx as TV blabbermouth.”
–James Ellroy, GQ

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0767905296
• ISBN 13: 9780767905299
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224