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Think a Second Time by Dennis Prager
Excellent Book
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
91 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Prager
49 books465 followersDennis Prager is a best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles and heard on 150 stations across the country.
A Fellow at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords, and by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. He holds an honorary doctorate of law from Pepperdine University.
A highly sought-after speaker and frequent cable news show guest, Dennis has lectured all over the world. His New York Times best-selling books include Think a Second Time, Happiness is a Serious Problem and Still the Best Hope: Why American Values Must Triumph. His newest book is The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code.
A Fellow at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords, and by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. He holds an honorary doctorate of law from Pepperdine University.
A highly sought-after speaker and frequent cable news show guest, Dennis has lectured all over the world. His New York Times best-selling books include Think a Second Time, Happiness is a Serious Problem and Still the Best Hope: Why American Values Must Triumph. His newest book is The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 1, 2010
Mr. Prager is Jewish so I don't agree with everything he writes, but about 95% of what he says I agree with wholeheartedly.
February 9, 2009
This is a very thought provoking book on many levels. I would recommend it to everyone. Makes you think over your all of your positions.
August 27, 2021
While Rush Limbaugh shouted his way to the depths of conservatism’s moral bowels, Dennis Prager has spent his life holding those same values up in a warm and shining light. He wrote this book in the mid-90’s, but I still found tremendous value in his thoughts, many of which are still applicable today. It is described as 44 essays on 44 subjects and is essentially his thoughts on American culture and society after having hosted multiple national radio shows since the early 80’s.
The premise of the book is a simple one; don’t take things for their face value. Think twice about them. For example, Prager makes an excellent case for offering money as a reward for kids to do well in school, something I had always thought was crazy. Kids should learn because it builds good character, and when they find a field of study that they genuinely enjoy, they make a career and a life out of it, right? He exemplifies how most households that produce good students do so with a reward system, whether that reward is a parent’s love, more social freedom to spend with peers, or a spot on the Dean’s list. So why not money? Additionally, he compares this system to modern adulthood. How many adults in this country work a job they dislike for the simple reward of money? I would argue a majority. Is it that crazy of an idea to prepare kids for this lifestyle at a younger age? “It is very difficult for anyone, even the most motivated adult, let alone a hormone-driven, attention-wandering teenager, to love learning algebra or grammar.” Prager writes, “we should not care so much why young people learn math, history, foreign languages, and how to write properly. We should be concerned that they do learn these things.” Personally, I think he has a point. We live in a society that is motivated by money, and I imagine that a great many aimless school children would become dedicated students if there were monetary rewards attached to good grades. Of course, I am not a parent, and will not be involved in any educational decision making for any young people anytime soon. The point is that thinking twice about this subject changed my perspective.
While the chapters of this book differ widely, they all tend to touch on different aspects of our societal norms. One of the recurring themes is the focus on goodness and evil. Prager notes how most parents want their kids to be good people, but “few parents actually make their child’s goodness their primary concern. Most parents are more concerned with their child’s being a brilliant student or a good athlete or a successful professional.” Our esteemed author is a practicing Jewish man, and he attributes a lot of society’s current problems between good and evil to the rise in secular ideologies and the subsequent decline of religiosity. While religion teaches people to be good in accordance with God, “more evil has been committed, i.e., more innocent people have been slaughtered, tortured, and enslaved, by secular ideologies in this century—Nazism and Communism—than by all religions in the history of the world combined.” On this point he is factually correct. “It has been the societies influenced by Judaism and Christianity that first outlawed human sacrifice and slavery, raised the status of women to its present unprecedentedly high level, and created democracy. And in these societies, literature and the arts thrived as nowhere else.” Again, he is factually correct. Makes you think twice, doesn’t it?
In another essay, Prager makes a good case for capital punishment (the death penalty) for convicted murderers. It A) gives the family of the victim a sense of closure and relief; B) gives the community and society a sense of justice; and C) would discourage others from committing murder. Personally, I think a 25-to-life prison sentence would be worse anyways. Living a life in a cage is no life at all and I feel great sorrow for all the men and women spending their days behind bars, in this country and in others.
In April of this year I was in Hawaii for a week to celebrate my mother’s birthday and take a much needed vacation after a year of Covid lockdowns. While we were there, we went out to dinner with some of her friends who were also on the island visiting, and I found myself at a six-person table in the middle of five chatty older women. The evening of our dinner party was the same day that Derek Chauvin was declared guilty of the murder of George Floyd—and he will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison. The other five women, my mother included, were jovial and celebratory of the verdict, and when they heard the news they high-fived each other and cheers their drinks. I participated in physical form, but on the inside I felt very uncomfortable about it. I felt like they were not celebrating the justice brought to a community and nation and were more excited about the fact that he was being punished. I don’t care what crimes a guilty individual has committed, I will never celebrate when a human being is sentenced to spend the rest of their life in a cage. It seems wrong and inhumane to me. Was he guilty? The jury says yes. Did he deserve his sentence? Again, yes. But I don’t think celebration is the correct response and it made me feel dirty inside. Had they been celebrating an accurate appraisal of the justice system, that would be acceptable, but they were not. I pity Derek Chauvin and whatever remains of the rest of his gloomy life behind bars. I truly believe that a humane death sentence would be preferable to life in prison. Why not give the convicted person a choice as to their punishment?
Again, Prager has more to say on good and evil when he writes that “A great deal of evil emanates not from selfish or cruel motives, but from good motives. This is particularly true regarding extremism.” We have all seen the rise of political and ideological extremism in our country these past few years, and for those of us moderates in the middle, it has been an increasingly confusing time. Whether you are an extremist on the Right or the Left, we all want the same things: to live in a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous society. It is surprising how many of us have forgotten the simple fact that we all have far more in common than we do different. We would do wise to remember it, and take some advice from Prager: be good people, because good people with strong moral values make a good society. So think twice about some of your ideas and beliefs. Think twice about why other people think the things they do, and consider their point of view before reaching for judgment. Think twice about your own decisions and their potential affects on others.
The premise of the book is a simple one; don’t take things for their face value. Think twice about them. For example, Prager makes an excellent case for offering money as a reward for kids to do well in school, something I had always thought was crazy. Kids should learn because it builds good character, and when they find a field of study that they genuinely enjoy, they make a career and a life out of it, right? He exemplifies how most households that produce good students do so with a reward system, whether that reward is a parent’s love, more social freedom to spend with peers, or a spot on the Dean’s list. So why not money? Additionally, he compares this system to modern adulthood. How many adults in this country work a job they dislike for the simple reward of money? I would argue a majority. Is it that crazy of an idea to prepare kids for this lifestyle at a younger age? “It is very difficult for anyone, even the most motivated adult, let alone a hormone-driven, attention-wandering teenager, to love learning algebra or grammar.” Prager writes, “we should not care so much why young people learn math, history, foreign languages, and how to write properly. We should be concerned that they do learn these things.” Personally, I think he has a point. We live in a society that is motivated by money, and I imagine that a great many aimless school children would become dedicated students if there were monetary rewards attached to good grades. Of course, I am not a parent, and will not be involved in any educational decision making for any young people anytime soon. The point is that thinking twice about this subject changed my perspective.
While the chapters of this book differ widely, they all tend to touch on different aspects of our societal norms. One of the recurring themes is the focus on goodness and evil. Prager notes how most parents want their kids to be good people, but “few parents actually make their child’s goodness their primary concern. Most parents are more concerned with their child’s being a brilliant student or a good athlete or a successful professional.” Our esteemed author is a practicing Jewish man, and he attributes a lot of society’s current problems between good and evil to the rise in secular ideologies and the subsequent decline of religiosity. While religion teaches people to be good in accordance with God, “more evil has been committed, i.e., more innocent people have been slaughtered, tortured, and enslaved, by secular ideologies in this century—Nazism and Communism—than by all religions in the history of the world combined.” On this point he is factually correct. “It has been the societies influenced by Judaism and Christianity that first outlawed human sacrifice and slavery, raised the status of women to its present unprecedentedly high level, and created democracy. And in these societies, literature and the arts thrived as nowhere else.” Again, he is factually correct. Makes you think twice, doesn’t it?
In another essay, Prager makes a good case for capital punishment (the death penalty) for convicted murderers. It A) gives the family of the victim a sense of closure and relief; B) gives the community and society a sense of justice; and C) would discourage others from committing murder. Personally, I think a 25-to-life prison sentence would be worse anyways. Living a life in a cage is no life at all and I feel great sorrow for all the men and women spending their days behind bars, in this country and in others.
In April of this year I was in Hawaii for a week to celebrate my mother’s birthday and take a much needed vacation after a year of Covid lockdowns. While we were there, we went out to dinner with some of her friends who were also on the island visiting, and I found myself at a six-person table in the middle of five chatty older women. The evening of our dinner party was the same day that Derek Chauvin was declared guilty of the murder of George Floyd—and he will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison. The other five women, my mother included, were jovial and celebratory of the verdict, and when they heard the news they high-fived each other and cheers their drinks. I participated in physical form, but on the inside I felt very uncomfortable about it. I felt like they were not celebrating the justice brought to a community and nation and were more excited about the fact that he was being punished. I don’t care what crimes a guilty individual has committed, I will never celebrate when a human being is sentenced to spend the rest of their life in a cage. It seems wrong and inhumane to me. Was he guilty? The jury says yes. Did he deserve his sentence? Again, yes. But I don’t think celebration is the correct response and it made me feel dirty inside. Had they been celebrating an accurate appraisal of the justice system, that would be acceptable, but they were not. I pity Derek Chauvin and whatever remains of the rest of his gloomy life behind bars. I truly believe that a humane death sentence would be preferable to life in prison. Why not give the convicted person a choice as to their punishment?
Again, Prager has more to say on good and evil when he writes that “A great deal of evil emanates not from selfish or cruel motives, but from good motives. This is particularly true regarding extremism.” We have all seen the rise of political and ideological extremism in our country these past few years, and for those of us moderates in the middle, it has been an increasingly confusing time. Whether you are an extremist on the Right or the Left, we all want the same things: to live in a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous society. It is surprising how many of us have forgotten the simple fact that we all have far more in common than we do different. We would do wise to remember it, and take some advice from Prager: be good people, because good people with strong moral values make a good society. So think twice about some of your ideas and beliefs. Think twice about why other people think the things they do, and consider their point of view before reaching for judgment. Think twice about your own decisions and their potential affects on others.
May 11, 2019
Light, easy read. Dennis Prager is a wonderful man. Some of the highlights that I appreciated in this book include mentioning how the media covered the injustice of Apartheid in South Africa (a tragedy) much more than they mentioned the genocide that the other Africans were imposing on eachother during the same time (a greater tragedy if one takes account the quantity of innocent lives lost, being >30,000 to about 12). He also discusses how much the media hid about the Rodney King beating, the events preceding this injustice included a 110 mile per hour police chase, several other African Americans who were with King who were arrested without incident, the fact that King was on a drug that made him combative and impervious to two attempts at tasing him at the time and the fact that he had a very violent history. Was beating him on the ground unecessary police force? Yes. Was a very high tense situation where the officers were being attacked by a large man on a drug making him hyper-aggressive and impervious to stun guns a catalyst to hyper reactionary responses, instead of racism? Yes, and this is likely why the jury did not give the officers as stiff of a penalty. Did the media cover the pre-beating facts? No they did not, they just repeated the 10 second clip over and over of him being beaten on the ground, certainly increasing the likelihood of the riots leading to innocent lives lost and many peoples' entire livelihoods destroyed. Anyway, overall, this was a great book!
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May 11, 2020As with all of his books, I like the clarity in Prager's writing. For a book of this type that's supposed to make you rethink topics you have never dived deeply into, that's a big plus. And I have to say he has definitely either changed my mind on a few topics or ignited interest in subjects I never thought I'd care about.
For what I mainly appreciate this book is that it's a deeper insight into how Prager thinks. Watching his Fireside Chats and PragerU videos, he will often touch up on subjects and explain them to a small extent, but rarely has the time to make his case thoroughly enough to deeply challenge his most critical audience's views.
As an example, I was taken aback by his approval of premarital sex and pornography (as substitute for adultery), and never understood why he thinks that way. Well, this book contains a whole chapter on "Can a good man go to a striptease show?" and other provocative or, usually, never thought about / challenged subjects with sometimes longer, sometimes shorter chapters, usually depending on the importance.
Prager really challenges you and makes you consider things you have never considered before. But not in a mental gymnastics kind of way, which is where his clarity shines through and makes this whole thing very readable and interesting, not insulting your intelligence like some 18th century philosophical piece.
For what I mainly appreciate this book is that it's a deeper insight into how Prager thinks. Watching his Fireside Chats and PragerU videos, he will often touch up on subjects and explain them to a small extent, but rarely has the time to make his case thoroughly enough to deeply challenge his most critical audience's views.
As an example, I was taken aback by his approval of premarital sex and pornography (as substitute for adultery), and never understood why he thinks that way. Well, this book contains a whole chapter on "Can a good man go to a striptease show?" and other provocative or, usually, never thought about / challenged subjects with sometimes longer, sometimes shorter chapters, usually depending on the importance.
Prager really challenges you and makes you consider things you have never considered before. But not in a mental gymnastics kind of way, which is where his clarity shines through and makes this whole thing very readable and interesting, not insulting your intelligence like some 18th century philosophical piece.
June 6, 2021
I follow Dennis Prager online and enjoy his thoughtful commentaries. While I agree with most of what he says in the book, at times I felt like he was beating his point to death, but that is because he is so thorough and documents things that he quotes. His telling of the Baby Richard story broke my heart.
July 19, 2018
This gave me a lot of good things to think about, I really did enjoy it.
My main complaint is with the editing/proofing -- seriously, LEARN HOW TO USE AN APOSTROPHE! The typos abounded in this and it drove me nuts.
My main complaint is with the editing/proofing -- seriously, LEARN HOW TO USE AN APOSTROPHE! The typos abounded in this and it drove me nuts.
November 3, 2017
Another great Praeger book... he really does a great job of logically stepping through an argument to convince the reader of his points.
March 18, 2018
I thought it was ok, but not very convincing.
March 30, 2018
I enjoy Prager’s insights into many different issues. I may not agree with all his ideas, but most of them are spot on.
December 31, 2020
Brilliant and thought-provoking.
June 13, 2021
Worthwhile Read
The timeless truths expressed here would be valuable for all Americans to read as well as anyone values kindness and goodness.
The timeless truths expressed here would be valuable for all Americans to read as well as anyone values kindness and goodness.
December 4, 2021
mr prager is a poor author in my opinion
January 20, 2023
Thought provoking. As is his motto, Prager seeks clarity, not agreement. he coherently states his case. Love it or hate it, he knows where he stands.
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August 25, 2023I’m not sure what to rate this book. There are some thought provoking topics but there is also quite a few topics I didn’t really care to read about that seemed to make up most of the book.
May 15, 2024
I enjoy all of Dennis Prager books. Common sense thinking for sure!
July 30, 2013
Thinking twice is important, not only in the context of things that Prager addressed in his book, but also in our daily lives/relations. How often have we misunderstood or been misunderstood? How often have we not questioned further and took someone at his/her word even though it may not be the full story or we don't really comprehend what's going on?
In this book, Prager addresses many issues, all widely varied and not all directly connected in any way. This allows the reader to skip chapters to go to the topic he/she is interested in - which is what I did. He makes some good points, trying to address multiple perspectives, if applicable. He incorporates his experiences throughout his life as relevant to the topic he is addressing, which makes it more personal and easier to portray.
I did not agree with all the points he made, and he actually had a tendency of throwing in his own biases/beliefs to support certain views - which is understandable since it'd be very hard to not include biases as much as one may try. However, morals, values, and basic, fundamental human ideologies are not based on religion, and yet that was something he kept pushing throughout the book (how Judaism promotes such and such belief/behavior/etc...) - which is great because he's showing us really great aspects of Judaism, as he should! But since morals, values, and basic, fundamental ideologies are not actually determined by religion (nor should they be, although religions should definitely promote and guide them), and they are humanistic qualities that all desire to behave with themselves and others with, they can stand alone, away from religion and I thought that would have been a better way to approach some points he was trying to make instead of basing them mainly on his personal faith.
In this book, Prager addresses many issues, all widely varied and not all directly connected in any way. This allows the reader to skip chapters to go to the topic he/she is interested in - which is what I did. He makes some good points, trying to address multiple perspectives, if applicable. He incorporates his experiences throughout his life as relevant to the topic he is addressing, which makes it more personal and easier to portray.
I did not agree with all the points he made, and he actually had a tendency of throwing in his own biases/beliefs to support certain views - which is understandable since it'd be very hard to not include biases as much as one may try. However, morals, values, and basic, fundamental human ideologies are not based on religion, and yet that was something he kept pushing throughout the book (how Judaism promotes such and such belief/behavior/etc...) - which is great because he's showing us really great aspects of Judaism, as he should! But since morals, values, and basic, fundamental ideologies are not actually determined by religion (nor should they be, although religions should definitely promote and guide them), and they are humanistic qualities that all desire to behave with themselves and others with, they can stand alone, away from religion and I thought that would have been a better way to approach some points he was trying to make instead of basing them mainly on his personal faith.
September 20, 2016
I wish I could give more stars! This book was eye opening, thought provoking and just plain GOOD!! Even if you disagree with him, or his politics, this is a great book! TRY IT!!
October 21, 2010
I enjoy Dennis Prager's books, videos, and radio program. This is the third book of his that I've read, and I liked it a great deal. Prager is a political, religious, and cultural commentator who views the news and current events through the lens of Jewish morality and 'ethical monotheism.' This particular book was published in the mid-90s, so some of the examples he discussed were a bit dated (there was a long section on the LA riots, for example, as well as SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas's appointment drama with Anita Hill). A few of the essays I found rather flat, but when he writes about values, and how values are related to politics and culture...man! He's great. If nothing else, I listen each and every week to his "Ultimate Issues Hour" on his radio program. I love it!
Prager has taught me a tremendous amount of Judaism, which I think is a wonderful religious tradition. Some of what he's written in all three of his books has troubled me, and challenged my own beliefs about Christianity. I hope he writes more books, and that he continues to broadcast on the radio. He is one of my favorite conservative public thinkers.
Prager has taught me a tremendous amount of Judaism, which I think is a wonderful religious tradition. Some of what he's written in all three of his books has troubled me, and challenged my own beliefs about Christianity. I hope he writes more books, and that he continues to broadcast on the radio. He is one of my favorite conservative public thinkers.
November 13, 2012
This hodge-podge collection of essays on things political, religious, moral, and general has one common factor: the author's ability to analyze and articulate the core issue on each entry. When you read the book, you understand that there are people in this world who have the innate skill to ponder methodically a subject and describe accurately the essence of what makes the topic so important to individuals and humanity. While I didn't agree with everything, and while I found some of the longer entries somewhat dull, I came away with the feeling that I should, if only on a single important topic, take the time to fully understand and grapple with what is most essential about that topic.
December 19, 2013
I can't agree with Prager about his view of private vs. public morality, and his weird categorizing of of "sins". For instance, when you consume pornography on a regular basis with no qualms of conscience, you are not the person that you pretend to be, there is a dichotomy at the core of who you are, and others have a reason to doubt your integrity if it comes to the public eye. You might still be competent enough in the exercise of your functions, yet it is normal that other will esteem you less and be reticent to give you their votes. Aligning your values from the inside out or the outside in is a true judeo-christian attitude.
June 13, 2011
The only thing that really irritated me about this book is now when I can't go have a salesperson bring me shoes to try so I can see if I like them and then order them on the internet instead. I bought a pair of Harley boots for 30 dollars more than I could have gotten them on the internet because I never would have known what size to get or if our local store hadn't had them and brought me different sizes. Shop local! Prager likens that to stealing from what I can remember. It has been awhile since I read this book. I need to read it again.
August 10, 2007
I can't say this was a great book. The author Dennis Prager certainly made me think about current issues, and their applicability to my value system. The book was fragmented, and each chapter consisted of it's own inclusive lesson. After getting about 40 pages into the book, I skipped a lot of the chapters I wasn't interested in. It made the book a lot more interesting to read. I would recommend you do the same.
November 25, 2012
Dennis is one of my favorite talk show hosts. He is amazing at clarifying positions and putting them out in a logical and understandable way. This book is 44 of his favorite essays that cover topics like; 'Human Nature', 'Children', 'The Struggle for the American Soul', and 'There is a Solution to Evil'.
August 23, 2007
This book is a collection of 41 essays on different life topics. The Author shares his views on these topics and asks the reader to think about these topics in a new way. I did not agree with all of his conclusions, but it did cause me to think a second time.
September 8, 2010
Excellent collection of short essays by probably the premier ethicist and philosopher of our time. While the subjects are many and varied, the overall them is "what is goodness, and how do we be good people?"
November 11, 2008
Well worth the read whether you agree or disagree with his positions.
June 18, 2010
I put this one on my top 10 list. So many things to think about, as Dennis Prager says, a second time.
May 29, 2012
Another classic from Everyone's Rabbi (I'm not Jewish, but he is still MY rabbi)! I do wish he would write an epilogue for today's issues, but his analysis of ethics, as always, is dead-on.
October 12, 2016
Everything Dennis Prager writes offers wisdom and clarity.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews