Power to the People

by Laura Ingraham

In her latest, radio personality and author Ingraham (Shut up and Sing) calls on the American people to take back the phrase "Power to the People" from the anti-establishment groups of yesterday that, today, have made the country, according to Ingraham, "a slave to fringe groups, political correctness, expanding bureaucracies, and our own consumerism." Taking an approach that makes mutually exclusive groups out of those "working and taking care of their families" and the "protest culture," Ingraham's message is loud and "they're coming for you." Specifically, "they" means the Lifetime network (brainwashing women to "swear off men and family"), the growing ranks of "Team Atheist" (including Dan Brown), "family deconstructivists," illegal immigrants and Islamic jihadists, among others. Chapters cover most of today's hot button topics-the war in Iraq, homeland security, the judiciary, the news media and global warming-with attitude and conviction. Ingraham's commentary on the lack of education in our schools and the "pornification" of the culture contain her most sound, articulate arguments (bolstered by a wealth of statistics), but Ingraham's assembling tactics are overzealous; still, fans of her strident radio show should be pleased to find more of the same here.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, American History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Laura Ingraham is the most-listened-to woman in America on political talk radio. The Laura Ingraham Show is ranked in radio's Top 10. Laura is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of the website LifeZette.com, a cultural and political web destination for conservatives and independents. She is a regular Contributor on the Fox News Channel, a former white-collar defense attorney, and a Supreme Court law clerk, Laura is a cancer survivor and advocates for increased domestic and international adoption. She resides in Washington, DC with her three children.

Reviews

[Dennis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a hype talk show host's program notes. Shallow without much substance, but lots of opinion.

Such gems:
"Bad media. Bad media. Elitist media."
Then "Hooray, thanks to the media for leading the way to Supreme Court nominee Myer's defeat!"

"There should be no foreign language taught in schools. English only. USA! USA!" Then Ms. Ingraham laments the lack of bi-lingual abilities in the military.

"Be pro-life!" Then "Hail to the God-ordained military for killing our enemies!"

Kept my Attention - 1
Well-written - 1
Important - 1
Must Read - 1
Accessible - 5

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book covers some of the most basic foundational topics of neo-conservative thought, Ingraham approaches them in a way that is both novel and mentally invigorating. While not nearly as divisive as Ann Coulter, Ingraham doesn't pull any punches in the name of political correctness. That, plus her strong Christian point of view, will continue to make her (and therefore this book) an anathema to the "do-whatever-feels-good" crowd. I especially like that Ingraham, although a conservative, spends about as much time criticizing Republicans as she does Democrats. When was the last time you read a liberal pundit who did that? POWER TO THE PEOPLE is basically the Christian conservative soccer-mom version of a RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE album, only in book form. Ingraham's sense of humor doesn't always resonate with me (and, IMHO, her recent books of political satire are downright embarrassing), but I admire her mental acuity in exploring controversial topics and the unwavering tenacity she displays in fighting for what she believes is right.

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taken from a sound-bite in the opening montage of her radio talk show, Laura Ingraham calls on Middle America to take their power back from the elites in Power to the People. Looking at hot-button political issues like the Family, National Defense, Illegal Immigration, Judicial Activism, and the Abuse and Exploitation of Science, Ingraham discusses how power is being taken away from the public and placed in the hands of government and institutions run by the social elite. She then offers plans of action to restore power back into the hands of the people, concluding with a call to faith and hope. Especially well-written, Ingraham does a good job at walking the reader through the issues and at offering up practical solutions and plans of action. Unlike so many other political books that just lament the state of affairs and points out problems, Power to the People serves as a guide for grassroots action.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't always agree with Laura Ingraham's views but they are well researched and thought out. I just read this book so some of the predictions have came true and some of the views are just after thoughts. I'm not sure this is a book that can last for the ages. I enjoyed the different topics she explored and while making fun of a differing view she still explains the other side of the issue. I really found the book interesting and it had a lot of sources that you could find further information on. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes her radio show or shares her views. For others that don't share her views, why read something that will just upset you? :-)

[Jack Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, informative perspective about America and how it is changing within our lifetime. Laura Ingraham is a Conservative Christian who views the changes as red flags in the areas of family and faith. Power to the People also warns her audience about the loss of people's power that trends toward a loss of liberty, the quality that defines America. Laura's strong Christian faith is evident as she tells about its emergence during trying times in her life, the death of her mother and Laura's bout with cancer. She concludes that the people's power is not "of" the people but "to" the people, suggesting it is given by the grace of the only power, God.

[Steven Hummer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got to the 4th CD of 9 and I just can't finish this one rarely do I give up on books but this one was really bad. A good sourcce of information but hard to follow and when you hear all of these stats and facts about our boarder security and how the Judicial system is so courrupted and then its just miserable because now we have a President who plans to just make things even worse.If you want to be informed on news of the day I suggest you read Glenn Beck's stuff his writting style is easy to follwo and he has a bunch of laughs along the way to make your reading experiance a plesant one.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was insightful,humorous,and a reminder of how blessed we are to live in the greatest country in the world!! Even with all our flaws, there is no better place to call home. I think patriotism should be taught to children at home and at school. We are not a global melting pot for every whim and idea set out to infiltrate our American way of life. We are Americans. Anyone wanting to live here should understand that. We must do everything we can to protect our freedoms and way of life. Power to the people!!

[Tamminh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the book read by the author. After unbearable hours after hours of listening to Ms. Ingraham's inflaming and poisonous spit and spew on all liberals (as well as some moderate conservatives), I found it comical that at the end, she started preaching about how to be a God-loving, compassionate Catholic. She couldn't be serious!

[Burke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its an insipid amalgamation of right wing stereotypes, poorly researched and thrown together in a quick money making venture for the author. Big surprises - they're opposed to illegal immigration and nipples at the Super Bowl.

[Mary Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay. Very redundant if you listen to Ingraham's radio show.

[Doran Barton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently finished Laura Ingraham’s latest book Power To The People and present a review of it.

Power To The PeopleLaura Ingraham is a nationally syndicated conservative talk-radio host. In Salt Lake City, she is heard on 1430 AM (KLO) from 7-10 a.m. She’s probably a second or third tier conservative host as most people don’t know who she is — they know Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and even Glenn Beck, but may have never heard of Laura Ingraham before. It wouldn’t surprise me if people thought she was “Dr. Laura” but, believe me, she and Laura Schlessinger are completely different. For one thing, Ingraham is, like, really educated and not just some physiology grad.

Some people probably confuse Laura Ingraham with Ann Coulter. There are some similarities in their “acts,” but I find Coulter to be much more vitriolic in her attacks of liberal democrats where Laura Ingraham is just entertaining.

Laura’s radio program features lots of soundbites and clips from TV news programs with witty analysis by Laura and her studio cohorts. She is also frequently joined by this or that politician or pundit to talk about the issues of the day.

One of Laura’s program’s trademarks is the opening montage of soundbites that accompany the theme music. Unlike Limbaugh’s opener (classic) or Hannity’s (*rolls eyes*), Laura’s gets changed quite frequently as she mixes it up weekly or daily with funny, idiotic, or inspiring clips of people. These montages always end with a shrill “Power to the peeeeeeople!” at the end. The screamer is a leftist human rights activist named Efia Nwangaza and the clip sounds like she’s being dragged away by security as she’s screaming.

Now you know where the title of the book comes from.

The book was an easy read, maybe too easy for me. Power To The People can be summarized as follows: Conservative talk-radio listeners should be aware of the following problems with our society. As talk-radio listeners, you have the power, collectively, to make a difference and influence action on these problems.

I fear Glenn Beck’s book coming out in November may be a similar set of recipes. We’ll see.

Laura begins by talking about the attack on the family. This was one of the more interesting chapters in the book. Laura — not married and not a parent — talks about how mainstream society looks down on large families and families in general. She discusses the value of the traditional (and natural) family model and how it must be defended. She touches on other topics that resurface later in the book, like sexualization of children and government usurping the authority of parents.

Next, illegal immigration. Who saw that coming? This section was just another dose of common sense solutions all of the talk radio world is screaming about while Washington collectively holds its fingers in its ears and says, “La la la la la.”

After that: national security. Laura talks about terror, terrorist states, and China.

Chapter four is about the courts and I thought it was the standout chapter in the book. Laura has a lot more perspective when it comes to judicial issues because she spent time working as a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas in the U.S. Supreme Court. In this chapter she uses the nomination of Harriet Miers to argue who should and should not be a judge. I learned a lot more about the judiciary and its modern issues and controversies than I expected to.

The next chapter covers smaller government, or putting the power closer to the people. Another typical dose of conservative common sense.

Then: Porn. Laura explores just how explicit news, popular culture, and society has become and what we can do to squelch it. It’s not clear what we can do about it, to really make a difference, but Laura has several ideas.

Other chapters include topics such as schools and science. It was a little embarrassing to see Laura mention Utah twice in her book as a state that’s got it right by passing a school choice voucher law. Maybe she didn’t know about the legal appeals and the referendum when she wrote about it.

Finally, Laura spends a chapter talking about her fight with breast cancer. This was a stark deviation from the rest of her book, but it definitely humanizes the author a great deal. I found that chapter quite moving.

So, all in all, it’s an okay book. I’ll give it a 6/10 for what it is, basically a political propoganda book. It’s good reading if you’re a fan of Laura Ingraham. If you’re not (and I’m kind of in between), it may or may not be your cup of tea.

[M0rfeus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent general analysis of current hot button issues and the Conservative position on them. It is also a nice introduction to Federalism and what that means to how our government should govern.

And finally, it wraps up with a section on the indispensable role of religious faith and morality in civic and public life.

All in Laura's inimitable style.

Anyone who loves her radio show will love this book! Those who've never heard her radio show will also come away from it with a good grasp of how Conoservatives see the world (hint--we see it as it is) and of what can be done to wrest power from the elites and to put it back where it belongs--with the people.

As Laura says, Liberals talk about "Power to the People" but they never really mean it. In LiberalSpeak "Power to the People" means power to unelected elites such as the Supreme Court or the UN. Laura ends each chapter in this book with concrete steps We the People can take to reclaim our power. This is what Conservatives mean by "Power to the People".

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only started this book. I'm intrigued by the tendency to have smaller families, and how she decries that trend; I hadn't really thought about it until she brought it up. (She's adopted a child since the book was complete.)

I tend to agree with her conservatism, though I'm probably a bit more libertarian. I look forward to seeing what she has to say on other issues. (Miss her show; my station has Glenn Beck on in her place.) :(

Ann Coulter is much more "in your face" and "up front," but Laura does have great humor, and intelligence.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic. This booked seemed to just be common sense preached to the (conservative) choir. I didn't find anything new and wondered what the purpose of this book was. Most conservatives already agree with Ms. Ingraham and those who don't or who are actually interested would probably focus on a book with more substantial arguments and substance ( i.e. Mr. Souza's books).

Rather than reading the book, just listen to her radio show and cruise the conservative blogshere and save the $14.00 or the trip to the library.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to listen to audiobooks and read hardback or paperbacks. I prefer audiobooks especially on long trips and while doing a lot of driving around town. I feel that if the book isn't that great, at least my time was not a complete waste. With that said I Love Laura Ingraham. She is a brave woman with her battle of breast cancer. I listened to her on talk radio and that is when I heard about her book. I too am a two time cancer survivor and can relate to a lot of the stuff she says. I do like her radio show. Think she is very good, but she overall seems focused and on point.

[Reader2007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really really good! Laura Ingram is really clear. She deals with most of important issues of the day and how the people of America can take action. The writing style is similar to that of Ann Coulter. I found this book to be a little more readable than Coulter's books just because Laura Ingram's sense of humor is not quite as sardonic Coulter's. The sense of humor is definitely there, though. =)

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently reading this book. I love Laura's direct honesty about how it is in politics today. I share her conservative views, thus her book reaffirms what I believe to the most part. I love her optimistic approach as to how we as citizens can step up and make a difference through our own personal patriotism, love of country, and willingness to speak out against the liberal bias in this country.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for awhile, but the end was a little to preachy and long-winded for me. I'm really glad to have listened to this, though, because it got me thinking about a lot of the major issues facing our country. I think that's important to do. While I agree with much of what she says, even the things I don't agree with were good to get me thinking about what I do think, if that makes any sense at all!

[Ramon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of my books reviews will have this disclaimer. Most of the books in my library are audiobooks. I prefer audiobooks especially on long trips. I feel that if the book is that bad at least my time was not a complete waste. With that said I Love Laura Ingraham. She is abrave woman with her battle of breast cancer. I listened to her on talk radio and that is when I heard about her book. However, Laura does a lot of ranting. I do get tired of the constant badgering. I want solutions!

[Scott Birk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a good overall analysis of most of the hot political, economic and social topics of the day, even though it's a couple of years old. It reminds me that these topics are timeless and that we can address them today in the same manner as Laura suggested when she wrote the book. The book is written in a very simple format, which is different than some of the things you'll read by Ann Coulter, etc.

[Thomas Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, fast moving and to the point. Laura Ingraham is as smart and witty as Ann Coulter, while not being quite as caustic. She really slams the Obama grooupies, exposing them as mindless idiots who have bought the liberal propaganda hook, line and sinker. She walks the us quickly through a minefield of socialist rabbit holes and contrasts the progressive pipe dreams of the left and their failures throughout history with the time tested principles of conservativism.

[Krystal Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this book. Laura made me start thinking about everything from the school my kids attend to the Supreme Court judges (that I honestly didn't know alot about)
to what the kids watch on TV to the presidential race.
I think this book is completely worth all 5 stars taht I gave it.......awesome read! It will open your eyes.

[Jaime Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Power to the People to be a current and relevant analysis of our country. I liked the ideas that Laura presented at the end of each chapter. Each chapter tackles a social ill we're facing. It's good to know people like Laura Ingraham are educating those that love their God, country, and children.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explains what it means to be a conservative. It details
the purpose of the constitution, speaks to family values, and offers an historical perspective of current events. How do we stop abortions? What was Roe v Wade really about? How do control our government? This book serves to motivate conservatives to come out of the closet and make a stand for what we know is right.

[Pam Barnhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible book. Laura really made me think about everything from the Constitution, to our TV watching habits, to my faith. I especially enjoyed and learned from the chapters on judges and federalism. An excellent, educating read.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical. Written in a simple converstational way to reach a mass audience. An excellent book to heighten your awareness about our the erosion of our culture and the influence "cultural re-engineers" are having on America's children.

[Marnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! Laura explained the issues in a way that was easy to read & understand & was entertaining too. Most books like this that I've read are by guys so it was good to read one with a female perspective. I feel smarter after reading this & I hope my husband will read it too.

[Kathleenob · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not that I didn't like what she had to say, but I felt she was appealing to an audience that already agreed with her. This was not a book meant to persuade the other side because her language is too volatile.

[TheRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work. Laura's simple and humorous style addresses very serious issues and urges the individual conservative to shake off that feeling of helplessness and work to return the power to the people - and show that the moral majority really does still exist.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 9 CD series David and I started listening to on our trip home from Wichita Falls. The first CD was boring but it is getting better. So many people in our country really don't understand the dangers our country faces right now.