What's So Great About America

by Dinesh D'Souza

With What's So Great About America , Dinesh D'Souza is not asking a question, but making a statement. The former White House policy analyst and bestselling author argues that in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, American ideals and patriotism should not be things we shy away from. Instead he offers the grounds for a solid, well-considered pride in the Western pillars of "science, democracy and capitalism," while deconstructing arguments from both the political Left and political Right. As an "outsider" from India who has had amazing success in the United States, D'Souza defends not an idealized America, but America as it really is, and measures America not against an utopian ideal, but against the rest of the world in a provocative, challenging, and personal book.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, American, Philosophy, Book Club, Sociology

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2002

About the author

Dinesh D’Souza is a political commentator, bestselling author, filmmaker and a former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, Dinesh D'Souza graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983. He served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. D'Souza writes primarily about Christianity, patriotism and American politics.

Reviews

[Dylan Manfredi · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finishing Whats So great About america by Dinesh D'Souza I had noticed a claim he failed to adhere to. The idea that he was acting un-biased. Let me explain. D'souza claimed he was trying to address both points and act as unbiased as possible towards the many topics. He showed a very conservative bias and while I can agree with many of his point he was very quick to gloss over important details to more liberal claims. An example of this would be when he was addressing how the Muslims extremists hate us for our freedoms and that why they continue to fight us. Now keep in mind this entire topic is debatable but i would argue that the Muslims don't hate us for our freedoms but instead how we've helped completely destroy there countries and that we have killed 100,000's of innocent civilians that had no part in any conflicts. D'Souza did touch upon this argument but he quickly left it and went on to explain American values and there superiority to that of those in the middleast. He also showed an obvious bias to the US in terms of our wars. D'souza stated that we had only lost one war, Vietnam. That's wrong, very wrong. In the war of 1812 our capital was burned down by the British and yes we did gain land but lets be honest. Whats more demoralizing than having your country's capital be burned down. I will admit that we have won many wars and have proven ourselves to be very effective at fighting wars but in the more recent years we have come to fail. Things like the gulf war, Korean war, and Vietnam all ended in bloody stalemates. All of these wars have one thing in common, they were based on American interests and not freedom. D'Souza stresses american freedom but fails to admit that we have lost a far bit in the "war on terrorism". So while Dinesh D'Souza makes numerous good points throughout the book, he falls short when it comes to recognizing Americas flaws which is a major component when it comes to answering the question, "Whats so great about America?".

[Tressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"America is the greatest, freest and most decent society in existence. It is an oasis of goodness in a desert of cynicism and barbarism. This country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world."

One of my favorite quotes about America. D'Souza's quote sums up his feelings about his adopted country, and what makes it so great.

This book is clear and poetically written by a man who immigrated to America with his family and has sought out what's best about it.

[John Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following are a few reflections I had from the first section of the book, where D'Souza writes about Western colonialism.

Plenty have embrace the belief that the West is the root of much evil; that it was the Western Colonialist that impoverished the rest of the world; pillaging, raping, conquering and enslaving the innocent nations of the world and enforcing western culture on them. They believe the West is rich only because it exploited, enslaved and stole it's wealth from the rest of the world.
Multi-culturalism is popular today as well; the claim that the West is no better than any other nation. The head-hunters and those who practice human sacrifices to their gods, and bury babies alive to satisfy evil spirits, are just as good as the Western civilization. Westerners shouldn't try to influence other nations or push their values on them. What is odd, is places like India that are now free from Britain, ended up maintaining and keeping many western ways, though it was unnecessary for them to do so. Why is this? It seems future generations ended up preferring a better standard of living, rule of law, less fighting, technology and thus stuck with it.
I want to think that some cultures are a little more close to certain moral ideals than other cultures. And yet, is there a measuring stick by which we can determine this? Is it longer life spans, better health, wide spread prosperity, justice, tolerance and charity?

How is it that the West conquered the world? Once the Islamic world and China were far superior to the Western world, which was incredibly backward. One theory is everything had to do with geography and resources, but this doesn't explain the sudden rise of the west in modern times, who started far in the rear. Another popular view is the West is evil; they were ethnocentric, colonialist, slave masters, etc... etc.... But what is silly about this view, is it acts as if all the other nations of the world were not. China for example thought they were the center of the world. Islamic countries thought they had the one truth and everyone else should fall in line. The most backward tribes deep in the jungle likely thought they were the apogee of how life should be lived.

One reason why the West begin to dominate the world, is cultural development doesn't necessarily go to those nations that invent things, but those nations that adopt the new technology and run with it. That is one thing the Western World did. The West sought to learn from superior nations of the time, while some Islamic nations for example thought they could learn nothing from anyone else. Nations like China didn't allow wide-spread use of their inventions, which were horded by the Emperor and the elite, but these same inventions like the printing press, revolutionized the West. The West were a curious people, exploring and discovering and quickly evolving. Also, America had a unique view of progress--that the future could be better then the past, and it praised hard work and business.

Colonialism is not by any means a phenomenon of the West, almost every part of the world has been conquered again and again by different empires, all this long before the rise of the West. It seems inconsistent to demand the Western countries to pay for their past sins, without demanding every other nation to pay for their past sin. The other problem is when does it end? America could give backs some states to Mexico, but they took it from Native Indians, who took it from other natives, who took it from other natives.

Colonialism was horrible for those being evaded and subjugated by the West, but it has been incredibly beneficial for future generations who now have much better standards of living. This doesn't justify what the west did, but its a fact that good came out of it. Think about Scotland, it was a backward, brutal land of constant fighting, until England conquered it, and then from Scotland came some of the best educational institutions and renowned intellectuals. If England had not conquered it, the people would have still been illiterate tribes slaughtering and being slaughtered by surrounding tribes. The empire building and spreading of culture has ultimately reduced violence and wars. The empire building is a fact of the past, indeed it was incredibly evil, but as we still benefit from Judaeo, Grecian and Roman influences from past Empires, likewise, the whole world is now benefiting from once being part of Western colonies. Of course, there are negatives abounding too, there is no way to do a cost, benefit analyses, its a mix bag. But whats done is done, we need to remember that it was many in the West that begin to see that such conquest, even if good ultimately resulted, was evil. The end didn't justify the means, and of course the good consequences were not always intended by the conquerors, but a byproduct of the spread of civilization. Thank goodness the west as a whole now believes conquest is an evil.

What about Slavery? Singling out the West is immature, for this barbaric institution is as old as history itself and was practiced in every part of the world. It took Christians in the Western world to challenge one of the oldest institutions in the world. Africans even sent delegates to the West to protest the abolition of slavery, for it was such a lucrative business in Africa. It wasn't the ones being enslaved that ended slavery, but those who were capable of being masters.

Racism? Every nation of the world has suffered from racism--the fear of the other. Its a plague found everywhere. Once again, thank goodness for the West, the first to recognize and condemn this institution.

The West develop capitalism, science, democracy and the idea of progress...

So yeah, these are reflections from the first section laying the ground work, before he even gets to America, this part echos "Conquest and Culture" by Thomas Sowell, but yeah, I really love this book, this review is already way to long, other wise I would hope to summarize the rest of the book, which was excellent.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinesh D'Souza has written a powerful and well-reasoned defense of America and Western civilization. He takes on objections and criticisms from all ideological corners, such as liberals, conservatives, and Muslim fanatics, and answers them all.
In the introduction, D'Souza compares the American situation - facing an implacable foe in a war against terrorism - with Athens facing the Spartans. He quotes a funeral oration by Pericles. The parallels are striking. Some examples from Pericles' speech:

In describing Athens: "Our system of government does not copy the institutions of its neighbors. It is more the case of our being a model to others, than of our imitating anyone." Sounds like America.
Pericles brags about Athens' freedom and openness: "The greatness of our city brings it about that all the good things from all over the world flow in to us, so that it seems just as natural to enjoy foreign goods as our own local products." Buy a Sony TV lately?
Pericles makes this request: "What I would ask is that you should fix your eyes every day on the greatness of Athens as she really is, and should fall in love with her." Everyone knows America isn't perfect, but most Americans love her anyway.

D'Souza asks the question: Why do they hate us? He lists three schools of foreign criticism of America:

The European, or French, school fears that American culture will obliterate local culture and languages. Too many McDonalds and no more French cuisine.
The Asian school approves of American-style commerce and capitalism but not social and cultural problems. The Asian school seeks America's material benefits while maintaining social order.
The radical Islamic school hates our support for Israel and undemocratic regimes in the Middle East. It rejects all modernization as American and therefore bad. America is a subversive idea that undermines cherished traditional and cultural morals. It destroys society and replaces it with a worse one.
D'Souza concedes the radical Muslims have a point:

What stands out about the Islamic critique is its refreshing clarity. The Islamic thinkers cannot be counted in the ranks of the politically correct. Painful though it is to admit, they aren't entirely wrong about America either. They say that many Americans see them as a bunch of uncivilized towel heads, and this is probably true. They charge that America is a society obsessed with material gain, and who will deny this? They condemn the West as an atheistic civilization, and while they may be wrong about the extent of religious belief and practice, they are right that in the West religion has little sway over the public arena, and the West seems to have generated more unbelief than any other civilization in world history. They are disgusted by our culture, and we have to acknowledge that there is a good deal in American culture that is disgusting to normal sensibilities. They say our women are "loose," and in a sense they are right. Even their epithet for the United States, the Great Satan, is appropriate when we reflect that Satan is not a conqueror - he is a tempter. The Islamic militants fear that the idea of America is taking over their young people, breaking down allegiances to parents and religion and traditional community; this concern on their part is also justified.

According to Sayyid Qutb, a radical Muslim who founded the terrorist group Muslim Brotherhood, America and the West have "separated the realm of God from the realm of society." To Qutb, Islam demands that Allah is the ultimate ruler. Allah and the state are one. America and Islam are therefore incompatible and a threat to each other, and cannot coexist. Qutb's solution: kill the infidels.

Now, this is the terrorist Muslim talking, not the far more numerous and reasonable traditional Muslim. But it's interesting how various American critics agree with segments of this argument. For example, conservatives criticize America for its crime, abortion, illegitimacy and pornography. The left says America is sexist, racist, homophobic, and oppresses people all over the world. So is America worth fighting for?

Before answering, D'Souza, who was born in India, offers two cheers for colonialism, which is cursed by multiculturalists for most if not all the evils in the world today. American students are taught multiculturalism, which asserts that all cultures are equal and good, and are not taught the truth, which is that Western civilization rules the world, and most cultures want, at the very least, the material advances and freedom offered by the West.

But why is Western civilization dominant? There are two theories and both appeal to America's critics.

The environmental theory says the West is blessed with natural resources and good weather, but that doesn't explain anything, because the West has always had those but has not always been dominant.

The second theory is oppression, because Western civilization is evil and "grew rich and powerful by beating up on everybody else and taking their stuff."

The West thinks they're best! cry the critics. Well, yes. Ethnocentrism may be a sin but everybody's doing it. All civilizations have practiced it by thinking they're the best. But only the West has transcended it by examining and learning from other cultures. The ancient and advanced Islam and Chinese civilizations had little desire to learn from others because they felt the others had nothing to offer.

But the West practiced colonialism and slavery! But colonialism and slavery also are not unique to the West - both have existed and flourished everywhere. England was the eighth or ninth colonial power to rule India, for example. What is unique to the West is abolition. African chiefs who profited from the slave trade sent delegations to the West opposing abolition! Slaves were in no position to free themselves - they had to rely on white strangers willing to die so black strangers could be free.

Colonialism was oppressive to those who lived under it, but beneficial to later generations. India learned about freedom, democracy, rule of law, self-government, from their oppressors, giving them the tools to fight for their own freedom. In other words, "the colonialists brought things to India that have immeasurably enriched the lives of the descendants of colonialism. Colonialism was the transmission belt that brought to India the blessings of Western civilization."

D'Souza asks why the West has become so rich and powerful. Not because it stole anything - there wasn't enough to steal. It's because the West created three vital institutions: science, democracy, and capitalism. Western colonialism and imperialism were not the cause of the West's fortune, but the result of it.

If America and Western civilization are so controversial and unpopular, why does everyone want to liver here? One reason: people know they can have a better life in America. Money is not the end in itself, but the means to achieve a better life.

Another reason: life in the Third World is largely constrained and predetermined. Life choices are available within a strict parameter established by parents and community. Not in America.

D'Souza also argues against reparations for slavery, and indeed turns the question around by asking what blacks owe whites for ending slavery. The American founders were not hypocrites, as many critics charge. For example, the American Constitution's notorious three-fifths clause was anti-slavery and pro-black in intent and effect by limiting slave states' representation in Congress.

The American founders faced a dilemma: If they abolished slavery without the consent of the governed, they'd commit a gross violation of representative democracy. So they "found a middle ground, not between principle and practice, but between opposition to slavery and majority consent. They produced a Constitution in which the concept of slavery is tolerated in deference to consent, but not given any moral approval in recognition of the slave's natural rights. Nowhere in the document is the term "slavery" used. Slaves are always described as "persons," implying their possession of natural rights. The founders were also careful to approve a Constitution that refuses to acknowledge the existence of racial distinctions, thus producing a document that transcended its time."

D'Souza maintains that racial preferences and affirmative action disguise the fact that merit is responsible for racial imbalance in many areas of life. He believes the merit gap is caused by cultural and behavioral differences among the races. The civil rights movement should embrace the Booker T. Washington school of thought and concentrate on black self-improvement and responsibility rather than political gains.

Finally, D'Souza answers those critics who charge that American culture is rife with trash. Choice and moral relativism are the supreme values, regardless of the quality of the choices. Morality is undermined and society becomes "debauched, demoralized, and unhappy." What's so great about that?

Technological advances and capitalism have brought about moral change in America, supposedly for the better. That and the 1960s brought about a new new morality of authenticity, which is based on a benign reading of Rousseau. This new system leaves people free to pursue their own dreams and their own virtue.

What did I think of this book? Overall, I liked it. I appreciated his defense of America's founders, who I think were the greatest Americans ever. I wasn't totally sold on his morality of authenticity, because I believe there is still a moral code that transcends human behavior. It tells us when we do wrong. Most of us pay attention and follow it - some do not. Those who do not produce the moral decay that disgusts so many Americans and non-Americans.

Overall, this is a well-reasoned, refreshing, and much-needed defense of America.

[Steve Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

D’Souza’s work is intended for those who already agree with its precepts, but are searching for a way to justify them.

It is a 195 page long collection of unqualified assertions and anecdotes, non sequiturs, and arguments from exclusion.

On page 168 he claims “America is an abstaining superpower” that occasionally intervenes to overthrow a tyrannical regime or halt human rights abuses. He points out three conflicts noted for their brevity, Grenada, Haiti, and Bosnia, suggesting this is the norm. He overlooks Vietnam, and of course couldn’t have anticipated the lengths of the conflicts in the Levant and Afghanistan. At this writing seventeen years later those struggles are still bubbling, and American troops are still getting killed. So much for abstinence.

He’s an apologist for America...a Pollyanna who effusively sings it’s praises...except when he’s tearing it down.

He makes broad, sweeping statements about America and Americans that are simply not true. He writes on page 187, “Hang out at a Parisian café, for instance, and you can easily pick out the Americans: they dress the same way, eat the same food, listen to the same music, and laugh at the same jokes.”

No. They don’t. Most Americans don’t hang out at Parisian cafés. D’Souza is woefully out of touch with American culture if he thinks a pipe fitter from Louisiana would get along seamlessly with an Amish farmer from Indiana. I can assure you neither is likely to have interests in Parisian cafés. It’s an absolutely asinine thing to write and betrays D’Souza’s elitism and coddled background.

Did you know that according to D’Souza, one of the major causes for the decline in morality in the United States was the introduction of the car? That and the invention of the vacuum cleaner, the introduction of the birth control pill, and the forklift. I’m not making this up. It’s on pages 138-139.

The works of Jean Jacques Rousseau are, apparently, also at fault. On page 146 he writes Rousseau’s philosophy leads to this sort of individualism:

“If I am not as worth much as you are, at least I am different. I may not be virtuous, but I am my own person....Finally, if I have not lived an irreproachable life, I am a well meaning and good person, and I care. The reader may recognize in this portrait the moral code of a certain ex-President.”

This of course, was referring to Bill Clinton, known for his marital infidelities.

And yet it could describe D’Souza, who was forced to resign as president of The King’s College after allegations of an affair. He claimed it was untrue, though he acknowledged he was separated from his wife and had introduced the “other woman” in question as his fiancée when the two were at a Christian conference. This was eight years after publication of this book.

12 years after this was published he pleaded guilty to felony campaign finance violations.

Damn that Rousseau!

Like Bill Bennett, D’Souza is yet another pundit caught up in the moral scandals he maligns. He’s a hack pandering to specific segments of American middlebrow culture. This was written for those who need to affirm their prejudices without the friction of cognitive dissonance.

This is a worthless book.

[Hispanicpundit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The United States really is different than all other countries. Whether it is foreign policy, economics, or culture, the USA stands far apart from the rest of the world and industrialized countries.

Dinish D'Souza, an immigrant himself, shows why such differences matter and what makes the United States the first choice of immigrants around the world. A must read for anybody who has lost sight of what makes this great country of ours so unique and special.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a non-fiction lover but I found this book to be really interesting. It helped me understand a little about why people in other countries feel the way they do about America. It also reminded me about the reasons for my patriotism and taught me several more reasons to be grateful I'm an American.

[Debbie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was completely different than I thought it would be. It is an immigrants perspective of America. It was very interesting. The author is very knowledgable and well read. I didn't fully understand everything, but I got the general idea. It made me think.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

America bashing is more popular today than ever! Sometimes it helps to flip the coin and look at what this country does, on a daily basis, that no other nation in existence can do. This country certainly has it's issues just like its citizens, but it is still the greatest nation on the face of the earth. This is the kind of stuff that needs to be talked about MORE, not less.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing book who,s author was born in india and is a naturalized citizen,describes what the qualities america has that makes it great. This book could have a bore,however,using humor and parables form his own experience its a real treat and learning experience.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books, from one of my favorite authors. Like the way this book made ME think, "What's so great about America????"

[Rhonnie Cough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Quick read, and timeless actually, which surprised me. Good observations and especially since he's an immigrant. Good writing, good points, honesty.

[Eve Apple]

I read this because I think it's important to listen to opposite viewpoints from my own with an open mind and also because this book is so old that it's interesting to see where a lot of the conservative arguments we see today really started to get fueled. There were a lot of times while listening to this that I found myself being like "Wait what? That's ridiculous, I HAVE 7 COUNTERARGUMENTS FOR WHY THAT IS NONSENSE SIR" but since it's a book that was obviously not possible. All in all, I think that it's probably important for all of us to read books with viewpoints different from our own since the inability to immediately argue or comment on why someone's a moron for their pov as everyone seems so wont to do on social media now-a-days forces us to actually ponder objectively and openly why we don't believe in the same things. It also serves as a reminder that a conservative person probably has the same reaction to everything I say or think that I had to D'Souza's arguments. And that's pretty much all I can say about this book.

[Steven H · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE IMMIGRANT AUTHOR DEFENDS AMERICAN VALUES/INSTITUTIONS

Author Dinesh D’Souza wrote in the Preface of this 2002 book, “What is needed… is an understanding of the moral basis of Western civilization, of what makes the American experiment historically unique, and of what makes American life as it is lived today the best life that our world has to offer. Only then can we know what is at stake in this war and what we possess that is worth fighting for.” (Pg. iii-xiv) Later, he adds, “This is a book that seeks to integrate my research and study about America with my personal experience of American life. It is a book that faces the harshest critics of American and the West, but concludes that those critics are wrong. They are missing something of great significance about Western civilization and about the American way of life. So for all my qualms, I will not be returning to India. I know that my daughter will have a better life if I stay… I have come to appreciate that there is something great and noble about America, and in this book I intend to say what that is.” (Pg. 34-35)

He asserts, “the Islamic thinkers who fear the dissolution of their traditional societies are… correct. America IS a subversive idea. Indeed, it represents a new way to be human, and in this book we will explore what this means and whether this subversive idea is worthy of our love and allegiance.” (Pg. 19)

He cites some statements of the Muslim philosopher Sayyid Qutb, and comments, “Some Americans will fine these views frightening and abhorrent… But I think they must be taken seriously. Certainly they are taken seriously in the Muslim world. Moreover, Qutb is raising issues of the deepest importance… Does legitimate political authority come from God or from man? Which is the highest political value: freedom or virtue?... Qutb’s critique reveals most lucidly the argument between Islam and the West at its deepest level. For this reason, it should be welcomed by thoughtful people in America and the West.” (Pg. 23)

He contends, “Multiculturalists … seek to fill white Americans with an overpowering sense of guilt and blame so that they accept responsibility for the sufferings of minorities in America and poor people in the rest of the world…. What we have, then, is a vivid portrait of how terrible America is and of the grave harms that it has inflicted on its people and on the world since the nation’s founding. These charges of the low origins of America, and its oppressive practices, and its depraved culture, and its pernicious global influence—are they true? If so, is it possible to love our country, or are we compelled to watch her buildings knocked down and her people killed and say, in unison with her enemies, ‘Praise be to Allah’?” (Pg. 28)

He suggests, “I feel especially qualified to write this book …[Since] Having been raised in a country [India] that was colonized by the West for several hundred years, I have a good vantage point to assess how Western civilization has harmed or helped the people of the non-Western world. As a ‘person of color’ … I am competent to address such questions as what it is like to be a nonwhite person in America, what this country owes to its indigenous minorities, and whether immigrants can maintain their ethnic identity and still ‘become American.’” (Pg. 32-33)

He observes, “Those who identify colonization and empire only with the West either have no sense of history or have forgotten about the Persian empire… the Islamic empire… the Chinese empire, and the Aztec and Inca empires in the Americas. Shouldn’t the Arabs be paying reparations for their destruction of the Byzantine and Persian empires?... shouldn’t the Muslims reimburse the Spaniards for their seven-hundred-year rule?” (Pg. 53-54) Later, adds, “I am … pointing out a historical fact: despite the corrupt and self-serving motives of their practitioners, the institutions of colonialism and slavery proved to be the mechanism that brought millions of nonwhite people into the orbit of Western freedom.” (Pg. 59-60) He continues, “it is the interaction between the three Western institutions of science, democracy, and capitalism that has produced the great wealth and success of Western civilization.” (Pg. 66)

He asks, “if the immigrant wanted to preserve intact his native culture, if he wanted to be the same person that he was in his home country, then why come to the United States? Clearly the immigrant seeks something that is available here and not in his homeland. That something… is the opportunity to have a good life… the chance to make his own life.” (Pg. 95)

He also insists that “merit, not racism, is responsible for performance differences on ]IQ tests]. Merit, not racism, is the primary obstacle to enrolling larger numbers of blacks and Hispanics in selective universities.” (Pg. 121) He continues, “racial preference policies … seek to camouflage the performance differences between racial groups and to benefit less-qualified members of some groups at the expense of more-qualified members of other groups… at the expense of undermining to bedrock American principles---the principle of merit and the principles of equal rights under the law.” (Pg. 123) He goes on, “a group of scholars… has offered a third position that I support… This view holds that there are … BEHAVIORAL differences between groups… and they can be directly related to academic achievement and economic success.” (Pg. 125)

He observes, “even though the United States does not have a serious military rival in the world today, America… shows no real interest in conquering and subjugating the rest of the world… On occasion the U.S. intervenes to overthrow a tyrannical regime … but it never stays to rule that country….” (Pg. 168)

He argues, “Multiculturalists … hold that there are no universal standards by which cultures can be judged better or worse. All cultures are basically equal…. I am not suggesting that there is any absolute standard by which one can proclaim cultures superior or inferior… the assimilation strategy of the immigrants is simply superior in today’s world to the protest strategy … because it leads to more rapid upward mobility and economic success.” (Pg. 170-172)

He says, “the Islamic world faces a formidable threat from the United States… America stands for and idea that is fully capable of transforming the Islamic world by winning the hearts of Muslims. The subversive American idea is one of shaping your own life, or making your own destiny… This American idea endangers … the authority of Islamic society. It empowers women and children to assert their prerogatives against the male head of the household. It also undermines political and religious hierarchies…” (Pg. 181)

He proposes, “it I indispensable that Muslim fundamentalists relinquish the use of force for the purpose of spreading Islam… let us remember that millions of Muslims are already living this way. These are, of course, the Muslim immigrants to Europe and the United States… most of them understand that they must respect the equal rights of others. They have renounced the ‘jihad’ of the sword and confine themselves to the ‘jihad’ of the pen.” (Pg. 186)

He concludes, “America is the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence… This country… is now the last best hope of the world… History will view America as a great gift to the world, a gift that Americans today must preserve and cherish.” (Pg. 193)

Parts of this book will appeal to a broad spectrum of Americans, and other parts may repel others.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I did enjoy this book, I had to give it an average rating because I'm not a big fan of non-fiction.


I don't think D'Souza is going to change any minds. If you believe the U.S. to be one of the "greatest, freest, and mose decent societies in existence" then you'll agree with him. If you believe the U.S. to be a warmongering, selfish and arrogant nation, then you will not be swayed by D'Souza's arguments.


I fall into the former category and have been called ethnocentric because of it.


There's one line in the book that I really liked. D'Souza says, "As an immigrant, I am constantly surprised by how much I hear racism talked about and how little I actually see it. (Even fewer are the incidents in which I have experienced it directly.)"

As a Mexican-American I have to say that I concur.

The truth of the matter is racism will always exist. I think people genuinely believe that racism is something that can be eradicated. But, no, it can't. As long as man exists, racism will too. People have to understand this, come to terms with it, and realize that they can and should rise above it. Don't use it as a crutch! It's a hindrance, not an assistance. (See what I just did there? Like Jesse Jackson, I went into rhyme sequence. :D)

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in 2002, shortly after the Muslim 9/11 attacks, and it shows - much of the book addresses the complaints against America by Muslims. That the book is a bit dated shows in other ways too - for example, he talks almost nothing about mass illegal immigration and refugees which have become extremely decisive issues since the immediate post 9/11 era, only about his experience as an immigrant and the contrast between immigrant minorities and indigenous minorities. Another topic he doesn't talk about much is the hyper-partisanship that started a little later in Bush's term and has now peaked in the age of Trump, Pelosi and Schumer.

Overall, his style is pretty straightforward and basic. He cites a diverse set of academic sources, but nothing terribly deep or nuanced. I feel like his audience might be those who don't read much political theory and it makes a good introduction if you haven't read much about conservative political philosophy, but nothing as intellectual as Russel Kirk or Roger Scruton.

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have given it 3 stars if it wasn't for the last chapter where D'souza makes an excuse for every single controversial and immoral foreign affairs action the U.S. military, C.I.A. has undertaken. I sympathize with his critique of multiculturalism, and oppression politics and agree with him on America being a great country via our freedom and market economy but I cannot recommend a book that claims we were merely acting in America's best interest and therefore all our military interventions are justified. I wonder how Dinesh feels about drone strikes now- he probably loves them and sees them as a lesser of two evils, ugh.

[Arthur · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horribly racist, poor logic, and altogether arrogant. This book seeks to explain American dominance in the world by extolling American superiority. Nevermind the issues at home and abroad, D'souza suggests we actively export (forcefully if necessary) the American way of life globally. This book also seeks to demonize "multiculturalism" for no other apparent reason than respect for cultural diversity flies in direct contrast to the central argument. Dinesh basically says their is a cultural hierarchy which is based on which cultures "succeeded" on the global stage. This hierarchy justifies further cultural exportation and colonization to promote it. Anybody else see a circular argument here?

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of the same ground as Neill Ferguson's CIVILIZATION: THE WEST AND THE REST, only it's much less of a slog. Born and raised in India, D'Souza gives a lot of weight to commonly heard criticism regarding the American way of life but ultimately feels that America has been unfairly vilified in the minds of many. This book is a defense of American culture in general, as well as an exploration of the ideals upon which the country was founded.

[Tyler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every time I opened it, I wanted to stop reading and go to sleep. To me, it was one of those books. I had to read it for a class about social and cultural behavior. It fit in with what's going on now, a little, with Islam and everything. I definitely wouldn't recommend it, unless you love history and books that drag on.

[Ke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction book is about how the author puts forth that America is great, and supports it with critical writings and his own experience. I liked how the author supported his arguments with relevant and memorable examples. I did not like the book's middle part very much, because I found it confusing.

[Mike Glaser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good points although I would question some of them. It is interesting to see what he did and did not get right since the book was published.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished Dinesh D'Souza’s book "What's So Great About America", a book which looks at America past and present and does so with a sense of history and moral clarity which is sorely needed in our day and time. It has become increasingly popular in recent decades for the political left to point to every real and perceived sin committed by America in order to advance the idea that America is no better than any other nation, or worse, that America is actually a force of evil in the world.

In doing so, the left intentionally distorts the past, and omits discussion of the tremendous good, often done with great sacrifice in blood and treasure, to advance the cause of liberty throughout the Earth. Written in 2002, “What’s So Great About America” seems even more relevant today, with the world aflame in chaos and violence, than it was a dozen years ago.

While it is proper to have a discussion of our national sins (slavery comes to mind, first and foremost), it is not just intellectually dishonest, but downright suicidal to breed such contempt for the very nation which, for the first time in history, declared that all men are created equal in the eyes of God and the law, and which declared our rights come not from man, but from God Himself. No longer would we live under the idea of a Divine Right of Kings, but instead would propose that government is the servant of the people, not the master.

In a very reasoned and well-laid out manner, D'Souza looks at the effect that Western culture has had on the world, and it is eye-opening. He shows that, as much as Western colonialism has been vilified (and to be sure, there is much to criticize), that same colonialism brought with it these revolutionary ideas to the colonized lands, and as a result introduced the concept of due process, property rights, and a rejection of slavery as a morally justified practice. Upon the departure of the colonizing nations, the native peoples were left far more peaceful and wealthy in most cases than before they were colonized. These developments would not have occurred without the influence of Western culture; indeed, as D'Souza points out, upon the abolition of slavery, African tribal chiefs, who had profited from the slave trade, sent delegations to protest the end of slavery. Maybe this dynamic was best summed up when he wrote "Colonialism had injured those who lived under it, but paradoxically it proved beneficial to their descendants."

Regarding slavery, D'Souza writes "The American Revolution should be judged by its consequences. Before 1776, slavery was legal in every part of America. Yet by 1804 every state north of Maryland had abolished slavery either immediately or gradually; southern and border states prohibited further slave importations from abroad, and Congress was committed to outlawing the slave trade in 1808, which it did. Slavery was no longer a national but a sectional institution, and one under moral and political siege." To this I would add that America fought a fratricidal war, which saw spilled the blood of more than half a million Americans, in order to repent and cleanse the land of this moral evil.

With their endless, moralizing bloviations, the political left embraces the doctrine of multiculturalism, an idea that no one culture is superior to another culture, and therefore we should feel no pride in our nation or culture.

The irony and hypocrisy of this position is as baffling as it is amusing. In America today, we hear ad nauseum of the sins of American slavery, and claims of social subjugation and oppression of women and minorities, of which is offered as proof the claim of a "glass ceiling" and "unequal pay" for women in the workforce, “subtle” racism towards minorities, etc. Yet these same leftists openly praise Islamic cultures, which still sell subjected peoples into actual slavery, which consider women as property, where pre-pubescent girls are sold into marriage to much older men, where converting to another religion is punishable by death, where forced abortions maintain the "One-Child Rule", where female genital mutilation is still the norm, where homosexuality is not only looked down upon but is a cause for imprisonment or death. Just this week I read in my daily newspaper stories of Islamic radicals in Syria who stoned to death two women accused of adultery, yet I am supposed to somehow believe that this culture is superior to American culture?

Leftists do not appreciate the irony of the fact that it is only in Western cultures where they have the right to complain about how oppressed they are without suffering persecution and death. Maybe that is why, as horrible and racist and nativist and bigoted and sexist and xenophobic and greedy and hateful and homophobic and oppressive as America supposedly is, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world risk their very lives in order to get to America each and every year. Clearly, they do NOT see America as the scourge that American leftists claim that she is.

French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, author of "The Savage Mind", for decades argued that primitive cultures are just as valid and worthy of praise as are more complex, Westernized cultures. After decades of arguing this position he came to a startling discovery; the people living in these primitive cultures, which he long held have moral and social equivalence to Western culture, were doing all they could to leave their cultures behind and embrace Western culture.

Wrote Levi-Strauss, "The dogma of cultural relativism is challenged by the very people for whose moral benefit the anthropologists established it in the first place. The complaint the underdeveloped countries advance is not that they are being Westernized, but that there is too much delay in giving them the means to Westernize themselves. It is of no use to defend the individuality of human cultures against those cultures themselves." D'Souza further emphasizes this point when he correctly notes that "immigrants...are walking refutations of cultural relativism. When immigrants decide to leave their home country and move to another country, they are voting with their feet in favor of the new culture and against their native culture."

The bottom line for objective observers is that the American ideal and form of government is indeed superior to every other form of government tried in the history of mankind, even with its flaws. When individuals are given great freedom, all will at some point make a bad decision worthy of criticism, and a smaller number will use their free will to engage in immoral, misanthropic activities that demean, cheat, and harm others, for which there will be a negative impact on society. That is how we end up with such painful manifestations of the shortcomings of free will as theft, burglary, gang violence, rape, murder, the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, reality TV, and the popularity of Justin Bieber.

On the other hand, there is no charity without free will, and America is the most charitable nation on the face of the Earth...and I am NOT talking about the trillion-plus dollars in annual federal welfare spending paid for with tax dollars extorted from working Americans. I am talking about the billions of dollars that Americans voluntarily give each year to The Salvation Army, Goodwill, The Red Cross, their churches, and other national and local charities. I am talking about the millions and millions of volunteer hours donated to churches, homeless shelters, battered women's shelters, children's homes, and food kitchens, not to mention the private monetary donations made to fund these endeavors. I am talking about the millions of instances of individual kindness and courtesy shown each and every day by average Americans for whom there will be no accolades, no public commendations, no awards ceremonies...just the warmth and satisfaction that comes from helping our fellow man and knowing (for Christians) that we have followed the admonition and commandments of Jesus Christ. Are these expressions of charity exclusive to America? Of course not. But in America we do charity like we do everything else...BIG!

So while America's naysaying leftists and multi-culturalists continue to demean and condemn American culture and society as being harsh, oppressive, selfish, racist, bigoted, and generally immoral, the rest of us thinking Americans can still strive to do more, to be better, kinder, and more charitable, even as we accept the challenge of Jeane Kirkpatrick, Reagan's U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, that "Americans need to face the truth about themselves, no matter how pleasant it is."

[Katie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s so Great about America is a great book that every U.S. citizen should read. It is imperative that we understand America - all her beauty and faults included - so that we may appreciate & defend her. This is especially important as we continually find ourselves more & more on the receiving end of so much global opposition. I enjoyed reading from D’Souza’s point of view since he is originally from India; this allows him to paint a picture that a U.S. born citizen will not naturally understand. He does a fair job of presenting the main cases against America and then refuting them in the end. He speaks on multiculturalism, racism, democracy, and so much more.

I appreciate that he points out that many of America’s faults are not unique to this country alone. There are notes of this throughout the book, one being on pages 53-54, “Those who identify colonialism and empire only with the West either have no sense of history or have forgotten about the Persian empire, the Macedonian empire, the Islamic empire, the Mongol empire, the Chinese empire, and the Aztec and Inca empires in the Americas.” The cases against America are not solely ours, yet we seem to be the only ones receiving backlash.

He explains some of the reasons that the West is so powerful and successful: “science, democracy, and capitalism” (pg. 60.) “Democracy is based on a broad human aspiration: the aspiration to be heard and to participate in decision making.” Democracy is a wonderful thing, and we are so blessed to live in a democratic republic. People love to hate on capitalism in today’s time, but look at how advanced we are because of it. It has undoubtedly shaped and influenced many lives for the better. “Capitalism is based on the belief that the calling of the merchant or entrepreneur is a worthwhile one” (65.) Ultimately, capitalism is consumer/others-focused by its very nature. You must meet the needs of other people before profiting. The overall quality of life has improved drastically due to these three institutions. “The point is that the United States is a country where the ordinary guy has a good life. This is what distinguishes America from so many other countries” (78.)

D’Souza advocates for America in a convincing way. He points out that, “Critics of United States (foreign policy) judge it by a standard that they apply to no one else” (164.) People compare America to utopia but hold all other countries of the world to a lesser standard. I am all for holding oneself (or one’s country) to a higher standard, but the disdain for America today….please. Show some grace towards your country that has provided you so much, be grateful, and contribute to making her an even lovelier place.

“In America, the life we are given is not as important as the life we make. Ultimately, America is worthy of our love and sacrifice because, more than any other society, it makes possible the good life, and the life that is good” (193.)

[Dann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s So Great About America? It’s a question that’s become increasingly relevant in the 21st century, and political commentator/bestselling author Dinesh D’Souza has the answer. An Indian immigrant, D’Souza brings a unique perspective to the debate over American Exceptionalism and the immigrant experience. He examines the claims of multiculturalists that American/Western culture is no better than any other, along with the charges made by Islamic fundamentalists that America is a corrupt and decadent nation. And while he concludes that there is some validity to these critics’ claims, deeper analysis reveals that the West has contributed much to the advancement in culture and that America has a superior culture that offers unprecedented freedom and opportunity. This is not to say that America and the West haven’t committed egregious wrongs or that those wrongs are excusable. Nor are America’s liberties free of the potential of abuse. However, no other culture sets its standards as high or does as much soul-searching or redressing of its wrongs as America. Incredibly insightful and thought-provoking, What’s So Great About America? is a remarkably astute analysis of the global culture war.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an individual from India who came to the United States in the 1970’s, Dinesh D’Souza feels that he is an ideal person to present the case for what is great about America.

When D’Souza states, “Islam and Christianity clashed not because they failed to understand each other, but because they understood each other perfectly well” he is speaking of the similarities between the two religions. Both religions are monotheistic and both hold that their religion is the one true and universal religion. The animosity that exists between the two religions is nothing new; followers of Christianity and Islam have warred against each other before. Both religions also practice conversion and believe it is their duty to lead others to the truth that can only be found within their religion. Muslims, in particular, believe that this should be accomplished even if by force.

The three main currents of foreign opposition to the spread of American influence are, according to D’Souza: the European school, the Asian school, and the Islamic school. The European school is predominantly French and objects to global domination by any one country, much less the United States, as the French tend to find the U.S. an arrogant and uncouth culture. The Asian school holds that America’s financial success is tainted by social and moral decline. And, finally, the Islamic school criticizes America’s foreign policy and finds its principles subversive.

D’Souza states, ‘there is no way that Islamic society can compromise or meet the west halfway” because the principles of the two religions are so radically different. To Islamic followers, Christians have forsaken their own God to become worshippers of the false idols democracy and commerce.

D’Souza believes that the most serious internal criticism of America comes from multiculturalists who portray America as oppressive. He defines indigenous minorities as African Americans and American Indians and believes that they are the driving force behind multiculturalism. He argues that European settlers are not guilty of genocide because the diseases that exterminated large numbers of American Indians were not intentionally spread, except for in some rare cases. (He ignores the vast numbers of American Indians literally slaughtered or who died during forced removal. On the Trail of Tears for instance 4,000 of the 18,000 rounded up died in stockades or on the journey. ) He believes that the case of forced inclusion of American Indians is less serious than the forced exclusion of African Americans. He holds that cultural relativism is only relevant in approaching a culture for the first time and that once a culture is explored then judgments can be made and aspects of the culture found to be superior or inferior. Note that he is not speaking of the culture in general, but of specific aspects.

D’Souza defines nativism as based on resentment and patriotism as based on love. Nativism, in his view, means loving one’s country because it is one’s country and leads people to arbitrarily detest foreigners, while patriotism means loving one’s country because it is great.

D’Souza argues that ethnocentrism, colonialism, nor slavery is unique to Western Civilization. What he does find unique to the West, however, is the effort to transcend ethnocentrism and to learn from other cultures. (I wonder if this might be due to the influence of those same multiculturalists that D’Souza believes are such a threat.) D’Souza also notes that America has been the only country in which persons eligible to own slaves have worked for the abolition of slavery. He further posits that colonialism typically leaves the colonized better off than they would have been without it, though he does admit that these improvements were brought without intent. He quotes Zora Neale Hurston, “Slavery is the price I paid for civilization, and that is worth all that I have paid through my ancestors for it.”

The reparations fallacy according to D’Souza’s views is the notion that anything more than equal rights under the law is owed to indigenous minorities. He believes that, “a just social policy seeks to benefit those who have been harmed and impose the cost on those who have done the harming. This is not what racial preference policies do.” He believes that affirmative action, particularly in post-secondary education serves to hide the fact that all races are not performing equally.

The reasons for the great success of America, posits D’Souza are the advanced development of the institutions of democracy, capitalism, and science. In answer to questioning of the moral virtue of America in comparison to countries with other forms of government is “compulsion cannot produce virtue: it can only produce the outward semblance of virtue”.

Mr. D’Souza concludes that “America is the greatest, freest, and most decent society in existence”.

The author presents a clear message, parts of which, as one of the multiculturalists he refers to as the danger to this country, I find difficult to swallow. I attempted to find information that would repudiate his statements regarding the rarity of the use of smallpox infested blankets to deliberately infect American Indians. Given that my research was limited, I was only able to find one provable instance of this (Lord Amherst, Captain Ecuyer 1763). I also discovered that an author, Ward Churchill, I had previously considered an authority on the subject and whose essays had strongly influenced my thinking on the subject has been denounced as a fraud by the American Indian Movement. (http://www.thefurtrapper.com/indian_s..., http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~west/thread..., http://www.aimovement.org/moipr/churc...)

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As the American Founders knew, America is a new kind of society that produces a new kind of human being. That human being, confident, self-reliant, tolerant, generous, future-oriented is a vast improvement over the wretched, servile, fatalistic, intolerant human being that traditional societies have always produced ... In America, the life we are given is not as important as the life we make. Ultimately, America is worthy of our love and sacrifice, because more than any other society, it makes possible the good life and the life that is good. America is the greatest, freest society in existence. It is an oasis of goodness in a desert of cynicism and barbarism. This country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world."

Pericles

(Audiobook) Read by Dinesh D'Souza
app 6 hrs

[Karen Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this fascinating book is like a graduate-level crash course in history, civics, and current events all in one. Not light reading, but so educational and engaging that I found I was listening for hours, and just stopping when I couldn't absorb anymore. The author reads his own book (which I like) and he combines excellent education with plenty of research and a real gift for explaining complex things in plain language and step-by-step analysis. He uses personal examples and his sense of humor/sense of the absurd is evident throughout. To anyone who is wondering what the heck is going on in today's ________(fill in the blank with your own ending), this begins to answer the question and is a brilliant reminder of the positive things about our country that seems to have disappeared from public view.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr D'Souza shows just hope analytical his writing is. Very well laid out. Best part is he does not sugar coat his research at all. He lays it so out there, good and bad. What really makes the book great is that he builds it up to make it feel as though it is a hit piece, but then does a wonderful job of putting it all in perspective to the times in which events occurred and the world events happening. Regardless of your political or personal stances, this is a good book to read for good reliable information. My favorite part is the bibliography/reference pages. So much good information provided. Nothing worse than reading books that claim information and supporting facts and then cite nothing.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up for being a surprisingly enjoyable audio book.

I did not expect to like this book. I suppose I didn't expect to dislike it either. I figured, however, that it would be more of a product of my political reading in my early 20s than a book I'd enjoy today. I was wrong.

While some referenced current events do date the book, it is primarily an exploration of ideas. It clearly expresses the argument that America thrives because of certain principles and that is what makes America "great." It was one of those books that left me with a framework to contemplate other books by, which I appreciate.

Not a worldview changing book for me personally, but one I thought did a solid job at expressing why Americans can (and should) justifiably appreciate their country.