From the bestselling author of The MAGA Doctrine !
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk shares a vision for America’s future embracing first principles, free markets, and small government. Kirk provides a roadmap on how to return to a free America, with an emphasis on reaching our youth and engaging them in the process.
During the 2016 Presidential election cycle, it has become clear that there is growing frustration on the part of many Americans with the general direction of the nation. There has been an abandonment of the principles of free markets and limited government upon which America was founded. We didn't get to this point over just the last eight years and it’s going to take more than one or two election cycles to reverse it.
In Time for a Turning Point Charlie Kirk shows exactly what needs to be done and how it needs to be done to restore America's freedom. This is a book of hope, not despair—book of action, not condolences.
Charlie Kirk was the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.
I learned a lot about our government and how it functions. I never gave much thought to big vs small government systems and this book helped broaden my understanding.
This book was truly an eye-opening, ground-breaking read. This book really hit home the turning point our country is making with the recent conservative youth movement in our campuses. This book addressed the majority liberal professors and how conservative students should battle this. I loved how everything was displayed in a clear, factual basis. This book has made me into a big Charlie Kirk fan. Not just because he is regularly a guest on major news networks, but because he paints a clear, vivid portrayal of the current issues young conservatives face on campuses. All in all, this book is a great read and I recommend this book to anyone.
It took me 40 years since my grade school education to come to the same complete awareness of our political system and the corruption of the collectivist class (autocrats of any ilk commie/socialist/fascist/nazis/islamist/etc) who only want Complete control of the American peoples' lives. Big Government SUX. It's possible Any government sux but then we might not have roads (and an interstate highway system (my argument)). Charlie reveals himself as an individual and deal maker; he knows that the teams we've joined for what ever reason (including, the other side is f'ing crazy) means we sometimes accept positions which aren't our own... Charlie and I don't do that... we argue when their team is wrong And when our team is wrong. QED
At 22 y.o. Charlie Kirk was one smart guy (as the Blues Brothers would say) On a Mission from God.
Excellent read. Charlie did a great job describing our current political environment. The conservative movement of TPUSA, us designed for high achoo and college student to help them understand the political environment we are all facing. I’ve been following him in his debates for a long time.
I am so saddened by the fact that Charlie is no longer with us. I cannot even begin to imagine what his wife, his entire family, and loved ones have been going through. Immediately after Charlie’s assassination, I realized that I already have two of his books on my Kindle and had yet to read them, hence why I started on this. He wrote this one when he was only 21. He will be missed forever.
Here are some of my favorite quotes.
This one broke my heart “I’m only in my early 20s and I am assuming, perhaps naïvely, that I will live an actuarially normal life. I have more than 50 years remaining. This is going to be a long game. The challenges that America faces were not created just over the last several years under the Obama administration (although it certainly could seem that way).”
Tax the Rich “According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the top 1 percent of Americans paid 45.7 percent of the individual income taxes in 2014 — up from 43 percent in 2013 and 40 percent in 2012 (the oldest period available). The bottom 80 percent of Americans paid 15 percent of all federal income taxes in 2014 and the bottom 60 percent are expected to pay less than 2 percent of federal income taxes.”
Why such Hatred Towards Western Civilization? “In the spring of 2016 the students at Stanford University were asked to vote on whether the school should require a course to be taken in Western Civilization as part of general education requirements. Up until the 1980s such a course had been required. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 1,992 to 347. The vote so bothered my friend and political commentator Dennis Prager that he felt compelled to write a column about it. Here is part of what he wrote: …So, the Big Question is, why? Why is the left hostile toward Western civilization? After decades of considering this question, I have concluded the answer is this: standards. The left hates standards — moral standards, artistic standards, cultural standards. The West is built on all three, and it has excelled in all three. Why does the left hate standards? It hates standards because when there are standards, there is judgment. And leftists don’t want to be judged. Thus, Michelangelo is no better than any contemporary artist, and Rembrandt is no greater than any non-Western artist. So, too, street graffiti — which is essentially the defacing of public and private property, and thus serves to undermine civilization—is “art.”…. …And finally, we come to the left’s loathing of the religions of Western civilization—the Judeo-Christian religions, which have clear standards of right and wrong. Bible-based religions affirm a morally judging God. For the left, that is anathema. For the left, the only judging allowed is leftists’ judging of others. No one judges the left — neither man nor God. We all need to understand and accept that my friend is right. What we are seeing on college campuses today reflects a deep and abiding hatred of all that we have been and all that we are. The university culture is one that suggests that they are transcendent. They are moving away from the flawed past of the West and opening a new pathway to enlightenment and truth. The truth as they see it. I prefer the truth of our founders.”
Unite on Common Ground “… we need to get people to stop insulting each other and unite on common ground. I’ve discovered that the same people who support Bernie Sanders cheer out loud when they see a ‘Big Government Sucks’ sign on a college campus. Yet those same people will tell you they don’t like conservatives or ‘right wingers.’ We have to get these people to come together and realize just how much they have in common. While we are fighting amongst ourselves, big government collectivists are busy doing their best imitation of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and not letting the crisis go to waste. They are taking away our freedom.”
Ever since I got into reading, Charlie's books have been on my reading list, and everytime he released a new book, I would add it to the list. Now because I have been listening to, watching, and following Charlie for the past decade--ever since I gained an interest in politics really--I always, like with so many other political figures that I follow, kept pushing the date that I would read his books back further and further. I always assumed that because I liked Charlie, and agreed with him on most things, and because I knew what he believed, I could hold off on actually sitting down to read his works. I also assumed, naively, like Charlie stated in Time for a Turning Point that: "[He's] only in [his] early 20s and [we can] assum[e], perhaps naively, that [he] will live an actuarially normal life. [That he has] more than 50 years remaining. This is going to be a long game." Sadly that wasn't the case. Charlie was assassinated on September 10th, 2025 in Orem, Utah while speaking at the first event of TPUSA's The American Comeback Tour for the Fall 2025 Semester. Charlie spoke, and he spoke the truth, and they--the left--killed him for it. Charlie's assassination deeply moved me, I was in a state of deep sadness for a at least a week, I cried, and I even felt a sense of demonic energy in the air the night of September 10th when I woke up in the middle of the night, and could not fall back asleep. But Charlie's works were immediately moved to the top of my reading list. I was reading The Art of Cross-Examination: With the Examinations of Important Witnesses in Some Celebrated Cases by Francis L. Wellman at the time of Charlie's assassination, and I would have started Charlie's work as soon as I finished reading that however I was on temporary active duty orders to The Naval Justice School, Naval Station Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, so: (1) I did not trust having anything mailed onto-base; and (2) I knew that in a few short weeks, I would have to ship all of my belongings back across the Country when I moved back to Twentynine Palms, California. So I made the decision to read Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years after The Art of Cross-Examination because I was already planning on doing so, and therefore was already in possession of it in Newport. Finally, upon my arrival back in Twentynine Palms, I had less than 1 chapter of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years left to read, and then I could embark on Charlie's works.
That leads us to this moment, where I have completed reading Time for a Turning Point: Setting a Course Toward Free Markets and Limited Government for Future Generations. It's a great book. But what I enjoyed most was being able to read this book (written by Charlie in 2016), with all of the knowledge of all of the events that have transpired in American politics since then, until now in late 2025. I got to see how much Charlie's political philosophy has truly evolved in that timeframe, while remaining true to the First Principles. I found myself constantly reminiscing about Charlie while reading because I in a very real, political sense grew up on Charlie Kirk, he not only greatly influenced my political philosophy, worldview, and outlook on life, but I watched him become one of the most politically influential persons in all of American history, a husband, a father--a man. And I became a man alongside with him.
They say you don't know how much something means to you until its gone. Boy was that true with Charlie. I never realized how much he meant to the right, how much he meant to America, and how much he meant to me. And by extension, I never realized how ungrateful I was for Charlie. Charlie would've been President someday. That is a fact. If you are an American patriot you will read this book.
I thank you so much Charlie for what you did for the right, America, and what you did for me. You ultimately gave your life for us, and we will never forget it, and we will forever be indebted to you for it. Your sacrifice can never be in vain. I love you, and rest in peace.
Listened to the audiobook after Charlie’s assassination. I knew who he was before, but wanted to hear his thoughts and ideas that made someone feel like they had to take him out. 2 stars more so reflects that I don’t enjoy political books or politics in general. He wrote this book when he was my age and did a better job than if I tried to write a book, and he didn’t have chatgpt to help! I overall agree with the idea that less government is better and tend to agree with individualistic ideas and polices. I thought it was really interesting how he explained that people side with the political party that aligns with people’s biggest issue (abortion, taxes, etc). Also liked the comparison he made to political parties being more like teams and trying to defeat one another than work together. In conclusion, I believe Americans have far more in common than different when presented with the same set of facts, but getting the same set of facts is difficult when people profit off of division and hatred.
Writing for this book was completed in May of 2016, so it’s pre-Trump general election win in November.
Charlie talks about his organization (Turning Point USA) with passion and detail. It’s well done and I understand the origins and mission now. But most importantly, he laid out a way to talk about our politics outside of dated terms (Left and Right) that not only don’t fit our system and country but cause us to talk past each other and knee jerk defend our “team.”
He convinced me of two things: term limits; and one that merely reinforces a previous belief: Big government sucks. He’s articulate and this is the most I’ve read of him or seen his thoughts. I’d only seen the short videos on campuses and his supporters and detractors. Here’s the thing, Charlie Kirk was a moderate on most issues and a really reasonable guy who just wanted a conversation without labels or help the country he loves.
🎧 Like many Americans as of late, I wanted to know more about Charlie Kirk and his foundation Turning Point. I agreed with many of his claims but wanted to understand the foundational truths he built TPUSA upon. I was surprised to find that there wasn’t much on his religious beliefs at all. After 13 years, many of his college debates turned into conversations circled around his moral ethics. Ones like abortion; heavily emotional topics that caused uproar in his opponents. In reality, his perspectives on free markets and limited government can be agreed upon by a majority of Americans if they just took the time to read his work. RIP Charlie Kirk- an astounding young man that stood firm in his convictions and fought for a better America 🇺🇸🕊️✝️
Really well written and was very informative. Besides the input of his story and TP USA’s the book was based on truths of past American history with factual data to make his claim. I learned so much from this book and will read it again to gain even more clarity on topics. I really wish I was paying more attention while he was alive but in his honor I will research a lot going forward and make sure it’s from credible sources so I don’t become brainwashed and unable to think for myself. Thanks again Charlie, and may God bless your beautiful family abundantly. You will never be forgotten!
It’s insane to think a 22 year old ,only 2 years older than me, Charlie could have such foresight and deep knowledge about the country, its founding ideals, and its current youth and how to connect all 3. In was truly inspiring to read this and to have to honor of seeing just a fraction of what went on in Charlie’s mind.
I learned more political science and civics from this book than I ever learned from college professors. Read it and educate yourself on individualism vs collectivism, the examples of all failed attempts at socialism and the history of right and left in politics. I would wager it is not what you think.
Although written in 2016, I learned quite a bit listening to this. Great book for teens and college students wanting to understand more about how government works and why Charlie started Turning Point USA.
Like some I had never heard of Charlie Kirk until his passing. Upon reading this book I learned a lot of government tactics and strategies. Although I don’t agree 100% with what he says a lot makes sense and some things to think about from a left vs right prescriptive.
Started during college and stopped when classes, CPAC, COVID, and mission began The hypothetical ideal life of a man in a country with limited, efficient government Don't remember much, but I remember really enjoying it
Loved diving deeper into the actualization of Charlie’s dream, the process, and determination involved in putting this entire organization into practice. Detailed and informative