The No Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America

by Bill O'Reilly

“[O'Reilly] is the real McCoy. He's the best reporter I've seen in years…He's smart, well-read, has good values…and he is fearless in picking targets.”
—Newsday

Bill O'Reilly is even madder today than when he wrote his last book, The O'Reilly Factor, and his fans love him even more. He's mad because things have gone from bad to worse in politics, in Hollywood, in every social stratum of the nation. True to its title, The No Spin Zone cuts through all the rhetoric that some of O'Reilly's most infamous guests have spewed to expose what's really on their minds, while sharing plenty of his own emphatic counterpoints along the way.

Shining a searing spotlight on public figures from President George W. Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton to the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to his former CBS News colleague Dan Rather, The No Spin Zone is laced with the kind of straight-shooting commentary that had made O'Reilly the voice of middle America's disenfranchised.

“This explosive anchor can be articulate, bombastic, scornful, witty, iconoclastic, passionate, persuasive, and sarcastic.”
—Publisher's Weekly

“[O'Reilly's] brand of hard-nosed, regular-guy TV talk is here to stay.”
—Newsweek

“[The No Spin Zone] vibrates with O'Reilly's gruff Irish wit and elbows-on-the-bar social criticism.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A twenty-year veteran of the television industry, Bill O'Reilly has won two Emmy awards for excellence in reporting. He served as national correspondent for ABC News and as anchor of the nationally syndicated Inside Edition. A graduate of Marist College, he holds two master's degrees, on in public administration from Harvard and another in broadcast journalism from Boston University. He lives on Long Island with his wife and their daughter.

James Ellroy, who contributes an Afterword to The No Spin Zone, is a famed novelist and journalist who profiled Bill O'Reilly for the magazine GQ.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Political Science, Audiobook

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Bill O'Reilly's success in broadcasting and publishing is unmatched. The iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor led the program to the status of the highest rated cable news broadcast in the nation for sixteen consecutive years. His website BillOReilly.com is followed by millions all over the world.

In addition, he has authored an astonishing 12 number one ranked non-fiction books including the historical "Killing" series. Mr. O'Reilly currently has 17 million books in print.

Bill O'Reilly has been a broadcaster for 42 years. He has been awarded three Emmys and a number of other journalism accolades. He was a national correspondent for CBS News and ABC News as well as a reporter-anchor for WCBS-TV in New York City, among other high-profile jobs.

Mr. O'Reilly received two other Emmy nominations for the movies "Killing Kennedy" and "Killing Jesus."

He holds a history degree from Marist College, a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University, and another master’s degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Bill O'Reilly lives on Long Island where he was raised. His philanthropic enterprises have raised tens of millions for people in need and wounded American veterans.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/billor...

Reviews

[Michael Perkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

very whiney

[merryxmas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a joke. It's just transcriptions of past shows with a few pages of him boasting about his mad skillz.

Here's a summary:


Bill - LOUD NOISES!!!!!

Guest - MORE LOUD NOISES!!!!!!!!!


Hi, I'm Bill. I won that argument so I wrote a book about it to prove it to you. Thanks for wasting your time reading this. No, you can't have your 10 minutes back.



The End



gah

[Malea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what even possessed me to try this book...I think I lost brain cells as a result of this one. What in the world was I thinking? Oh, wait, I must not have been...thinking, that is...

[Kym Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like most books written by celebrities or those who are deemed 'personalities' this book is a self serving soap box of self important rants. It follows along similar lines that you would find in O'Rileys show which at times seems rationale and reasonable only to come crashing down into a chaotic heap of egotistical lead inconsistencies which show just how limited O'Rileys principles are.

Over the years big Bill has been considered a champion of Right wing or conservative values. The American polito sphere has polluted definitions and language and some times confuses such ideals. In any case under American parlance he is a 'Right wing Republican Conservative'. What this means however is that he is merely a cheerleader of populist Republican party drivel. Just like his CNN and MSNBC opposites who cling to the Democratic party mantra, Bill stays loyal to his party for the most part, that is his most consistent trait. Or he stays loyal to the most jingoistic of American instincts before any other culture or nation should they some how defy this out look.

Because of this, his books sprouts the usual and often generic blasts which one would expect from this American icon in all of its contemporary politico talk. Whether its a Democrat or Republican you do not get much variation from the pundits, they are void of originality and principles, instead they remain loyal to the party core. And in reality this tends not to differ that much from 'wing' to 'wing' when you step back and look at matters objectively.

The book reads like a 'What I would do if I was King' sort of paper that angry children concoct at times of frustration. It is often inconsiderate to the notion that the Earth is made up of distinct individuals, that the Galaxy does not spin around his part of the USA or that sledgehammers can be used in moments of surgical delicacy. It is rhetorical reactionarism to anything contrary to his World view.

Some times Bill has a good idea, but it is lost within the main body of inconsistent principles and confused terms or words which have lost their meanings only to be replaced by modern political Trojan words often favoured by spin doctors or political predators.

Now all of this fine. We all deserve our opinions. The free market of ideas is a splendid place, it exposes us all for what we believe and hold dear. It is when violence and coercion drips from each demanding command that one should be wary, whether 'left' or 'right' it matters little. For Bill he has a great influence (or is in fact influenced by) on many who do scribble with pen strokes violence that harms so many and this is always a concerning observation when you indulge them some time to listen to their thoughts.

Read this book if you have an interest in American politics, as I do or if you wish to affirm your beliefs in the RINO mantras which only can be found in the 'No spin zone'.

25 %

[Tarin Allen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been going through a phase where I want to read what the "other side" has to say in hopes of better understanding their rhetoric. It's not working. All this book did was to turn my stomach and make me wonder at the warped nature of those who buy this crap (for the record, I got the book at the library).

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Conservatives good...liberals bad...watch my show...hand me the "falafel thing "

[Rachelshaffer]

Throughout his book The No Spin Zone, Bill O’Reilly discusses several political issues and explores both sides of the controversy by providing commentary from an opposing character, and qualifying their beliefs with his to expose his view of the truth. First, O’Reilly explores his belief that “the welfare of a child means less today because of the promotion and acceptance of certain so-called special interests” which can promote inhumane behavior, and yet still exist due to first amendment rights. O’Reilly continues to address issues such as sex ed in classrooms, sex and violence in music, and violence in television shows. On these issues, O’Reilly believes that schools should not teach sex ed, but rather the “repercussions of irresponsible sex” in the links to poverty, divorce, violence, and disease, leaving the actual sexual education to parents, and that parents should censor their television and the music their kids listen to as it is not the job of the government to censor the media, but children should not necessarily be exposed to such vulgarity at such a young age (O'Reilly, 22). On the issue of working parents, O’Reilly believes that it is acceptable to have two working parents who put their child in daycare, as long as the parents still give the kids the necessary attention.
Furthermore, O’Reilly comments on how police officers should be given the benefit of the doubt in any situation. O’Reilly continues to discuss how the IRS does little to prevent fraud and how he believes that it is a mistake for Clinton “to continue eluding questions that trouble so many of his former constituents” and he should face the public on the issue of his doings while in office (O'Reilly, 97). Regarding capital punishment, O’Reilly is opposed to the death penalty, but not for the reasons in which most believe. O’Reilly is against the death penalty because he feels “it is too lenient a punishment” and that the criminals should rather sentenced to “life in prison in a federal penitentiary in Alaska” and be forced to “endure hard labor” (O'Reilly, 104). One highly controversial issue in modern politics is taxes, and who should be taxed what. On the discussion of taxes, O’Reilly believes that “if tax money continues to be wasted, it becomes morally wrong for our government to confiscate huge percentages of income and property from Americans, even if they are wealthy” as “hard work and discipline lead to economic success” and “government handouts and unsupervised policies of pity only rob people of incentive” (O'Reilly, 124). Furthermore, O’Reilly possess no issues with the use of drugs, as long as they are done in one’s home and do not affect children or intrude on any one persons freedoms. On the larger scale of drug use, O’Reilly believes that drug rehab should be imposed on criminals “who are arrested and test positive for narcotics”, the U.S military should help Border Patrol and that persistent drug sellers should be banished to federal penitentiaries (O'Reilly, 130). Additionally, O’Reilly tackles the issue of the failure of the television network news to investigate big issues thoroughly. Finally, O’Reilly closes with minor issues, including Hillary Clinton dodging tough interviews, and not liking O’Reilly. Thus, throughout his book O’Reilly discusses roughly sixteen issues by presenting his view of the truth.
During the sixth chapter of Bill O’Reilly’s The No Spin Zone, O’Reilly confronts two issues in which we discussed in class. In this chapter, O’Reilly discusses different workings of the police force and in exploring certain controversial issues revolving around this topic, O’Reilly includes commentary from Susan Sarandon, an actress and activist. Sarandon believes that “If you were a black person living in the city, you would experience the police in a completely different way” (O'Reilly, 51). This viewpoint connects directly to one discussion we had in class revolving around the Trevon Martin case. During this discussion, we touched on how police treat those of different races differently and heard first count stories from two black students in which one said that their father had told them how to talk to police officers and both students believed that they are treated differently by police because they are black. While O’Reilly agrees with Sardoon, he also states that “if I were a black person living in the city, I would know that the murder rate has fallen from 1,946 to 667… I’d be pretty damned appreciative of that” (O'Reilly, 51). Furthermore, O’Reilly additionally comments how “police officers on the street get up every day knowing that they might not come home that night. And for this they should be given the benefit of any doubt” (O'Reilly, 56). I believe this connects with a different issue of the Trevon Martin case in which we discussed during class as this one deals more with Zimmerman. At one point, a large part of the class believed Zimmerman to be guilty, but O’Reilly might qualify that Zimmerman should be given the benefit of the doubt (although his view might be different as Zimmerman was not an actual police officer). Zimmerman said that he felt threatened and if he was indeed trying to protect the neighborhood, than instinct might have led him to kill Trevon if he thought him to be an actual threat. Finally, O’Reilly’s discussion of the death penalty connects to our discussion of hate crimes. O’Reilly believes that “there are criminals who do not care whether they live or die. Their blighted lives mean little to them, and they are willing to risk death to achieve whatever criminal gratification they want” (O'Reilly, 105). In our hate crime a paper, one of the potential topics of discussion was why people do hate crimes, and this suggests hone reason for hate crimes in which we may not have considered. Thus, this connects to the class as we speculated on certain reasons why people commit acts of hatred and one of these reasons may be because the criminals have little value of their life and do not care about the harm they cause to others.
The book as a whole is bias in the sense that Bill O’Reilly is conservative, and a large majority of his audience is conservative as well. Thus, although he claims to only be stating the truth and the facts, there will always be some bias in the sense that he is a conservative attempting to please his conservative audience. One way in which this bias is shown is due to the fact that O’Reilly includes a debate between him and one or more other people in each chapter, and “these debates are taken from interviews I’ve conducted during my twenty-seven years in broadcast journalism” (O'Reilly, 6). Because O’Reilly is writing the book, he can pick and choose which excerpts of the debates to include, which presents some bias as he can choose to present only the faults in other people’s arguments. Another point of bias O’Reilly suggests himself in that “because it’s my book, I get to set things up with commentary, and that may be a bit unfair, but hey, it is my book” (O'Reilly, 6). Thus, O’Reilly possesses the ability to comment on these interviews while the other person involved in the interview, does not get a chance to clarify what they say or refute O’Reilly. Finally, again going back to chapter six of the book, Sarandon bring up another point of bias, at least in this chapter, in that she says to O’Reilly, “this is what a white person says when he’s talking about civil liberties being taken away from someone who’s not you” (O'Reilly, 51). Thus, some bias may exist in the fact that O’Reilly is white, and has not experienced what life is like for those of another race first handedly, but only through observations.


Review of Taylor Sassman:
As a whole I believe that Taylor did a good job of giving an overall overview of the book. I feel like I have a good idea of what her book was about by reading her critique and yet I do not believe that it gave away all of the interesting facts of the book. From the facts that Taylor said she found in the book, I am interested in reading the book to see some of the other things that the author reveals about the President and secret service men. I find it interesting how the author gets the secret service men to reveal certain facts when they are supposed to keep everything a secret. Taylor made a really good point on where the bias of the author comes from in that it comes from them trying to highlight the negative aspects of the President. I definitely believe that this would be a huge degree of bias prevalent in the book. As the author, you get to pick and chose the facts that you want to release to the audience and thus, you could hold back some of the more positive aspects that the secret service men see that the public may not be fully aware of. In terms of the class connections, I can see how certain parts of the book connect to the discussions we have had in class from what Taylor says. Thus, as a whole I believe Taylor did a really good job of giving an overview of the book without giving the whole thing away and it definitely made me interested to maybe read the book in the future.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I was a big fan of O'Reilly before I read this book, but now I respect him even more. I really enjoyed how the writing was broken into sections, each with their own opponent. If only I could learn to speak my mind like Bill without fear of what others would think. I love his straight forward approach and no nonsense attitude.

[Berbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never been too sure how anyone takes this guy seriously.

[Tanya Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical O'Reilly... Out there and overly honest. No ties to the right or left.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really miss O'Reilly on FOX. Even though this book is dated it does talk about exposing the corruption among the elite in society and the fearless way he interviews. If only we could get truly honest and dedicated people to run the government instead of the turkeys we have in power now and the stupid policies then enact. I am from Illinois where the government is truly crazy and it is getting worse by the week. No wonder so many people continue to leave the State. O'Reilly, where are you.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While a bit more on the political side, The No Spin Zone turned out to be enjoyable and informative. As one who participates in Speech/Debate, I'm addicted to knowing about current events. Although the No Spin Zone was published in 2001, before 9/11, I found many if not all of the topics to still be up-to-date. For example, Bill O'Reilly covers music media's effect on children, such as how bad lyrics in songs can potentially damage children, as well as obscenity on TV. He talks about Capital Punishment, and touches upon racism. And the best part about it all, in my opinion, is that it is all set up in a debate format.
As stated in the introduction, Bill O'Reilly states that the arguments are set up against opponents he has met before, with a script of the past debate. (ex: O'Reilly-Hello. Let's talk about... Bush- Here's my position etc.)
O'Reilly writes he wants us to decide who has the better arguments, but then states, it may be unfair, because I can keep writing my thoughts and opinions before and after the debate, so he essentially providing a commentary over the topic.
I will say, at times it was biased, but still very informative and interesting. I especially enjoy reading O'Reilly's sarcasm over his debates, but, as I know, there are haters. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book.
I suggest if you think you are strongly politically influenced or get offended if someone disagrees with you over controversial matters, do not read this book. But if you wish to inform yourself about controversial issues, like reading about politics, or you watch Fox News, this is a must-read.

[Kevin Kirkhoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy to read. If you like Bill O'Reilly, you'll love this book. Each chapter is it's own topic. He provides interviews he's had with some fairly powerful people, after which he discusses the conversation and adds his "opinion" on the topic.

Like I mentioned about his other book, I don't agree with all his positions, but O'Reilly provides good arguments. That's all he wants from his guests. Answer questions with facts, no spin. Let the viewer decide.
Among the people featured in the book are Al Sharpton, Dr. Laura, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Susan Sarandon, John McCain, George W. Bush, James Carville, Mario Cuomo, and Dan Rather. All these people O'Reilly points out that he admires for their proactiveness and willingness to come on his show and answer tough questions. The Reverend Sharpton actually admits that Bill was right on a subject. Although he admits this after the camera is off.

The topics include drugs, sex and violence as it pertains to kids, the media, Hollywood, the Mexican border, law enforcement, taxes, capital punishment, Jesse Jackson, and Bill Clinton.

Thought provoking and easy to read. I finished this book in two days. I've modified my views on some issues and fortified my views on others.

[Han Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Direct and to the point with audacity, the No Spin Zone is another nugget of O'Reilly's work.
The book conveys strong voice of justice, the roaring of Phoenix rising from the ashes of forgotten battles of ideologues. Albeit his journalistic interviews and writing styles were often criticized as bombastic, it only seems to me a natural reflection of his sureness of his belief and courage to speak the truth, resulting in pungency and persuasion. Fearlessly challenging anyone from outside of No Spin Zone, he made many of them hard to weasel away, no matter who and what they were.
As I read the book, I felt we would need more of O'Reilly kind of rhetoric and thinking for the good of future of America if she was going to uphold her supreme leadership role of the world.
Although the book was written more than a decade ago, I believe it is still highly applicable to the current state of the country and would remain as "a good read" material for all ages of readership.

[Melinda Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

No spin? Are you KIDDING? Not only are the interviews spinning wildly, in his introductions to each one he makes it quite clear he's decided on the direction of the interview before he even begins.

I couldn't finish this.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The No Spin Zone Published 2001.

Have had this book for 16 years, but missed taking it off the shelf to read until now. Well, his topics are timeless and totally apropos for 2018.

The No Spin Zone credo following Talking Heads- “This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no fooling around.” (All double negatives which means positive for all, but . . . it’s artistic license. We get the gist!)

You can tell Bill O’Reilly taught high school English. He is a fluent writer which makes for smooth and easy reading. (I am reading his Killing England and it is an easy read while learning history- which he also taught in high school.)

There is so much passion in this book regarding Taxation. I could feel his outrage with every type-written word! He is absolutely correct on every point. It got me riled up most definitely!

I watched Bill O’Reilly on Fox News frequently, but missed these interviews in here, so it was a fresh read. The format is excellent- an introduction of the subject and then the interview. I have always liked his “old school” style. No frills, just good old fashioned straightforward talk!

Chapter 1 - “You Kidding Me?” - Sexual deviants who prey on children
In this chapter he interviews Floyd Abrams, First Amendment attorney regarding North American Man-Boy Love Association (NABMLA). Outrageous to think that this group would be defended by anyone, never mind ACLU. Disgusting.

Here is an Aha moment for me:

Chapter 9: This Bill is Past Due - The legacy of Bill Clinton
Bill O’Reilly had an interview with James Carville regarding President Clinton.
O’Reilly: “Why does Mr. Clinton need a guy like you?”

Carvelle: “If you’re running for president, you have spinners. Yeah, you do. I’ll tell you exactly the advice I give. It’s OK to have an opinion on everything. It’s just not ok to render it said opinion. There’s some glory to the unspoken thought. We spend most of our time telling them what they can’t say.”

Here is the Aha moment. Bill O’Reilly says to us, the reader, (mind you, this book was published in 2001):

“Wouldn’t America be a better place if politicians didn’t rely on spinners like James Carville? Wouldn’t this country be healthier if we had leaders who rejected spin and simply told us what they believed and why they believed it? Damn the spin -full disclosure ahead.”

AHA - And, now we have President Trump - the Ultimate Non-Spinner! Love it!

Chapter 11 - Your Money and Your Life - Taxes in America
Oh, did he hit the mark on this! He spells out, very clearly, how we are taxed to death and then huge bits of the money are either fraudulently used or idiotically “lost”. Best chapter in this book! His passion exudes through the type-written word! Very depressing though. I’ve heard (here and there) that our tax money is wasted, but reading it in black and white really hit hard.

“So the question is, who is keeping score? Who is watching our tax dollars, and who is making sure that federally funded programs actually work? Ready? Nobody is. With trillions in annual spending, there is no government agency that actually watches the money! That’s right. Congress allocates the money, but there is no separate government department to oversee its use. The general accounting office is called in only when there is a suspicion of fraud.” Depressing!

Mr. O’Reilly continues:
“Not to bore you with statistics, but the government hits you for an average of $.43 on every gallon of gasoline you buy each toll telephone call is taxed at 3%. Want to heat your house? The feds will mail you for $.25 a gallon for heating oil. I don’t think you can drink to forget your tax woes - The government takes a 58% duty on bottles of hard liquor.”

Items of disaster with our tax $$$
“GAO estimates that more than $100 billion was erroneously sent to Medicare recipients.”

The Osprey helicopter project.

“So, one more time. What we have here in America is trillions of tax dollars being spent every year and no firm system of spending accountability.”

Gotta start reading something lighter.

Chapter 14 - “It Would Take a Village to Drag Hillary into the No Spin Zone.”
Wow! Only seven pages in this chapter -but does it give a punch! I had forgotten about Whitewater, and the billing records disappearance; Vince Foster’s death and the removal of files from his office. Oh my goodness - power-packed chapter.

His last chapter is the perfect summary of this book! He encourages all to create their own “No Spin Zone” - to think independently - research - not to blindly follow the crowds. Easy to follow the crowds and be accepted. Harder to come to your own conclusions and at times be rejected. Think of all the rejection Bill O’Reilly has taken for his beliefs.

Great, great book!

[Jay Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating - 8.1

A bit self-aggrandizing but still points out prominent social issues that have to be addressed in a deteriorating society - a step down from the O'Reilly Factor as he had not yet found his mojo

Find that I agree w O'Reilly on a number of key issues and have developed a healthy respect for his opinions and views - at the end, he is only looking out what is best for people - I respect that

Interesting Thoughts

NAMBLA
- North American Boy Love Association - advocates sex with minors
- Members have kidnapped, raped, and murdered and the ACLU is footing the bill
- Sex crimes w children is on the rise

Too much sex education in the classroom and in society

Elders argued that masturbation should be taught in the classroom - less chance that sex will result

TV has become far more violent - money sells image sells and the media is taking advantage

Lazy parenting and exploitive entertainment are diminishing values

Only way to stop is to censor and that will never happen - too profitable

Children grow up too fast in today’s society

Hateful rap artists are creating anarchy and loose values - audio graffiti

Dr Laura and NOW - Laura is advocating a more traditional return - women in the home - NOW is furious

More importantly is the parenting personality - you can be at work as long as after hours you are a positive role model

Kids will know what type of parent you are

Diallo - four NYPD officers shot Diallo to death w no good reason and were acquitted - one officer tripped and others thought he was shot

Police who patrol ghettoes are scared and on the defensive

Minority Supply - Jackson will threaten corporations to hire their minority consultant (who feeds the money back to Jackson) or Jackson will organize public demonstrations against the corporation - blackmail

63% of black fourth graders cannot read

Reverend Jesse Jackson
Jackson has committed tax evasion to the nth degree
Had his mistress on staff to pay her off
Collected $12MM in Education donations - but spent less than 1% of it
Texaco, Busch, Quaker Oats, Burger King, AT&T have all been hustled

O’Reilly was hard on Bush as well - called him up on his Christian background

Also called him up on the death penalty - particularly in Texas

Society is not obliged to kill, but to dispense justice

Few politicians care about the tax dollar - America does not even audit its government - money is wasted and lost time and time again

Wants to know the cost of the Hilary Clinton trip

You can make the weaker part stronger without making the stronger part weaker

Hard work and discipline lead to success - not more handouts

US Government does not want to win the war on drugs
10MM heavy drug users in the US - 70% of child abuse is caused by substance abuse

Hollywood glorifies the drug scene and try to blame the problem on society and not individual greed and accountability

Drug dealing is worse than murder - killing thousands versus killing a few

Need tougher border patrol

Networks go easy on the tough stories as not to rock the boat

Hilary Clinton controls all aspects of her media characterization

O’Reillyisms
Politicians buy votes and waste money
Global warming is real
No death penalty
Restrict but do not outlaw abortion
Stringent control of drugs
Fuel efficiency
Monitor energy collusion
Affordable medicine
Federal work prison camps in Alaska
Border patrol
Eliminate the payroll tax and institute a national sales tax
Avoid people who will not listen to you (different from follow)

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this is a terrific book. The stylistic elements and the structure of the book are very unique and exceptionally enthralling to the reader. Below is a description of one of my favorite sections of the book along with an analysis Bill O'Reilly's style.

One of my favorite chapters was one titled "You Kidding Me" where Bill interviewed Floyd Abrams, a prominent First Amendment attorney. Granted, this was not one of the larger debates with a live audience numbering in the thousands or with the secret service escorting the interviewee but it was by far one of the most memorable.
The topic of this debate was the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) defending the rights of NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association), a group of people that condones and encourages sexual intercourse between grown men and young boys.
Bill O'Reilly, much like any reasonable person had significant problems with this and in particular a case they were working on. This case involved a young boy, Jeffery Curley, who was kidnapped by two men, raped and killed. The men said that they got the information on how to accomplish this from the NAMBLA website, which caused a significant uproar in the community. The following two quotes are from the book and represent this issue:

1) "O'Reilly- This doesn't have anything to do with free speech.
Abrams: But of course it does.
O'Reilly: No, this has to do with aiding and abetting, promoting a crime on a website." (P.9)

2) "Jeffery Curley's parents are suing NAMBLA in federal court for $200 million. And guess who is defending NAMBLA in the case? Can you spell ACLU? That's right. The most powerful free speech watchdog in the world is using its money and resources to make sure that NAMBLA is not driven out of business. Is this an outrage or what?" (P.13)

The first quote is typical of how Bill O'Reilly opens a chapter, a brief excerpt from the TV interview. It shows how he has a strong point of view and that issues of social acceptance do not concern him. When he wants a point made, he makes it.

The second quote is a little bit further into the chapter, where he has already introduced the key players and is developing the issue more. I picked this quote in particular because it does a great job of representing the book. Albeit it one of the coarser quotes I could have picked there is a reason for that coarseness, it is very hard to talk about something like this in a normal way. The humerus nature of the rhetorical questions combined with the no BS (pardon my French) attitude is typical of the book and is a hallmark of Bill O'Reilly.

Overall this is a stupendous book that represents a lot of political issues without a lot of political jargon and bias (although some is there and it is unavoidable). I would strongly recommend you to read it and enjoy it (just try not be too disturbed by all the sick NAMBLA stuff).

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished listening to the audio book after reading this more than 3 years ago. It made me realize how right O'Reilly is--especially in light of where we are today! Please read this book! People are all asleep as political figures and others rip us off! Wake up! It's not a Republican or Democrat thing--we are getting used at every turn!
Politicians and other public figures try to put on a good public face and talk the talk, but they are out for themselves. Bill stops the spin!
Read this book!

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill O'Reilly is the champion of No Spin. Most people think he is a far right conservative, but he is a true Independent, crossing from right to left on many issues. For instance he is for de-criminalizing Marijuana, and against the death penalty.

Bill goes into depth on many of our well though of leaders that you probably think are above-board, honest, and caring, but in fact are using their immense power for their own ill gotten gains.

Bill reads this unabridged audio book, and is a great reader too. I recommend this book to anyone with an open mind and ready to learn.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. Each chapter is a different topic. Bill O'Reilly discusses interviews he's had with various people, after which he goes through his opinion on the subject and draws out each side to the topic. The book makes you think and form your own opinions ... something I really like in a book. I really enojoyed some of the interviews and his commentary on those who won't enter the "no spin zone".

[Kevin Maguire · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first and only O'Reilly book I've read. The book was on the thin side to begin with, so the $20 price tag was a bit much already. Then I get home and start reading and find out it's also double spaced. I felt he ripped me off so I've never bought another book of his. Never will. That's why I only gave two stars. I don't like thieves.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read. O'Reilly shares different view points on various pressing issues in our country. A good read if you are open minded and willing to listen to opinions different than your own. If you're not an O'Reilly fan, get over it; pick this book up and learn a little bit more about Bill, the American government, scams, and controversies within our society.

[Jim Serger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bills book is a coverage of episodes of his nightly talk show--it is just him talking about people he has interviewed over the years. Good book if you are new to his "no spin" take --the end of the book nails where Mr. O'Reilly comes from. Excellent book for people wanting to catch a glimpse of what Bill does on his show.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

For someone who says on his show that he doesn't like bloviating, that is all that this book was! There were some interesting points (thus the two stars) in the book but they were way too clouded over with his rants and ramblings!

[Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical O'Reilly, straight to the point and brutally honest at times, but good points are made throughout. Informative in places and an easy, quick read, though I felt like this focused way too much on show transcripts.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was great. Being someone who does not have strong political views I was intrigued and not to say that I have come out one way or the other because of this book, but it has given me a good perspective on a lot of situations. I kind of want to watch the show now.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm still right, but he's not nearly as funny as al franken.

[Lauren clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awsome book!!!! It made me laugh and think so much! I loove it! Go Bill O'Riely!

[Mdp411]

Good stuff that will make liberals cringe. Those who are unsure where they stand will sit up and take notice and conservatives can breathe a sigh of relief that someone is looking out for them.