What do you think?
Rate this book
Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth
When parents send their children off to college, mom and dad hope they'll return more cultivated, knowledgeable, and astute--able to see issues from all points of view. But, according to Ben Shapiro, there's only one view allowed on most college a rabid brand of liberalism that must be swallowed hook, line, and sinker. In this explosive book, Ben Shapiro, a college student himself, reveals how America's university system is one of the largest brainwashing machines on the planet. Examining this nationwide problem from firsthand experience, Shapiro shows how the leftists who dominate the universities--from the administration to the student government, from the professors to the student media--use their power to mold impressionable minds. Fresh and bitterly funny, this book proves that the universities, far from being a place for open discussion, are really dungeons of the mind that indoctrinate students to become socialists, atheists, race-baiters, and narcissists.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2004
381 people are currently reading
3116 people want to read
About the author
Ben Shapiro
37 books2,504 followersBenjamin Shapiro was born in 1984 and entered UCLA at the age of 16, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in June 2004 with a BA in Political Science. He graduated Harvard Law School cum laude in June 2007. Shapiro was hired by Creators Syndicate at age 17 to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the U.S.
His columns are printed in major newspapers and websites including Townhall, ABCNews, WorldNet Daily, Human Events, FrontPage Mag, Family Security Matters, the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Conservative Chronicle. His columns have also appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Sun-Times, Orlando Sentinel, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, RealClearPolitics.com, Arizona Republic, and Claremont Review of Books, among others. He has been the subject of articles in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Associated Press, and Christian Science Monitor; he has been quoted on "The Rush Limbaugh Show," "The Dr. Laura Show," at CBS News, in the New York Press, in the Washington Times, and in The American Conservative magazine, among many others.
The author of the national bestsellers, Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth (WND Books, May 2004), Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future (Regnery, June 2005), and Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House (Thomas Nelson, 2008), Shapiro has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows around the nation, including "The O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "Fox and Friends" (Fox News), "In the Money" (CNN Financial), "DaySide with Linda Vester" (Fox News), "Scarborough Country" (MSNBC), "The Dennis Miller Show" (CNBC), "Fox News Live" (Fox News Channel), "Glenn Beck Show" (CNN), "Your World with Neil Cavuto" (Fox News) and "700 Club" (Christian Broadcasting Network), "The Laura Ingraham Show," "The Michael Medved Show," "The G. Gordon Liddy Show," "The Rusty Humphries Show," "The Lars Larson Show" (nationally syndicated), "The Larry Elder Show," The Hugh Hewitt Show," "The Dennis Prager Show," among others.
His columns are printed in major newspapers and websites including Townhall, ABCNews, WorldNet Daily, Human Events, FrontPage Mag, Family Security Matters, the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Conservative Chronicle. His columns have also appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Sun-Times, Orlando Sentinel, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, RealClearPolitics.com, Arizona Republic, and Claremont Review of Books, among others. He has been the subject of articles in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Associated Press, and Christian Science Monitor; he has been quoted on "The Rush Limbaugh Show," "The Dr. Laura Show," at CBS News, in the New York Press, in the Washington Times, and in The American Conservative magazine, among many others.
The author of the national bestsellers, Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth (WND Books, May 2004), Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future (Regnery, June 2005), and Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House (Thomas Nelson, 2008), Shapiro has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows around the nation, including "The O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "Fox and Friends" (Fox News), "In the Money" (CNN Financial), "DaySide with Linda Vester" (Fox News), "Scarborough Country" (MSNBC), "The Dennis Miller Show" (CNBC), "Fox News Live" (Fox News Channel), "Glenn Beck Show" (CNN), "Your World with Neil Cavuto" (Fox News) and "700 Club" (Christian Broadcasting Network), "The Laura Ingraham Show," "The Michael Medved Show," "The G. Gordon Liddy Show," "The Rusty Humphries Show," "The Lars Larson Show" (nationally syndicated), "The Larry Elder Show," The Hugh Hewitt Show," "The Dennis Prager Show," among others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
September 16, 2015
The subtitle implies that the book will elucidate "how universities indoctrinate America's youth," but Shapiro's only and brief answer to that question is that most professors are liberal. He then spends the next 175 pages simply listing things professors have said, course descriptions, and student newspaper excerpts he takes issue with. And he takes issue with a lot. His underlying premises include that homosexuality is unacceptable and should not ever be discussed or recognized, and moreover that sexuality generally is not an appropriate topic for instruction or publication, that social welfare and labor laws are bad, concern for the environment is "anti-human," and anyone who espouses any views contradictory to those premises is destroying our nation. So if you think the Iraq War may not have been so wise, or that minimum wage laws may be good, you are already part of the problem.
What's worse is that many quotes and anecdotes are provided with no context and others are entirely misconstrued and maliciously misrepresent what the speakers are clearly saying. His humorlessness comes to the fore when he cites lighthearted (if crude) student newspaper columns as evidence of impropriety, yet he's just as guilty of sarcasm and exaggeration (he begins a chapter on the Iraq War with "Professors like terrorists, and they love Saddam Hussein and his Iraqi Regime," and then documents nothing more egregious than expressed distrust of American military aims and concern for Iraqi civilians). Sure, some of the anecdotes and quotes he shares are bizarre and morally repugnant, but he fails to recognize any difference between them and mainstream viewpoints and scorns them all just the same. As a whole, his snide tone and flagrant disregard for opposing views or critical analysis embody why he didn't get on well in college.
This book was not worth nearly the amount of time I spent reading it, nor the amount of time spent writing this review, but I found it to be akin to rubbernecking at an accident, entranced by the unending torrent of breathless indignation. If it sounds like the ranting of an angry teenager sticking it to the man, it is: Shapiro wrote this at age 19-20. For fans of Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, and David Limbaugh (all of whom endorse the book), you'll find another treat here. Otherwise, don't waste your afternoon.
What's worse is that many quotes and anecdotes are provided with no context and others are entirely misconstrued and maliciously misrepresent what the speakers are clearly saying. His humorlessness comes to the fore when he cites lighthearted (if crude) student newspaper columns as evidence of impropriety, yet he's just as guilty of sarcasm and exaggeration (he begins a chapter on the Iraq War with "Professors like terrorists, and they love Saddam Hussein and his Iraqi Regime," and then documents nothing more egregious than expressed distrust of American military aims and concern for Iraqi civilians). Sure, some of the anecdotes and quotes he shares are bizarre and morally repugnant, but he fails to recognize any difference between them and mainstream viewpoints and scorns them all just the same. As a whole, his snide tone and flagrant disregard for opposing views or critical analysis embody why he didn't get on well in college.
This book was not worth nearly the amount of time I spent reading it, nor the amount of time spent writing this review, but I found it to be akin to rubbernecking at an accident, entranced by the unending torrent of breathless indignation. If it sounds like the ranting of an angry teenager sticking it to the man, it is: Shapiro wrote this at age 19-20. For fans of Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, and David Limbaugh (all of whom endorse the book), you'll find another treat here. Otherwise, don't waste your afternoon.
November 29, 2015
As a mostly-traditional fiscal conservative, I expected to like this book. It's true that universities DO indoctrinate America's youth, encouraging anti-white racism & misandry, making them believe that everyone who isn't a white male is a victim, entitled to redress, & that everything bad in the world is white man's fault.
Unfortunately, that's not what this book is about. It's simply the most intellectually dishonest book I've ever read. Shapiro is an unrepentant neocon apologist who uses every fallacious, dishonest, manipulative trick in the book to try to make his case.
If I were a liberal professor TRYING to indoctrinate my students, I would assign this book for them to read so that they can see, discuss and analyze just how intellectually bankrupt and willfully, SHAMEFULLY dishonest the corporatist neo-con Republican agenda is.
Unfortunately, that's not what this book is about. It's simply the most intellectually dishonest book I've ever read. Shapiro is an unrepentant neocon apologist who uses every fallacious, dishonest, manipulative trick in the book to try to make his case.
If I were a liberal professor TRYING to indoctrinate my students, I would assign this book for them to read so that they can see, discuss and analyze just how intellectually bankrupt and willfully, SHAMEFULLY dishonest the corporatist neo-con Republican agenda is.
February 14, 2016
i somehow managed to get through this book, and i'm truly wowed that this is an author that American right-wingers put on a pedestal. It's not only poorly written but it's almost unbelievably dishonest intellectually. It's both disheartening and rather awkward that such poorly written book of whinging neo-conservative platitudes could achieve such a wide readership.
Shapiro's writing style is one of the most aggravating that i can ever recall. He graduated from university at an impressively young age, but this doesn't even read like the work of a particularly gifted 20 year old. He begins and ends paragraphs abruptly, often after a short sentence or two. This book was geared towards the general (conservative) public, s0 i wasn't expecting tumid academic prose, but this is somehow written in a sub-conversational tone, and the effect is terrible. Plus, a lot of it just reads awkwardly. To give one example, he ends four consecutive sentences with the EXACT same words: "are affiliated with leftist parties."
Yet the 'substance' fares no better. He rails on academics for a good portion of the book, but much of it digresses into general conservative spiels entirely unrelated to universities. Most of the points he makes could just as easily be heard by inviting your middle-aged next door neighbor Ted over for beers. i can't recall anything that even remotely resembled an 'original' argument. His hyperbole crosses the line from questionable to downright ridiculous, as when he claims that professors believe that "pedophilia is acceptable [and] bestiality is fine."
Reviews have mentioned his "painstakingly researched documentation." Indeed, he includes endnotes for many of his claims, but the vast majority of his 'arguments' stem from pulling a sentence or two out of a lecture or writing, without even a token effort to put it into a larger context. If you only want a bunch of anecdotal examples of all those "crazy liberal" ideas that he believes are being foisted on students, this book will suit you just fine. If you want, well, anything else, i strongly recommend looking elsewhere.
Shapiro's writing style is one of the most aggravating that i can ever recall. He graduated from university at an impressively young age, but this doesn't even read like the work of a particularly gifted 20 year old. He begins and ends paragraphs abruptly, often after a short sentence or two. This book was geared towards the general (conservative) public, s0 i wasn't expecting tumid academic prose, but this is somehow written in a sub-conversational tone, and the effect is terrible. Plus, a lot of it just reads awkwardly. To give one example, he ends four consecutive sentences with the EXACT same words: "are affiliated with leftist parties."
Yet the 'substance' fares no better. He rails on academics for a good portion of the book, but much of it digresses into general conservative spiels entirely unrelated to universities. Most of the points he makes could just as easily be heard by inviting your middle-aged next door neighbor Ted over for beers. i can't recall anything that even remotely resembled an 'original' argument. His hyperbole crosses the line from questionable to downright ridiculous, as when he claims that professors believe that "pedophilia is acceptable [and] bestiality is fine."
Reviews have mentioned his "painstakingly researched documentation." Indeed, he includes endnotes for many of his claims, but the vast majority of his 'arguments' stem from pulling a sentence or two out of a lecture or writing, without even a token effort to put it into a larger context. If you only want a bunch of anecdotal examples of all those "crazy liberal" ideas that he believes are being foisted on students, this book will suit you just fine. If you want, well, anything else, i strongly recommend looking elsewhere.
July 2, 2017
Shapiro was young when he wrote this and he includes some stereotypes painted with a broad brush. Ironically, he generalizes quite like the leftist liberal professors. As most modern USA news media people do by interpreting slant of their own opinion instead of reporting factual event or specifics. His attempt to address an early opposition to the identity politics issue is faulty, IMHO. It goes off topic and he needed to relate the reality stated in the title.
His main premise upon the indoctrination of college students in America to "we think" is spot on. They are taught WHAT to think, and not how to think in great majority of college classes. Not only in history, social science, political science and social work study paths, either. And the goal is to regurgitate back the exact baseline liberal progressive mantra and policies within testing and paper in order to obtain a decent grade. It's the opposite of education, IMHO. I've viewed it and lived it as a student and through all my kids and grandkids in at least 10 major university institutions since 1995. Intimidation, disdaining scorn and sometimes worse is often the outcome to anything but the "correct" line played back for a grade. The USA's past is taught through a crooked lens and the object is blame and guilt and horrific baggage too for many young peoples' self-identity. Negativity for America itself is increased yearly it seems and it has gotten much more dire since 2008. Blame never omitted down to the 5th generation. Another irony is that it is immensely bullying in tone and in methods- the expression of that "we think". Especially does it bully against those who DO NOT accept cultural relativism or relative morality.
This book was actually way ahead of its time. The title issue is far, far worse for any dissidents to that method of indoctrination now than it was in 2004. And he should have stuck to that taught distortion as prime for the entire book. The result of leftist indoctrination has become angry, mob like "accord"- usually accompanied by vile language and immense disrespect in general, which is currently visible in the assaults against free speech on many campuses. Not just in California at all. Violence which is faculty allowed and condoned by the policies used for guest speakers or/and security. The "other" can no longer be tolerated in 2017 on college ground, it seems, and so violence has become acceptable if any contrary opinion to progressive "good" belief is even expressed. Colleges in the USA want immense diversity of people and bottom line NO diversity in thought.
His main premise upon the indoctrination of college students in America to "we think" is spot on. They are taught WHAT to think, and not how to think in great majority of college classes. Not only in history, social science, political science and social work study paths, either. And the goal is to regurgitate back the exact baseline liberal progressive mantra and policies within testing and paper in order to obtain a decent grade. It's the opposite of education, IMHO. I've viewed it and lived it as a student and through all my kids and grandkids in at least 10 major university institutions since 1995. Intimidation, disdaining scorn and sometimes worse is often the outcome to anything but the "correct" line played back for a grade. The USA's past is taught through a crooked lens and the object is blame and guilt and horrific baggage too for many young peoples' self-identity. Negativity for America itself is increased yearly it seems and it has gotten much more dire since 2008. Blame never omitted down to the 5th generation. Another irony is that it is immensely bullying in tone and in methods- the expression of that "we think". Especially does it bully against those who DO NOT accept cultural relativism or relative morality.
This book was actually way ahead of its time. The title issue is far, far worse for any dissidents to that method of indoctrination now than it was in 2004. And he should have stuck to that taught distortion as prime for the entire book. The result of leftist indoctrination has become angry, mob like "accord"- usually accompanied by vile language and immense disrespect in general, which is currently visible in the assaults against free speech on many campuses. Not just in California at all. Violence which is faculty allowed and condoned by the policies used for guest speakers or/and security. The "other" can no longer be tolerated in 2017 on college ground, it seems, and so violence has become acceptable if any contrary opinion to progressive "good" belief is even expressed. Colleges in the USA want immense diversity of people and bottom line NO diversity in thought.
May 3, 2021
This is very early Ben (2004), and it shows. His writing is too broad, too vague. He lets gross over-generalizations take hold, with sentences that start like, "Professors believe this..." and "Professors say that..." He'll describe the writings of a leftist professor, and then cut in with a jibe or a joke at the end of the paragraph, and that's it... as if his mockery is supposed to actually address the argument? He sets up straw men and knocks them down. I can't honestly give this one a high rating. I have to hold him to the same standard I'd expect of any writer.
I know at the time he was probably attending, our just out of, leftist universities. The propaganda probably felt overwhelming and all-pervasive to him, and he was trying to climb his way out of it. But Ben should have gone out of his way to find the right-leaning professors and highlight those, in contrast with the leftist professors. But no such luck.
If you want to understand Shapiro, I'd instead recommend listening to his podcast for a while, or reading The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great.
I know at the time he was probably attending, our just out of, leftist universities. The propaganda probably felt overwhelming and all-pervasive to him, and he was trying to climb his way out of it. But Ben should have gone out of his way to find the right-leaning professors and highlight those, in contrast with the leftist professors. But no such luck.
If you want to understand Shapiro, I'd instead recommend listening to his podcast for a while, or reading The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great.
June 23, 2016
The most painful part of this book is reading it better than ten years after it was published and seeing how it has only gotten far far worse on college campuses. I would have given five stars but for the last section. The college system is just about entirely controlled by leftist and I believe the time has come for radical changes in order to end it. The screams of anti-intelligence will echo for hundreds of years but if it is not done then the effect will erode our country into something very ugly.
June 22, 2017
Brainwashed is Ben Shapiro's first book (and the first book of his I've read) so even though it doesn't flow seamlessly, it still packs a punch. There isn't anybody since William F. Buckley, Jr. that I enjoy listening to more debate or give a speech. Whether you are a liberal, conservative, libertarian...whatever, one cannot deny this man speaks articulately, bravely gives his opinions and data to hostile audiences, always remains calm, rational and polite regardless of how rude, irrational and impolite someone can be to him. He doesn't lose his cool and I admire that greatly. He never hesitates or is lost for an answer. He is incredibly smart and yet never condescending. I happen to agree with probably around 90% of his views and I think I've watched a good 80% or more of his speeches/debates around the country on YouTube to present a true conservative's view. He seems like he is a decent man with a lot of smarts and common sense. In a world gone mad, he is a voice of reason. This is the kind of person whom I would want as a president of our country. I'm sure he is way too smart to want to be president but wouldn't it be nice to have a smart, calm, reasonable, articulate conservative as president? After listening to him so much, I think he has some authentic solutions for some of the problems our country faces. I intend to read the rest of his books and watch him on YouTube and I hope I get to attend one of his talks one day because I have a question for him that I haven't seen him been asked. One that interests me both personally and professionally.
August 22, 2023
DNF @25%. 😅
I have to say, Ben says a lot smarter things now than he did in this book, so I wasn't expecting this to be so trashy. ✋😭 I think a lot of people picked up Brainwashed looking for something of a logical analysis of how liberalism affects higher education and what students and other members of society can do about it, but instead, we just get this super long rant where Ben quotes a bunch of crazy people but doesn't offer any valuable insights.
I am more than disappointed.
I have to say, Ben says a lot smarter things now than he did in this book, so I wasn't expecting this to be so trashy. ✋😭 I think a lot of people picked up Brainwashed looking for something of a logical analysis of how liberalism affects higher education and what students and other members of society can do about it, but instead, we just get this super long rant where Ben quotes a bunch of crazy people but doesn't offer any valuable insights.
I am more than disappointed.
August 27, 2010
I loved it! Shapiro gives a voice to many people who have experienced attempted indocrination.
September 19, 2020
A disappointing and unserious examination of an interesting topic.
I like reading reasoned commentary and opinion from smart people across the political spectrum, and although the author is both smart and opinionated, he has substituted a fiery rhetorical style for actual substance. He preaches to the choir without making an effort to persuade or argue his thesis.
The main problem is that he appears to believe the plural of "anecdote" is "data," and seldom uses studies or research to buttress his argument. Instead, he consistently presents lunatic fringe ideas (pedophilia and rape are fine, victims of the September 11 attacks deserved what they got) as universal liberal beliefs and asserts without evidence that academia is trying to instill them in students.
As a result, the rhythm of the book is basically a repeating cycle: some professor said something outrageous or crazy; Shapiro asserts all liberals think like that; he repeats without evidence that all professors are trying to get students to believe that too.
That's tedious enough all by itself, but the author frequently departs the main topic entirely for meandering discussions of why liberals are bad, dumb, unpatriotic, murderous, godless, Muslim-loving, sex-having, income-redistributing, and always wrong about everything that is good and true and just. There's nothing wrong with having strong opinions about liberals, but the author repeatedly confuses the strength of his beliefs with the strength of his arguments. (Also, there's more than a little accidental humor when he makes sweeping generalizations about liberals, and then, in the next sentence, he pouts about liberals making sweeping generalizations about conservatives like himself.)
A more interesting discussion might have examined why universities have a liberal bent in the first place—for this this, Shapiro actually does cite studies to back up the claim—and why people with greater levels of education are more liberal than less educated peers. What do the students themselves think about how they are being taught? Do classes become more liberal because the average student veers left over an academic career, or because conservatives drop out, leaving a more liberal cohort? If the former, what shows this? If the latter, what are the causes? What actual evidence exists to show a deliberate effort to inculcate liberal views?
The topic is an interesting one to explore, but unless the reader already believes Shapiro's premise, it's probably not worth exploring it with him.
I like reading reasoned commentary and opinion from smart people across the political spectrum, and although the author is both smart and opinionated, he has substituted a fiery rhetorical style for actual substance. He preaches to the choir without making an effort to persuade or argue his thesis.
The main problem is that he appears to believe the plural of "anecdote" is "data," and seldom uses studies or research to buttress his argument. Instead, he consistently presents lunatic fringe ideas (pedophilia and rape are fine, victims of the September 11 attacks deserved what they got) as universal liberal beliefs and asserts without evidence that academia is trying to instill them in students.
As a result, the rhythm of the book is basically a repeating cycle: some professor said something outrageous or crazy; Shapiro asserts all liberals think like that; he repeats without evidence that all professors are trying to get students to believe that too.
That's tedious enough all by itself, but the author frequently departs the main topic entirely for meandering discussions of why liberals are bad, dumb, unpatriotic, murderous, godless, Muslim-loving, sex-having, income-redistributing, and always wrong about everything that is good and true and just. There's nothing wrong with having strong opinions about liberals, but the author repeatedly confuses the strength of his beliefs with the strength of his arguments. (Also, there's more than a little accidental humor when he makes sweeping generalizations about liberals, and then, in the next sentence, he pouts about liberals making sweeping generalizations about conservatives like himself.)
A more interesting discussion might have examined why universities have a liberal bent in the first place—for this this, Shapiro actually does cite studies to back up the claim—and why people with greater levels of education are more liberal than less educated peers. What do the students themselves think about how they are being taught? Do classes become more liberal because the average student veers left over an academic career, or because conservatives drop out, leaving a more liberal cohort? If the former, what shows this? If the latter, what are the causes? What actual evidence exists to show a deliberate effort to inculcate liberal views?
The topic is an interesting one to explore, but unless the reader already believes Shapiro's premise, it's probably not worth exploring it with him.
February 28, 2008
Just because you went to college doesn't mean you're educated.
April 18, 2016
“Brainwashed” wasn’t too enjoyable. This is the first book by Ben Shapiro I had ever read, and I was expecting more. I find myself agreeing with Shapiro in half of what he says in his columns, speaking engagements, and on Twitter. Conversely, I vehemently disagree with him in half of what he says. I think books like this are necessary: universities are overtly liberal and squelch opposing points of view, whether conservative or libertarian. Shapiro was a college student at the time this book was written, so it gives the narrative more credibility. I believe that his experience at UCLA embodies what goes on at many campuses in the country, specifically at campuses on the West Coast and in the Northeast.
Each one of the chapters in “Brainwashed” explores one area of bias that Shapiro has recognized. These are some examples of topics: anti-Zionism, anti-Iraq war, affirmative action, the political makeup of the professoriate, politics in the classroom, terrorism apologism, anti-religion, and pro-adventurous sex. I believe that his chapters on anti-Zionism and those against the Iraq war devolve into emotional responses. Though many of the quotes he cites cross the line from criticism to treason, his analysis admits no weaknesses in the U.S.’s approach to the Israel situation and the Iraq war. He comes across as a flaming neoconservative, which came as a bit of surprise to me because I have seen him try to distance himself from the neocons in recent writings. These were the chapters that were hardest to get through for me, but other readers that are more sympathetic with adventurous foreign policy may enjoy those chapters. However, I believe that even those that ideologically align with Shapiro will realize the vacuousness of his “arguments” in these chapters. I believe that he makes better points in his other chapters lamenting the extensive benefits of diversity, the political makeup of the professoriate, and politics in the classroom. These topics are easier for him to justify with anecdotal quotes supported by light data, which is his formula throughout. It is a bit harder to analyze a more complex topic like the Israel/Palestine conflict in this manner, which is one of the reasons why I think I enjoyed these chapters more than the others.
I believe it is important to criticize colleges for stifling intellectual debates on campus. Colleges do not come close to representing the real world; many students do not leave this environment prepared to handle the disagreements and larger problems that they will face in the working world. Over the past couple years, school administrations have succumbed to the demands of radical groups that represent a miniscule fraction of students while the opinions and needs of the vast majority of students are tossed to the side. On-campus racial groups seek to segregate themselves from the rest of the campus out of some perverted sense of “equality”; this increases polarization from other students. This is all happening as the college populace is increasingly accepting of students of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations; imagine what would happen if prevailing attitudes began to shift in the opposite direction! As a result, books like “Brianwashed” are necessary. However, I believe that Shapiro missed a great opportunity to write an important book. I loved “Illiberal Education” by Dinesh D’Souza, a much more comprehensive and enlightening book with valuable insight. “Brainwashed” could have been that type of book, but it largely fails.
Each one of the chapters in “Brainwashed” explores one area of bias that Shapiro has recognized. These are some examples of topics: anti-Zionism, anti-Iraq war, affirmative action, the political makeup of the professoriate, politics in the classroom, terrorism apologism, anti-religion, and pro-adventurous sex. I believe that his chapters on anti-Zionism and those against the Iraq war devolve into emotional responses. Though many of the quotes he cites cross the line from criticism to treason, his analysis admits no weaknesses in the U.S.’s approach to the Israel situation and the Iraq war. He comes across as a flaming neoconservative, which came as a bit of surprise to me because I have seen him try to distance himself from the neocons in recent writings. These were the chapters that were hardest to get through for me, but other readers that are more sympathetic with adventurous foreign policy may enjoy those chapters. However, I believe that even those that ideologically align with Shapiro will realize the vacuousness of his “arguments” in these chapters. I believe that he makes better points in his other chapters lamenting the extensive benefits of diversity, the political makeup of the professoriate, and politics in the classroom. These topics are easier for him to justify with anecdotal quotes supported by light data, which is his formula throughout. It is a bit harder to analyze a more complex topic like the Israel/Palestine conflict in this manner, which is one of the reasons why I think I enjoyed these chapters more than the others.
I believe it is important to criticize colleges for stifling intellectual debates on campus. Colleges do not come close to representing the real world; many students do not leave this environment prepared to handle the disagreements and larger problems that they will face in the working world. Over the past couple years, school administrations have succumbed to the demands of radical groups that represent a miniscule fraction of students while the opinions and needs of the vast majority of students are tossed to the side. On-campus racial groups seek to segregate themselves from the rest of the campus out of some perverted sense of “equality”; this increases polarization from other students. This is all happening as the college populace is increasingly accepting of students of all races, nationalities, and sexual orientations; imagine what would happen if prevailing attitudes began to shift in the opposite direction! As a result, books like “Brianwashed” are necessary. However, I believe that Shapiro missed a great opportunity to write an important book. I loved “Illiberal Education” by Dinesh D’Souza, a much more comprehensive and enlightening book with valuable insight. “Brainwashed” could have been that type of book, but it largely fails.
December 20, 2018
Great illustration of what is occurring in Universities and it is sick!
April 16, 2022
☆ 3.5/5
August 12, 2020
Ben Shapiro's pinned tweet is still "facts don't care about your feelings".
Then proceeds to spout his feelings with mainly anecdotal evidence as his facts. If he honestly believes himself to be a purveyor of truth then why does he disregard scientific facts consistently and rely on cherry picked data and assumptions. He spends no time describing what the term "liberal" even means and just generalises it to a very broad ideal that supports a lot of things that it doesn't like beastiality and pedophilia.
He claims more balance needs to be brought into the discussion and more conservative views need to be heard but never considers if the conservative views are even bound in fact. Like when he tries to dispel Michael E. Mann's climate change work by saying "thousands of scientists and studies disagree" that climate change is been influenced by man. He doesn't site and study, he doesn't even look into if any of those studies have been challenged. He just professes it as fact. He's not a brilliant polemicist. He's a merchant of doubt. Someone who wants to indoctrinate his readers into his opinions. Also, he insinuates that being gay is a choice. Lol. Being a bigoted asshole is a choice and Ben has chosen to be a supreme one at that.
Then proceeds to spout his feelings with mainly anecdotal evidence as his facts. If he honestly believes himself to be a purveyor of truth then why does he disregard scientific facts consistently and rely on cherry picked data and assumptions. He spends no time describing what the term "liberal" even means and just generalises it to a very broad ideal that supports a lot of things that it doesn't like beastiality and pedophilia.
He claims more balance needs to be brought into the discussion and more conservative views need to be heard but never considers if the conservative views are even bound in fact. Like when he tries to dispel Michael E. Mann's climate change work by saying "thousands of scientists and studies disagree" that climate change is been influenced by man. He doesn't site and study, he doesn't even look into if any of those studies have been challenged. He just professes it as fact. He's not a brilliant polemicist. He's a merchant of doubt. Someone who wants to indoctrinate his readers into his opinions. Also, he insinuates that being gay is a choice. Lol. Being a bigoted asshole is a choice and Ben has chosen to be a supreme one at that.
December 2, 2012
The book is straight-forward and unapologetic about it's indictment of the progressive influence on American campuses. The destructive and essentially two-faced nature of college professors and special interest groups are taken to task, and they are given no excuses for their accusatory and inflammatory words and actions. The book relies almost exclusively on the subjects' own materials and words to make its point.
While I'd be little surprised for progressives to take issue with the book, I'd love to hear them try and excuse away the words of the disgusting people and organizations contained within the book.
While I'd be little surprised for progressives to take issue with the book, I'd love to hear them try and excuse away the words of the disgusting people and organizations contained within the book.
August 12, 2020
I stopped at Chapter 5. Shapiro made a few good points in the beginning but once he got to Homosexuality his pompousness started showing. I wish I could give zero stars to this garbage.
September 8, 2021
Audible.com 7 hours and 19 min. Narrated by Chris Abell (A)
Ben Shapiro's book was published in 2004 and is a reflection of his own experiences as a student and conservative columnist for a UCLA'S student newspaper. Colleges have become indoctrination centers and leftist/ socialistic professors are pouring their vitriol into impressionable minds of young students. 2021-22 the situation has probably grown more critical.
Ben Shapiro's book was published in 2004 and is a reflection of his own experiences as a student and conservative columnist for a UCLA'S student newspaper. Colleges have become indoctrination centers and leftist/ socialistic professors are pouring their vitriol into impressionable minds of young students. 2021-22 the situation has probably grown more critical.
November 26, 2025
This is a well-written and well-documented expose of how so many universities in the United States are very liberal both morally and politically. It was written several years ago, but if anything, they are getting worse. This book offers some good ideas about what those who oppose this indoctrination can do to change the situation.
November 20, 2020
I cannot wait to finalize my thoughts on this book.
March 7, 2019
This is another highly interesting, highly depressing book by Ben Shapiro. He discusses numerous college-related topics: highly pornographic "art" projects, racist student clubs, silencing conservative college newspaper columnists, anti-semitic indoctrination, etc. It is a pit out there.
I had two completely different experiences while earning my undergraduate degree. I attended a very leftist community college to earn my AA in political science and a very conservative private college to finish up my BA in history and editing. In my poli sci classes (and one particularly opinionated English professor's class), I had to argue with my professors constantly inside the classroom and in my papers. They pushed one side of the argument and had a very blatant agenda and it felt like my responsibility to voice the other side of the argument for those impressionable class members who hadn't yet solidified their views. Sometimes I walked away with a B instead of an A merely because I had lost the respect of the teacher.
After moving to a new state to earn my bachelor's, the experience shifted. I was no longer in political science classes, for one thing, but regardless of the subject, I learned the material only. As little opinion as possible entered in to the class lecture and only during group discussions did some of the professors' personal views leak through. It was enormously liberating. By the time I earned my degree, I had no idea the political ideology of any of my professors. Instead, I was able to form my own opinions and viewpoints based on fact and preference, without outside influence and without negative grading repercussions. The university taught me to think critically and showed me how to accurately research data, and then they left me alone to form my own conclusion. Would that all continuing education institutions allowed for such freedom.
My point with this personal anecdote is simply to throw my support behind the kinds of things Ben discusses in his book. It shocked me at times and seemed outrageous, immoral, and sometimes illegal, but I lived through the same experience and can attest that this does go on in a flagrantly uninhibited manner. Ben's books aren't always fun to work through, but you'll leave them a wiser, if grimmer, person.
I had two completely different experiences while earning my undergraduate degree. I attended a very leftist community college to earn my AA in political science and a very conservative private college to finish up my BA in history and editing. In my poli sci classes (and one particularly opinionated English professor's class), I had to argue with my professors constantly inside the classroom and in my papers. They pushed one side of the argument and had a very blatant agenda and it felt like my responsibility to voice the other side of the argument for those impressionable class members who hadn't yet solidified their views. Sometimes I walked away with a B instead of an A merely because I had lost the respect of the teacher.
After moving to a new state to earn my bachelor's, the experience shifted. I was no longer in political science classes, for one thing, but regardless of the subject, I learned the material only. As little opinion as possible entered in to the class lecture and only during group discussions did some of the professors' personal views leak through. It was enormously liberating. By the time I earned my degree, I had no idea the political ideology of any of my professors. Instead, I was able to form my own opinions and viewpoints based on fact and preference, without outside influence and without negative grading repercussions. The university taught me to think critically and showed me how to accurately research data, and then they left me alone to form my own conclusion. Would that all continuing education institutions allowed for such freedom.
My point with this personal anecdote is simply to throw my support behind the kinds of things Ben discusses in his book. It shocked me at times and seemed outrageous, immoral, and sometimes illegal, but I lived through the same experience and can attest that this does go on in a flagrantly uninhibited manner. Ben's books aren't always fun to work through, but you'll leave them a wiser, if grimmer, person.
May 29, 2022
Ben Shapiro cria um relato surpreendente de como os comunistas dominam as universidades americanas. Não é uma leitura simples. Tudo é documentado. Professores e alunos agem contra os interesses do país. Não é diferente do que acontece no Brasil e em outros países.
May 28, 2018
It is very unnerving to think about parents getting ready to send their kids off to college after reading this book and learning what liberal Gulags most of our universities have become. I never lived on campus because I went to college as an adult after serving in the military and worked an actual job during my college years. I can only imagine what is being done to warp impressionable minds with a one-sided view of the world from which many of the students will never recover. Ben Shapiro is like a conservative lightening rod so many who lean left will not read this book or, if they do, will likely view it as right-wing propaganda instead of the more likely view that exposes how our kids are being politically brainwashed. The author exposes how these re-education centers function and backs his opinions up with facts and actual examples instead of accusations and name calling. If you respect true American values and have college-age kids, this book is a must read for you and your children so that they can at least be aware of what they can expect.
April 25, 2016
Shapiro wrote this book at age 20, which is absolutely astonishing. Not that it was much of a secret that the university system is grossly imbalanced towards the left, but his written work reveals just how slanted towards the left the university system truly is. This book sheds a lot of light on why so many young people are attracted to the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. After being indoctrinated to believe socialism is 'great' and capitalism is 'evil', it's merely an inevitability that gullible college graduates with side with Sanders.
September 3, 2019
It is incredible that over 15 years ago colleges were still “educating” students in a left-dominated arena.
This book offers many different areas of the college and cultural life where colleges embrace the radical. Although some sections become tedious, the message is still solid.
I really appreciate how Ben ends the book by placing responsibility on parents and families to educate children about values. If you’re hoping for college to do that, you might not like what you get 😬
This book offers many different areas of the college and cultural life where colleges embrace the radical. Although some sections become tedious, the message is still solid.
I really appreciate how Ben ends the book by placing responsibility on parents and families to educate children about values. If you’re hoping for college to do that, you might not like what you get 😬
April 11, 2018
The appalling state of American higher education.
December 21, 2020
This should be mandatory reading for college freshman. IMO the topic of this book is the greatest threat to intellectualism in the modern age.
November 29, 2024
Ben Shapiro was born the same year I entered our alma mater UCLA, myself as a doctoral student, so he's a generation behind me. This is the first book I've read of his, although I've heard of him for years. A recent interview with Bill Maher on his Club Random show intrigued me, so I figured Ben's youthful exposé of his undergrad stint as a Daily Bruin columnist might reveal, in the era of 9/11, a common ground from a campus familiar to us both. Surprisingly, I didn't find one professor cited who I knew, although dozens get quoted repeatedly; as a poli-sci major, he's placed well to cover hot topics as the War on Terror begins. Admittedly, the contents are dated, as he documents the start of what we know in hindsight proved a less than stellar conflict for millions on the many sides of battle.
Similarly, this serves as a time capsule, when gay marriage and LGBT rights still sounded novel, when promiscuity, Israel-bashing, Muslim apologists, climate change, anti-SAT, and "minority admissions" sparked professorial enthusiasm and student embrace, true, but in perhaps still muted expression among at least some of the wise, if always outnumbered, folks at elite institutions.
Whereas a few cohorts later out of K-12, the subsequent Gen-whatevers spawned after smartphones, social media, and cultural radicalism tend to endorse what once seemed marginal stances limited to higher ed as mainstream curricula and progressive thought across political, journalistic, ethnic, professional, and bureaucratic sectors in most of the world, among those exerting power in the clergy, technology, entertainment, NGOs, banks, science, government, education, policy, and enforcement.
I aver that Shapiro, in a shortcoming common among his ilk, does underestimate the disparities of crony capitalism, ecological devastation, overpopulation, legal rapacity, unrestrained greed, and military ruin. He doesn't appear to possess much insight into those who find themselves on the short end of global exploitation by multinationals, who lack the sophisticated upper-middle-class, college prep upbringing he and many of his peers enjoy, or don't benefit from abundant comforts he and his cohorts inherited. You don't get the sense, at least of his age back then, he's lived beyond his bubble.
The value of this inevitably ephemeral narrative persists, despite the built-in short shelf life of this "current events" genre. Shapiro as a college student, rather than academic, pundit (although that's become his career after Harvard Law), legislator, or critic, provides a real-time observation of pivotal moments when many of the divisive issues embroiling voters and citizens and immigrants nowadays emerged into one of their strongest bastions. From which these influencers now occupy and control a swath of corporate, legislative, pedagogical, religious, secular, social, and policymaking enterprises.
Similarly, this serves as a time capsule, when gay marriage and LGBT rights still sounded novel, when promiscuity, Israel-bashing, Muslim apologists, climate change, anti-SAT, and "minority admissions" sparked professorial enthusiasm and student embrace, true, but in perhaps still muted expression among at least some of the wise, if always outnumbered, folks at elite institutions.
Whereas a few cohorts later out of K-12, the subsequent Gen-whatevers spawned after smartphones, social media, and cultural radicalism tend to endorse what once seemed marginal stances limited to higher ed as mainstream curricula and progressive thought across political, journalistic, ethnic, professional, and bureaucratic sectors in most of the world, among those exerting power in the clergy, technology, entertainment, NGOs, banks, science, government, education, policy, and enforcement.
I aver that Shapiro, in a shortcoming common among his ilk, does underestimate the disparities of crony capitalism, ecological devastation, overpopulation, legal rapacity, unrestrained greed, and military ruin. He doesn't appear to possess much insight into those who find themselves on the short end of global exploitation by multinationals, who lack the sophisticated upper-middle-class, college prep upbringing he and many of his peers enjoy, or don't benefit from abundant comforts he and his cohorts inherited. You don't get the sense, at least of his age back then, he's lived beyond his bubble.
The value of this inevitably ephemeral narrative persists, despite the built-in short shelf life of this "current events" genre. Shapiro as a college student, rather than academic, pundit (although that's become his career after Harvard Law), legislator, or critic, provides a real-time observation of pivotal moments when many of the divisive issues embroiling voters and citizens and immigrants nowadays emerged into one of their strongest bastions. From which these influencers now occupy and control a swath of corporate, legislative, pedagogical, religious, secular, social, and policymaking enterprises.
August 9, 2021
2.5 stars [Education]
(W: 2.5, U: 2.25, T: 3.38)
Exact rating: 2.71
Shapiro wrote a similar book to Dinesh D'Souza's Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus (1991). Shapiro's was 13 years later, covered little that D'Souza did not, and did so with an overly sarcastic tone that detracted from the writing.
Shapiro activated my pet peeve by writing a book that did not match its title. Instead of a full-bodied account of the methodology of university brainwashing, most of this book simply talked about professors' political stances, and argued back with content that regular readers of political polemic have already heard for long years.
The book named names, but sometimes did so in boring lists. There was a lack of nuance in some of Shapiro's conservative defenses. He was extremely correct about Rachael Carson indirectly killing 30-60 million Africans after her foolish scaremongering about DDT, but again, J.R. Dunn did a better job of describing it in his 2011 book Death by Liberalism: The Fatal Outcome of Well-Meaning Liberal Policies.
Shapiro's material got better near the end, when he detailed instances of tuition money going to violence-fomenting student groups like MECHA, while the conservative student groups got little or nothing; the theft of conservative newspapers; and at last some of the brainwashing environment of universities (the topic of the book!). His last chapter added a touch of utility by turning to solutions, primarily that of getting money out of indoctrinating universities and into outstanding, balanced colleges like Hillsdale.
Overall, this book isn't worth it. Read D'Souza instead, or The Shadow University: The Betrayal Of Liberty On America's Campuses by Kors and Silvergate.
//W: 2.5 to 3, -1/4; T: 2.25 to 4.5 = 3.38
(W: 2.5, U: 2.25, T: 3.38)
Exact rating: 2.71
Shapiro wrote a similar book to Dinesh D'Souza's Illiberal Education: The Politics of Race and Sex on Campus (1991). Shapiro's was 13 years later, covered little that D'Souza did not, and did so with an overly sarcastic tone that detracted from the writing.
Shapiro activated my pet peeve by writing a book that did not match its title. Instead of a full-bodied account of the methodology of university brainwashing, most of this book simply talked about professors' political stances, and argued back with content that regular readers of political polemic have already heard for long years.
The book named names, but sometimes did so in boring lists. There was a lack of nuance in some of Shapiro's conservative defenses. He was extremely correct about Rachael Carson indirectly killing 30-60 million Africans after her foolish scaremongering about DDT, but again, J.R. Dunn did a better job of describing it in his 2011 book Death by Liberalism: The Fatal Outcome of Well-Meaning Liberal Policies.
Shapiro's material got better near the end, when he detailed instances of tuition money going to violence-fomenting student groups like MECHA, while the conservative student groups got little or nothing; the theft of conservative newspapers; and at last some of the brainwashing environment of universities (the topic of the book!). His last chapter added a touch of utility by turning to solutions, primarily that of getting money out of indoctrinating universities and into outstanding, balanced colleges like Hillsdale.
Overall, this book isn't worth it. Read D'Souza instead, or The Shadow University: The Betrayal Of Liberty On America's Campuses by Kors and Silvergate.
//W: 2.5 to 3, -1/4; T: 2.25 to 4.5 = 3.38
July 17, 2023
Shapiro's 2004 book Brainwashed tries to answer why America (back then) was turning left - or, more importantly, why the youth was turning left. His answer: most American professors are Democrats, and they are unable to keep their opinions out of their classrooms, wreaking havoc along the way. These professors end up on boards, left-wing students start powerful associations, and students are bombarded with indoctrinating anti-American rhetoric.
As the other reviews already point out: the book isn't very well-written. Shapiro tries to present his case with wit, but it ends up being annoying. His sarcastic remarks don't add anything to the case, and some are truly unnecessary, leaving me rolling my eyes.
The cases he makes are very circumstantial and very specific to certain universities and professors, which doesn't say anything about the US educational system in general. Yet here lies the warning: the fact that these things happen does prove that some universities are (un)knowingly indoctrinating their students. Shapiro's example of him being sacked from the university newspaper proves that in 2004, some universities were not as liberal as they sought to be.
Even though the book is poorly written, the warning still holds today. In 2023, when wokeism and political correctness are topics of conversation, university professors and teachers play a pivotal role when. As Gen-Z heads into universities and colleges, students on both sides must learn how to respect each other's opinions, even when they don't reflect their own. If professors are unable to create an environment in which this happens (by only paving the way for left-wing or woke ideas), the strong polarization of the 2020s will never go away. This book, however, is due for a better-written refresh.
As the other reviews already point out: the book isn't very well-written. Shapiro tries to present his case with wit, but it ends up being annoying. His sarcastic remarks don't add anything to the case, and some are truly unnecessary, leaving me rolling my eyes.
The cases he makes are very circumstantial and very specific to certain universities and professors, which doesn't say anything about the US educational system in general. Yet here lies the warning: the fact that these things happen does prove that some universities are (un)knowingly indoctrinating their students. Shapiro's example of him being sacked from the university newspaper proves that in 2004, some universities were not as liberal as they sought to be.
Even though the book is poorly written, the warning still holds today. In 2023, when wokeism and political correctness are topics of conversation, university professors and teachers play a pivotal role when. As Gen-Z heads into universities and colleges, students on both sides must learn how to respect each other's opinions, even when they don't reflect their own. If professors are unable to create an environment in which this happens (by only paving the way for left-wing or woke ideas), the strong polarization of the 2020s will never go away. This book, however, is due for a better-written refresh.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews