About this title: In his most intimate book yet, Bill O'Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from being a working-class kid to an immensely influential television personality and bestselling author.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: First Edition, 1st Printing
Binding: Hardcover in a Dust Jacket
Publisher: Broadway Books, New York
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: Fine/Fine. 9780767928823 x + 256 pages, illustrated. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: September 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: 0-7679-2882-2 From Barnes & Noble "William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity. " When she uttered these words, Sister Mary Lurana probably recognized already that she was understating. The diminutive troublemaker sitting in her third-grade class at St. Brigid's School was undoubtedly one of the most obstreperous students she had ever encountered, but the world had seen nothing yet of William O'Reilly. This memoir captures the indefatigable host of The O'Reilly Factor in all his colorful, ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: New in new dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. brand new read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: New in very good dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: New in new dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. brand new read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Random House Inc
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: New. In his most intimate book yet, Bill O'Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from being a working-class kid to an immensely influential television personality and bestselling author. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780767928823ISBN:0767928822
Description: New in new dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 256 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
"I am something of an apologist for Bill O'Reilly because, when he was still on the radio, his show came on at the time I took my nap, and I thought that he was funny and smart and that he was NOT an ideologue. His ego is as bloated as his detractors claim, and I've read that he can be difficult to work with, but he makes no secret of either quality and does, in fact, poke fun at himself, unapologetically, however.
Sometimes I take an early nap and have to listen to Sean Hannity (or turn off the radio and tune in to the BBC online, which is my strategy of choice these days), who (Hannity)is definitely not stupid, but he is a checklist conservative; you know where he is going to stand on every issue. Not so with Bill O., who takes umbrage when conservatives insist that global warming is not a problem or that it is a natural phenomenon that would have happened anyway. Bill O. says, and I agree, what difference does it make, we still need to clean up the planet.
He also leans libertarian, for example, re gay marriage. He has said that committed gay couples should have all the legal rights and privileges as heterosexual couples, and balks only at the designation of gay unions as "marriage." Last I heard (I don't have a television, so I haven't kept up with him since he left radio), he was thoroughly disgusted with the Republican Party. He describes himself as a "traditionalist" and gets huffy if referred to as "conservative." ...
BFPH is MUCH better than CULTURE WARRIOR, which was self-congratulatory, too too cute, and poorly edited... OH! And you must put on protective eyewear or his ego will, I swear, blind you.
This is not the case in BFPH; you can probably get by with regular sunglasses. BFPH is funny, is a shade less self-congratulatory than CULTURE WARRIOR (and more competently edited), and is sometimes wise. And it's an easy afternoon read. He and I are about the same age, so I enjoyed his childhood reminiscences.
I really don't have much use for politics, and I am mystified as to why someone with Bill O.'s energy and intelligence would want to waste those qualities in the role of a self-styled government watchdog as opposed to, say, a pet groomer, but I suppose SOMEBODY has to keep an eye on public policy, because I certainly don't"
That's the pithy version of my review. One of the mysteries of the universe, however, is how someone whose father was seemingly always pithy in his comments ended up with a son who is a master bloviater. Although this is a mystery that may never be fully solved, O'Reilly does shed a great deal of light on his upbringing and the values that still drive him to do what he does.
At times intense, often funny, usually insightful - this is a book worth reading. If you are a Factor fan, it's a must read. If you're intrigued with the man behind the show, you'll get a solid understanding of what motivates him. If you don't "like" O'Reilly, you probably won't like his book. (But he won't care).
Aside from the insights on Bill O'Reilly himself, I especially enjoyed his comments about President Bush, Oprah Winfrey, and Donald Trump. In his assessment of each of these, I found myself seeing the person with fresh understanding, and I found O'Reilly's comments both astute and fair-minded.
As an autobiography, I give the book high marks. O'Reilly does not seem to slant things in a self-aggrandizing way, as many who tell their life stories do. He gives the facts, explains his motives and values, and leaves us with a much better understanding of who he is. For that, I give the book 5 stars."
"While I enjoyed reading this book, I became bored towards the end. Also, he described his father as a person who didn't have much to contribute towards family conversations. I believe this to probably be true of almost every father who was raised during the depression and should/could have been pointed out by Mr. O'Reilly. I am sure his friend' fathers were like his father."
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