An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems Book

I have been a huge fan of Glenn Beck's radio show ever since he became syndicated back in 2002. If you actually take the time to LISTEN to his radio show for an extended period of time you realize that he is in a constant state of analyzing his choices, his philosophies and his political alignments. He is not, despite what his detractors think, a mindless republican stooge... or even a mindless CONSERVATIVE stooge. He's just a regular guy who has made it big but who stays close to his values and never EVER lets anyone in politics or the media tell him what to think. And he is, quite simply, a radar detector for hypocrisy and bullsh***, which is what I think I love about his show the most.

(EDIT: I wrote this review in 2008, literally months before ole Glenn went from being a very cool, if a bit eccentric, personality with genuinely provocative insights, to becoming a complete and raving lunatic. It's almost not possible for people now to appreciate how awesome he used to be.)

That being said, every time Glenn tries to branch out into a different medium, it simply reaffirms to me that RADIO is where he truly belongs. His first book was simplistic drivel. His TV show is, I find, pretty much unwatchable. I haven't read his magazine but I imagine it's equally bad. And "An Inconvenient Book" pretty much continues that trend.

The book isn't exactly HORRIBLE. In fact it does raise some interesting points about the major issues that are affecting us today. True to form, Beck comes at these issues (Global Warming, Terrorism, Political Correctness, Illegal Immigration) from a questioning standpoint, pointing out the inconsistancies in logic that a lot of politicians and special interest groups seem to wallow in. He tries to infuse all his arguments with a heavy dose of wit, sarcasm and self-depreciating humor, which never really comes off as all that funny. He also tries to break up the heavier chapters with chapters that deal with such innocuous topics as how to rent a movie with a spouse and how to deal with your daughter's first boyfriend. Again, it's obvious that these chapters were intended to be comic relief... I tended to skim or skip them altogether since they weren't really all that funny.

So do I recommend this book? Actually yes. If you can find it at the library, pick it up for a quick read. Whether you are rightly or leftly slanted Beck DOES make some good points and does so by avoiding the cliche'd arguments that each side tends to fall back on. You may or may not agree with everything he says, but I find Beck, whether you agree with him or not, does present the issues in a way that at least makes you think. His prose ain't Howard Zinn, but it's mildly interesting nonetheless. Still, I stand by my original statement which is to say that if you REALLY want to see what Glenn is REALLY about, you should spend a couple weeks listening to his radio show.