Customer Reviews

American Hero

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is a slam-bang masterpiece of political cynicism. But unless you're a collector with a need to own first editions, buy the paperback rather than the hardcover: it adds four chapters that help tie up loose ends and it gives the author a chance to poke fun at himself, among others: "I had written three mysteries with a 'series' character. Although they had -- where the hell are you going to find a writer to refrain from saying this -- great critical success, they had not been nearly as popular as I thought they ought to be. I was in search of the formula for greater commercial success.... I resolved to do two things -- get away from the series and become more centrist. Less humorous. Less cynical. Less thoughtful. Less intelligent."

Readers (and reviewers) who complained that the private-eye thread of this book's dual storyline was merely conventional have missed the point: Beinhart isn't rewriting Mickey Spillane, he's updating Machiavelli.

Beinhart's previous books are also worth seeking out.

There's something about _American Hero_ that pulls at the edges of the reader's mind: you will not turn a page without pausing to think, "Could this really happen? DID this really happen?" I'm a veteran of the Gulf War. I was there. I KNOW what I saw.

And yet...

_American Hero_ is putatively the novel on which the hit film "Wag the Dog" is based. A president intent on reelection, a film producer confronted with the biggest project ever, a war made for the screen. But however much Beinhart's opus depends on the world of film, that paradigm doesn't have enough dimension to capture the essence of _American Hero_ in return. You NEED to read this.

The book is complex, heavily footnoted, and written in such a manner as to prove itself fact or fiction, whichever you prefer to believe. Chances are, you won't KNOW what to believe by time you read the final summation.

Beinhart, whose other work (_You Get What You Pay For_, _Foreign Exchange_ and _No One Rides For Free_, as well as the non-fiction _How to Write a Mystery_) hasn't achieved the popularity it deserves, has delivered a masterpiece.

I love a good conspiracy theory and this is one of the best. This was a very interesting novel. The thought had never crossed my mind that the Persian Gulf War was a false war. This opened my mind to the realization that a fake war could be a reality. Although the book begins with the disclaimer,
This is a work of fiction. Many public figures appear in the text. Their speech and actions as depicted here are figments of the author's imagination except where supported by the public record.
, it appeared that the Larry Beinhart knew what he was talking about, that or he has a really great imagination. I really liked the book because it was about the side of politics that no one ever really sees. The dirty, no holds bar, the ends justify the means, kind of stuff. A life of politics takes a lot of strength and courage. The two timelines that Beinhart used made the story flow better and gave a more "common person" side to it. Overall, I felt it was a great book and I'm off to find the movie version.

I find outrageous humor in so much that is nonfiction that this novel with great footnotes helped to remind me how much I like footnotes in the other books, particularly in history, which have to find a way to deal with all the information that no one could possibly agree with. This novel is much longer than I would like, because when I think of a line that I would like to find to make sure that I am remembering it right, I have a terrible time finding it now. Putting in a favorite joke or two here might spoil it for those who haven't had the pleasure of reading this yet. As far as I am concerned, I liked all the jokes.

I read Larry Beinhart's "American Hero" after seeing the Oscars. Wag the Dog looked like such a good and interesting movie, but my mom wouldn't allow me to go (I'm 14). I asked her if I could buy the book and read it, so she agreed, and I read it. It was the best book I have EVER read! I enjoyed the spine-tingling mystery and the suspense which kept me reading way past midnight most nights!! I also thought the way he tied himself into his own book was very clever. I know that the rating for books is up to 5 stars, but I think that "American Hero" deserves more...for creativity (or research)! You figure it out : did Pres. Bush really stage the Gulf War?

If the author intended to or not, this turned out to be a greatbook. Whilst the two intertwined plotlines were radically obvious, Ithink the involvement of the clichéd PI part only added to the extravagance of the situation, and the outlandishness of Bush and Baker's involvement in the Gulf...

In a post 9/11 world, where American innocence crumbled into the dust of the World Trade Center, readers who have finally come to realize what actually transpired that terrible September day may be left shaking in their proverbial boots.

For the answers to more than one lingering question about the events of 9/11, and the Gulf War which preceded it, lay quietly buried between the pages of "American Hero".

Far from being a comedy, albeit prudently couched as political satire, the 1994 book "American Hero", is instead the stuff of nightmares.

The subsequent, quickly rushed into production comedy, "Wag The Dog", released in 1997, appears to have represented an urgent attempt to quickly marginalize the "right between the eyes" impact of "American Hero", the book.

"American Hero", by the extraordinarily prescient Larry Beinhart, is well written, well researched, and remains highly recommended reading.

Although due to foot notes, this book is a little difficult to read, I loved it. It was written about Bush 1's war, but it still sounds like Bush 2's war. The light comedic tone keeps it upbeat, and there is enough action for folks who like that. It is MUCH better than the movie based on the book (Wag The Dog). Except for the basic idea, there is very little of the book in the movie.
I liked it. Humorous conspiricy theory.

The president has a little substance problem, and he's cooking up a war half a world away to bolster his flagging approval ratings.

With American Hero--written in '94--Larry Beinhart predicted the opening decade of the current century. There's so much brainfood in this gutsy, audacious novel that the movie that was based on it (Wag the Dog, also highly recommended) dramatized 100% of the themes while using 1% of the plot. The chapter tracing the history of war films, by itself, belongs on the reading list of a course in critical thinking.

Larry Beinhart's AMERICAN HERO is really two novels; a trenchant political satire and a by-the-numbers PI story. The story of Joe Broz and his Hollywood paramour was stricken with the same situations, relationships, developements and cliches (even a Kung Fu showdown, fer cryin' out loud) as a zillion other Private Detective novels. Nuff said. The other part of AMERICAN HERO, the shimmering Verasalles palace of the the book, is the tale of Lee Atwater's fevered public relations pitch, it's acceptance by George Herbert Walker Bush, and it's conception in the hands of Hollywood heavyhitter John Lincoln Beagle. In these chapters, Beinhart shines: exposing the stunning gullibility, mindless jingoism and political apathy of the American people. One wonders why he stopped short of describing the war itself, but since it is such a recent memory, the readers themselves can think back with embarrassment at how heartily we embraced that highly dubious military foray, with yellow ribbons, ticker tape parades, and a nintey percent approval rating for ole George Herbert Walker. Beinhart lets the chill run down our spines as we close the book and realize for ourselves that Atwater was right. We're a nation of suckers, tacitly complicent in our own duping. (LOVED THE FOOTNOTES!)