Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure [Hardcover]

Glenn Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2010

THE FACTS.

THE FUTURE.

THE FIGHT TO FIX AMERICA—

BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

In the words of Harvard historian Niall Ferguson, the United States is “an empire on the edge of chaos.” Why? Glenn Beck thinks the answer is pretty simple: Because we’ve turned our backs on the Constitution.

Yes, our country is financially broke, but that’s just a side effect of our broken spirit, our broken faith in government, the broken promises by our leaders, and a broken political system that has centralized power at the expense of individual rights.

There is a lot of work ahead, but we can’t move forward until we first understand how we got here. Starting with the American Revolution, Glenn takes readers on an express train through 234 years of history, culminating with the Great Recession and the bipartisan recklessness of Presidents Bush and Obama. It’s the history lesson we all wished we’d had in school. (Did you know, for example, that FDR once made a key New Deal policy decision based on his lucky number?)

Along the way, you’ll see how everything you thought you knew about the political parties is a lie, how Democrats and Republicans alike used to fight for minimum government and maximum freedom, and how both parties have been taken over by a cancer called “progressivism.” By the end, you’ll understand why no president, no congress and no court can fix this problem alone. Looking toward them for answers is like looking toward the ocean for drinking water— it looks promising, but the end result is catastrophic.

After revealing the trail of lies that brought us here, Broke exposes the truth about what we’re really facing. Most people have seen pieces of the puzzle, but very few have ever seen the whole picture—and for very good reason: Our leaders have done everything in their power to hide it. If Americans understood how dire things really are, they would be demanding radical reform right now. Despite the rhetoric, that’s not the kind of change our politicians really believe in.

Finally, Broke provides the hope that comes with knowing the truth. Once you see what we’re really up against, it’s much easier to develop a realistic plan. To fix ourselves financially, Glenn argues, we have to fix ourselves first. That means some serious introspection and, ultimately, a series of actions that will unite all Americans around the concept of shared sacrifice. After all, this generation may not be asked to storm beaches, but we are being asked to do something just as critical to preserving freedom.

Packed with great stories from history, chalkboard-style teachable moments, custom illustrations, and Glenn Beck’s trademark combination of entertainment and enlightenment, Broke makes the case that when you’re traveling in the wrong direction, slight course corrections won’t cut it—you need to take drastic action. Through a return to individual rights, an uncompromising adherence to the Constitution, and a complete rethinking about the role of government in a free society, Glenn exposes the idea of “transformation” for the progressive smokescreen that it is, and instead builds a compelling case that restoration is the only way forward.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

GLENN BECK is a nationally syndicated radio host, founder of GBTV, and the author of nine national bestselling books, seven of which reached the #1 position on the New York Times list: The Original Argument; Arguing with Idiots; Glenn Beck’s Common Sense; An Inconvenient Book; the novels The Overton Window and The Christmas Sweater; and the children’s book, The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book. His new holiday novel, The Snow Angel, is available in hardcover from Threshold Editions. Visit www.glennbeck.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Threshold Editions (October 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439187193
• ISBN-13: 978-1439187197
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (299 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Glenn Beck, the nationally syndicated radio host and founder of GBTV, is the author of seven previous #1 New York Times bestsellers: An Inconvenient Book, Glenn Beck's Common Sense, Arguing with Idiots, The Christmas Sweater and The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book, The Overton Window and The Original Argument. His audio original Idiots Unplugged is available now from Simon & Schuster Audio or downloadable from Simon & Schuster Online. He is also the author of The Real America and the publisher of Mercury Ink, a publishing imprint (www.mercuryink.com).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

774 of 912 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of the Book - Not My Position Statement, October 26, 2010

By 

javajunki "javajunki" - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure (Hardcover)

Broke, the latest release by Beck, is a surprisingly entertaining text to

be sure. It's engaging, easy to read and designed as an unapologetic

agenda...Beck style. It's also packed full of information that is sure to

create a "teachable moment" among even the most vocal opponent. As a college instructor and business writer, Beck is one of the personalities that tends to draw a lot of attention and followers/critics; for that reason I attempt to stay somewhat up to date with what he/others are doing however, I'm not a "fan" of Beck per se. Although I consider him in the realm of "entertainer" rather than serious economic or political leadership, Beck has done a very real service with the publication of this book if for no other reason than the historical and educational value of the first 2/3 of the book. Also, despite the fact that this is an early review of the book (versus my own personal opinion and/or agenda), please note that this is a verified purchase unlike others. If you want to debate the pro's and con's of the "agenda", the tea party, republicans vs democrats, liberals versus conservatives etc...this is NOT that review.

Basics About the Book

First of all, this is a 400 pages of facts, figures, charts, explanations,

history, examples and action-steps. It contains plenty of resources, ample

visual impact and a clear concise style that encourages the reader to

continue reading. This is the hardcover version with dust-jacket and I'm

happy to say that it was well designed for maximum readability and

audience appeal. Whether you are the type that sits down and reads 400

pages at once or just likes to browse a bit here and there, this book will

work equally well. Plenty of conversation with oodles of tidbits and

factoids.

Who Should Read

Beck Critics - Those that dislike Glenn Beck will not be disappointed - he

provides plenty of fuel to fire-up even the most reserved of his critics.

In fact, even hard core Beck advocates are likely to take issue with a few

items here and there due to "spin" so commonly used by Beck when

interpreting information and data. Like the old adage, there are lies,

d-mnded lies and statistics...the cited data is often used for/against

both sides of a debate, definitions are distorted to the benefit of both

sides and the usual chicanery is alive and well throughout the book. Yes,

I cringed at times but let's face it, that is a daily event for most

Americans that haven't already tuned out entirely. Critics of Beck will

find ample opportunity to criticize the details, the proposed plan of

action and even the man himself. However, there is a good chance that even

the most critical opponent of Beck will actually learn something from this

book! It is interesting and packed full of relevant historical detail as

well as food for thought.

Beck Fans - If you enjoy Beck, this may be his best book to date. It's

packed with information and is unapologetic in the proposed agenda set

forth. It's funny. It's informative. It's entertaining. It's educational.

Without a doubt you will want to buy a copy for yourself, a couple to loan

out to friends and at least one to keep on hand for naysayers and critics.

Unless they are so closed to anything other than their very own agenda,

every thinking person is likely to find something of interest in this

book. Yes, there is slant or angle but that is true of every "side". What

does come through (quite clearly) is the position taken by Beck and his

supporters as well as the reasons and rationale. Agree or disagree, it's

worth reading.

Teens & Those New to Politics, Economics, Tax Issues etc. - Anyone with an

open mind is likely to enjoy this book even if you don't agree...or

actually disagree...with Beck and his conclusions. This would be a great

tool for teens, home schooler and others that would like to initiate an

open conversation about what it taking place (or not) in this nation. The

historical perspective alone is well written, filled with facts and open

enough to spur endless debate.

What is Covered

With over 400 pages packed to the brim, this book provides a big bang for

the buck! It's roughly divided into three parts:

Part I - Part I begins with ancient history, the foundation of this

nation, monetary policy of Hoover, FDR, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush II and

now Obama.

Part II - Covers the crime of the century, the cover up and "the murder

weapon".

Part III - The Plan. This is Becks' call for action, response to critics

and his understanding of the role religion, government, family etc plays

in shaping our nation.

Citations, Resources etc...

309 of 398 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The 202 Trillion Dollar Question, October 26, 2010

By 

D. W. MacKenzie (New London CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure (Hardcover)

This summer Laurence Kotlikoff (an economist at Boston U) published an estimate of the total debts and obligations of the US government: 202 trillion dollars- we ARE broke. The main sources of this gargantuan debt are the major Federal entitlement programs: Social Security and Medicare. The scary facts of Federal financial mismanagement discussed in this book have come out just in time for Halloween.

The most obvious question to those interested in history is how did we get into this mess? Glen Beck proposes some answers in his new book. In 416 pages Beck recounts numerous historical examples (mainly in the first part of this book) of our drift from limited constitutional government, and towards unlimited government- which in our case came to mean unlimited spending. Washington politicians have been promising us more and more over time, mostly in the form of so-called entitlements. Washington politicians have hid their recklessness from us with these unfunded entitlements, well at least from most of us. Economists like Kotlikoff, and also Martin Feldstein, have been warning us about these fiscal imbalances for decades. Now the total sum of these legislated promises is more than American taxpayers can possibly pay. The establishment of entitlements and increased spending in general was done in the name of `progressivism'. Now these supposedly progressive programs threaten future economic progress.

The most obvious question to practically minded people is: how do we get out of this mess? Beck's answer is simple- and highly plausible. Part three argues that we need to return to constitutionally limited government, one where individual states are sovereign, government is decentralized, and individuals bear personal responsibility for their actions. Beck claims that this move involves shared sacrifice, and `shared sacrifice'. We especially need to start taking the 10th amendment seriously. Beck is thinking in terms of what economists call, The Tragedy of the Commons. Nobody cares for a genuine commons because no single person bears significant private costs for depleting common resources. Our Federal commons is effectively broke because everyone takes and tries to avoid contributing. It will never work.

Beck has a reputation as a political partisan; however this book is critical of politicians in both political parties. While it is obvious that Democrats created the biggest fiscal problems (Social Security and Medicare), many Republicans have participated in "the crime of the century". Readers can draw whatever conclusions they want from this book. However, the issues this book addresses are real and important, and Beck has made a serious effort to explain all of this to the general public. This problem is not simply going to go away. America needs major fiscal restructuring, and this will require a move back to limited government.

This book will certainly ignite further controversy, and that's probably a good thing. We are broke, and must do something about our fiscal situation sooner or later. Anyone interested in either American history or America's future should at least look at this book.

114 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glenn's best so far!, October 26, 2010

By 

Ryan C. Thompson (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth and Treasure (Hardcover)

Broke is Glenn Beck's third "text book" styled book. The same high gloss, colored pages are back with all your favorite wit and humor used to tackle serious issues. This book, unlike Beck's others, is much more focused in it's scope. It deals with the past, present, and possible future of the financial state of the Nation.

A great feature in this book are citations that take up over 50 pages! You may not agree with his conclusions, you may say they are reaching a bit, or paranoid, but you definitely can't say that he is simply pulling all this stuff out of thin air!

I'd recommend this book to any Glenn Beck fan, and to anyone who has never actually watched his show. If your entire view point on Beck's character is made up entirely by Stewart and Colbert, you owe it to yourself to find out exactly what it is this guy is saying.