Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government [Hardcover]

Jesse Ventura (Author), Heron Marquez (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-Ventura offers his personal opinions in the guise of an explanation of the American political system. The self-congratulatory first chapter recounting his rise to political prominence sets the tone for the entire book. In an informal, conversational style laced with words such as "wanna" and "gonna," Minnesota's governor talks about the history of government in general and in the United States in particular. He discusses the Constitution, voting rights, lobbyists, and many other topics. Throughout, he makes clear his dislike of government and politicians. For example, he explains that the Second Amendment forbid laws against gun ownership and is designed to "protect you from too much government." He believes that "candidates are selling themselves to the highest bidder" and that the two major parties are manipulated by special interests. He talks at length about taxes, including the curious claim that when readers purchase items such as CDs, they are "helping to keep the U.S. government operating." The text is illustrated with reproductions of historical documents and paintings as well as contemporary full-color photos, many of them of Ventura. The annotated lists of books and Web sites include helpful, objective resources. Syl Sobel's How the U.S. Government Works (Barron's, 1999) and Betsy Maestro's The Voice of the People (Lothrop, 1996) are better, impartial introductions to the subject. Despite Ventura's announcement that he will not seek reelection, Minnesota libraries probably will want this volume. Librarians elsewhere can probably skip this highly opinionated survey.
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Now that Ventura has announced that he won't run for reelection as governor of Minnesota, this book seems dated. Still, the former wrestler has some interesting takes on government in the U.S., and he may get kids thinking about alternative ways of governing. His coauthor is probably responsible for much of the text; it seems unlikely that Ventura sat down to write a two-page spread on the history of suffrage, for example. Nevertheless, Ventura's brash, confident voice is heard throughout, in discussion of everything from the nature of government and the Constitution to the budget, third-party candidates, and ways for kids to participate. His personal viewpoint prevails, and he sometimes cuts a few corners in his discussion, as in his interpretation of the Second Amendment: "people have the right to own guns, and the government can't pass a law prohibiting you from doing so," ignoring that pesky bit about a "well-regulated militia." The layout is as bold and colorful as Ventura himself. The book's attractive look will draw readers in. A bibliography and a list of Web sites are appended. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822503859
• ISBN-13: 978-0822503859
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Governor Jesse Ventura served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1999, to January 6, 2003, but he is more than a politician. In fact, he doesn't like being referred to as a politician at all. Before entering the world of politics, he served his country as part of a U.S. Navy UDT team (the forerunner of the SEALs), won fame as a professional wrestler, worked as a bodyguard for big-name rock and roll acts like the Rolling Stones, and had roles in major motion pictures, including "The Running Man" and "Predator."

Governor Ventura first entered the public eye in the mid-1970s as a profession wrestler, gaining fame for his physique and wrestling as Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He wrestled until 1984, when blood clots in his lungs ended his in-ring career. After a failed comeback bid, he worked as a color commentator on television for "All-Star Wrestling" and later "Superstars of Wrestling," hosted his own talk segment on the WWF's "Superstars of Wrestling" called "The Body Shop," and did color commentary on radio for a few National Football League teams (among them, the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Ventura most notably co-hosted "Saturday Night's Main Event" with Vince McMahon and the first six WrestleManias (1985-1990).

Ventura's acting career was a natural extension of his television work. He appeared in "Predator" (which starred future California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). He had a starring role in the 1990 sci-fi movie "Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe," and had supporting roles in "The Running Man," "Demolition Man," "Repossessed," "Ricochet," "The Master of Disguise" (in which he steals the Liberty Bell), and "Batman & Robin." Ventura also made a cameo appearance in "Major League II" as "White Lightning" and appeared as a self-help guru (voice only) in "The Ringer" trying to turn Johnny Knoxville into a more confident worker. In addition, Ventura had a cameo in "The X-Files episode" "Jose Chung's From Outer Space" as a Man in Black alongside fellow 'MiB' Alex Trebek.

Ventura ran for governor of Minnesota as the nominee for the Reform Party of Minnesota. His campaign consisted of a combination of aggressive grassroots events and original television spots using the phrase "Don't vote for politics as usual." He spent considerably less than his opponents (about $300,000) and was a pioneer in his using the Internet as a medium of reaching out to voters in a political campaign. He won the election narrowly--and unexpectedly--defeating the major-party candidates, Norm Coleman (Republican) and Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III (Democratic-Farmer-Labor).

Deciding not to seek a second term in office, Ventura left the political arena, but continued to speak out about the issues he cares most about. He taught a study group at Harvard University as a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics in which he focused on third party politics, campaign finance, the war on drugs, and other relevant political issues. He has written two books since leaving office, both with Dick Russell, "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!" and "American Conspiracies." He also writes and hosts the television series "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura," which airs on TruTV.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jesse Ventura's passionate primer about American government, November 24, 2002

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government (Hardcover)

As the sub-title of "Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is," this is a book in which "America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks out About Government." Now, at first look this title might suggest that Ventura is going to engage in his patented rants about what is wrong with the government. But the book is actually more of a primer about government for young readers, albeit based on Ventura's unique personal experiences in and out of office.

Co-written with journalist and children's author Heron Marquez, this book certainly plays on Ventura's notoriety. The book's introduction starts with a picture of Jesse "The Body" Ventura in action in the wrestling ring and campaigning for governor in jeans, a Timberwolves jacket, and baseball cap. Ventura's explanation for his surprising gubernatorial victory is simple: he had a key issue (returning Minnesota's $4 billion tax surplus to the taxpayers), a pair of "boring" opponents, and an electorate looking for alternatives to the Republicans and Democrats. He also inspired a lot of people to register and vote who had given up on politics or never gotten excited in the first place.

But the main part of this book does not look at Ventura's time in office, but rather at the government itself. In doing so, Ventura's political philosophy comes through: (1) What is Government? traces the development of the concept from family groups forming tribes to the complicated systems that exist today. Clearly Ventura favors the informal governments humans first created to fulfill these needs over the bureaucratic entities that exist today. (2) Freedom and the Constitution tells the story of how the Founding Fathers came to write the Constitution, which is based on the simple idea of freedom, and the Bill of Rights, emphasizing that the latter protects people from too much government. Sidebars in this chapter talking about how the Constitution can be Changed and some of Ventura's dealings with other countries as governor. (3) The Many Levels of Government uses the metaphor of the pyramid to explain how government works on the local, state and federal level. Ventura looks at September 11th and floods as examples of how the different levels of government function in an emergency. (4) Voting and Election Campaigns is the most autobiographical of these chapters, since Ventura talks about his own experiences running for governor and provides some of his most telling critiques of the current system (e.g., "I'll be you dollars to doughnuts, five or every six days are spent on political fund-raising. But if the candidates are raising money, they aren't talking issues"). (5) Cutting up the Pie talks about how we are taxed and what the government does with the money. A side bar allows Ventura to attack Special-Interest Groups, who he believes "control our government today, point-blank, no doubt about it." Consequently, Ventura emphasizes that his independence from such groups allowed him to "govern with no strings attached." (6) What Can Kids Do? elicits a simple answer from Ventura: "Keep them involved."

That last bit is what tips the scales for me with this book, which is certainly not the most informative book on American Government young readers can find. But there is a passion about the subject that Ventura brings and an insistence that people have beliefs and be able to justify them that makes this book, on balance, a good thing. We all know that the percentage of Americans who vote has been in a constant state of decline for decades and we can all tick off on our fingers the reasons why people have become apathetic and disgusted by politics and politicians. If there was one thing Ventura did in his two campaigns, for mayor of St. Louis Park and governor of Minnesota, it was drive up voter participation, and if at the end of his term of office he puts out a book like this get kids interested in politics, then I am all for it. I also appreciate the idea that kids will read this book long before they are eligible to vote.

The back of the book contains some of Ventura's pet political ideas, such as the unicameral legislature, discarding laws that are no longer useful, and reforming property taxes. There is also a list for further reading and useful web sites. My guess is that as time goes by readers will forget the specifics of Ventura's positions, but what they will remember is his passionate insistence that politicians listen to the voice of the people. It might be an elementary lesson, but when you consider the high dropout rate in American politics, it is a lesson worth repeating. We will have to see if Ventura's political legacy endures after he leaves office or if he becomes a political footnote.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A passionate look at American government, February 4, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government (Hardcover)

In this fascinating little book, Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, sets out to explain the American system of government, warts and all, to the young reader. He starts out with an interesting autobiography, focusing mainly on his political career, and then he launches into an examination of how our system works. Along the way, the reader is treated to many colorful pictures and highly informative sidebars.

Governor Ventura is widely known for his outspokenness, and this book contains quite a few of his opinions. But, in spite of that (or perhaps because of that), this is a great book, a passionate look at American government. If you are looking for an interesting introduction to the American form of government, then I highly recommend this book to you.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Common Sense Political View, March 6, 2004

By 

Sir George Martini "Verbalosity" (Fromage, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jesse Ventura Tells It Like It Is: America's Most Outspoken Governor Speaks Out About Government (Hardcover)

Are you sick and tired of whining liberal and conservative fanatics that ridicule everything they don't understand or agree with? Unlike other writers of partisan politics who only offer criticism, Ventura recommends solutions. Once you get past his macho wrestling image, he comes off as an intelligent, well-spoken man with reasonable views of how the world works. Ventura's credentials as a former Navy Seal and Governor give him a realistic view opposed to the myopic view of career politicians who have spent their lives in Washington.