Customer Reviews

Live Free or Die: Essays on Liberty by New Hampshire Libertarians

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4 star:		(1)
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Gardner Goldsmith's "Live Free or Die" essays are a treasure trove of short, informational, historical, political, and personal experiences.

The reader is pulled in right from the beginning with extremely clever and creative titles, which segue into his chosen format of short writings, expertly defending the constitution, exposing the ridiculous - almost unbelievable - attitudes and acts of politicians, funny and poignant family stories, and even some fiction (although in actuality, some of the political nonsense he reveals is, as they say, stranger than the fiction).

Every American, whatever their political affiliation, can learn much, in addition to being entertained, by this book.

Congratulations to Gardner Goldsmith on producing such a fine work!

While on a road trip, during a visit to a friend's apartment in Colorado, she had a new copy of this book lying around, and I decided to pick it up and read it since she was at work and I had nothing else to do. Gardner Goldsmith is an excellent writer, and I love all of his and his father's essays. I didn't get to the fiction section of the book (I was only able to read the first 250-300 pages), but I'm sure it was just as excellent as the rest of Live Free or Die.

I may or may not be joining Gardner up in New Hampshire. I'm still on the fence with the whole Free State Project thing, but Gardner's book has done nothing but push me a little further onto the side of the FSP. Thanks, Gardner.

Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Silly me, I thought we were free." I laughed and then it made me a little sad because I realized once again that we are not free. Gardner G. is certainly doing his part to promote and protect true freedom by putting together a smorgasbord of entertaining and enlightening stories that will help you understand and appreciate our current state of affairs. Buy this book, read it, and loan it to a friend when your done.

With this book, Gardner Goldsmith rockets onto the scene of political and economic disputation, and he does great honor to his father. "Live Free or Die" is the credo of a resurgent movement, fueled by those who came before. In this book, you will hear the echoes of titans such as Aristotle, Bastiat, Adam Smith, Jefferson, Mason, Paine, Mises, Rothbard, Hayek, Rand, Higgs, Hazlitt, Ebeling, Richman, and many others. It is a full-on attack on contemporary statism, which is too often manifested in Democrats, Republicans, and all others who disrespect the sovereignty of the individual. In this book you will not only get pure constitutional analysis from a Founding perspective, you will learn about economics and freedom beyond those which are protected by the Constitution. It's not a "New Hampshire-centric" book, it is a look at the world from the eyes of two men who called NH home, and defended the principles of liberty there and in Washington, DC. Read this book once, with a pen, and then read it again. And remember, there is fiction in "Live Free or Die", and even an unproduced film script to read when you want to get hit by the Goldsmith story-telling power. I was particularly struck by the tale "Alone", which packs more punch into two short pages than most novels do in twenty times that amount. Goldsmith's work at the TV series "Outer Limits" really shows in it.

"Live Free or Die" is a nearly all-encompassing, striking debut for a writer who is already becoming well-known in American and UK pro-liberty circles for his articles and his stories. Get it, and open a window to real, hard-hitting erudition! (And get some pretty nasty scares from the fiction included within!)

To sum: I'm a fan. I've loved Gardner Goldsmith's radio program (now syndicated?) for a long time, and loved this book.

And, BTW, I read this along with two books by writers whom Mr. Goldsmith has had on his show, and they were three of the best purchases I've made on Amazon. If you like witty fiction, then also grab the suspense novels of F. Paul Wilson, and the smart romance novels of Jill Winters. You won't be sorry.

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I am very pleased with this book. The mix of essays keep the political banter confined to small chunks. Perfect for someone like me who prefers entertainment. Which is also offered at the end of the book.
A must read for those who want a glimpse into some liberty issues in the state of New Hampshire.

As a response to some of the comments, this book and the author are not "right-wing".
It is about freedom, true freedom. Politics is more than just left or right. Freedom is not confined into political parties or government. Live free or die, most Americans are choosing a slow socialist death.

Articulate, prescient and funny too. What more do you need sprinkled on the truth? Goldsmith and his father take us for a freedom ride flying on the back of the Constitution through economics and philosophy with stops for one-liners.

Here's what some of his readers have said:

"This book is the gauntleted fist of liberty smashing the face of oppressive Big Government. Adam Smith would love it. Gardner Goldsmith is to modern politics as the Sex Pistols were to rock n' roll. Buy this book. Read it. Read it again, then throw it at the head of David Souter."
-- John Taylor, President, The Taylor Institute

"Gardner Goldsmith's incisive critique of New Hampshire's plunge into unconstitutional liberalism is a great read. His free market arguments will gladden freedom lovers and infuriate advocates of tax-and-spend Big Government."
-- Dr. Samuel Blumenfeld, author, Is Public Education Necessary?, The New Illiterates, NEA: Trojan Horse of American Education, The Whole Language/OBE Fraud, and Homeschooling

"Live Free or Die is the Cirque de Sole of libertarian literature, pushing the boundaries of the political norm, befuddling the stuffed shirts that would take your freedom, under the guise of protection. No smoke and mirrors here. Just sound reasoning."
-- Malcolm Salls, Member, Free State Project

"Gardner Goldsmith's famous passion for liberty has never been better articulated than it is here."
-- Sean Naylor, author, Not a Good Day to Die

Buy the ticket! Take the ride!

"Live Free or Die" is a revelation. The early essays put the politicians on notice that, if they are going to swear an oath to uphold the US Constitution, they should be honest enough to acknowledge that it doesn't sanction most of what they want to do. Then, the reader realizes that he's nodding in agreement to Goldsmith's thesis that even the Constitution should be tossed in favor of free market association. As he explains, government is coercive by its nature, even Lockean "limited government" created to defend so-called negative, Natural Rights. Why? Because even the government created to defend our property (according to that most basic Lockean rationale) must, through force, take a portion of our property in order to create the police force to "protect" our property. Tautological much? Yep. Goldsmith exposes this dangerous circular thinking, and turns the reader towards the ethical and efficient paradigm of private markets, which can provide, have provided and often still do provide all of the "benefits" of "the state" without the coercion. Highly recommended.

I have been listening to this guys radio show for a couple of months now and have also checked out his web page [...] and really find this man to be thinker who is completely outside the box. In reading this book Mr. Goldsmith discusses current political events in an entertaining way while pointing out just how far away our government has moved away from the very document in which our country was founded. I think the people who dispise this book or who try to label it as extreme right wing are people who don't fully understand the principles from whichg this country is founded on. For the record this book blasts both Democrats and Republicans for the unconstitutional bills which they create and taking away of OUR LIBERTIES. The main message I got from this is that it's still WE THE PEOPLE who can take back our country if enough of us wake up and choose to so. I challenge anyone to read this and feel the spirit of his words---the words of our forefathers echoing through him for us.

LIVE FREE OR DIE is a very accessible and personable work on the full scope of libertarian thought - from economic free market principles to freedom of speech and taking the government out of every aspect of our lives.

The personal touch of father-and-son authoring lends a unique quality to this book that other works of non-fiction/ academia rarely have.

Very readable book for liberty-lovers or curious alike...

Reading this, I have new hope for the world in which we live in. A world in which liberty is seen first, then people proceed from there. I appreciate the real situations that Gard puts forth and the logical conclusions he lays down. I pity those who don't ignore logic and substitute violence instead. Live Free or Die: Essays on Liberty by New Hampshire Libertarians should be required reading for any Political, Social, or Economic Curriculum within libertarian studies.