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My Turn at the Bully Pulpit: Straight Talk About the Things that Drive Me Nuts
 
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My Turn at the Bully Pulpit: Straight Talk About the Things that Drive Me Nuts [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Elaine Lafferty (Author), Greta Van Susteren (Author, Reader)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 26, 2003
Welcome to the bully pulpit where opinions fly but common sense rules. Here’s where you’ll find straight talk about the most pressing issues of the day, all delivered in the trademark commonsense style of one of America’s most popular and admired television news anchors. Always resisting the political label that attempts to place people in one ideological camp or another, Greta Van Susteren speaks from the mind and the heart, not as a liberal or a conservative, but as a right-thinking, sensible citizen. “Our country is at a critical juncture,” she writes, and “too many of us are caught up in old definitions of left and right that no longer apply. If I favor the death penalty in some cases, does that make me right-wing? If I think hate crimes legislation is stupid, does that make me a conservative? If I happen to like and enjoy Ozzy Osbourne and have him on my show, does that make me a liberal? And if I believe that corporations should be held accountable if their products harm citizens and they should be subject to the rulings of a jury—ditto for doctors who commit medical malpractice—does that make me a lefty trial lawyer?”

Here’s more of Greta in her own words:

On the military: Liberty isn’t free. As a nation, we must provide for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us. That means good pay, adequate funding for defense, and our heartfelt support. Vietnam was a very long time ago. We Baby Boomers have to wake up and realize that today’s military is a different military from the one we grew up with, and we are fighting a very different war. Patriotism is not a conservative or a liberal thing. Patriotism, as far as I am concerned, is the duty and obligation of every American.

On the Supreme Court: There should be a litmus test for Supreme Court and federal court judges, and that test should be their opinion about allowing public access to court proceedings. Let cameras inside the courthouse, or at least allow an audio feed to radio. What are they hiding?

On the death penalty: It should be legal and available to courts and juries . . . but it should be used extremely rarely, and only when we are absolutely certain that a fair trial has taken place.

On how you look: It’s your business and nobody else’s. Your looks and your life are not a democracy—not everybody gets a vote. Make your appearance and your choices a totalitarian regime—you are the boss.

On fun: It isn’t a curse word. It’s actually quite serious business, as it makes the hard times livable and the sad times bearable. Fun should be part of a work environment, too. Stuffed shirts and snobs who can’t stop and laugh at themselves should be banished!

In Greta’s company you’re guaranteed to get a fresh dose of common sense and a good hearty rant on many of the most important issues we face today. One more guarantee: you’ll have some good fun while you’re at it.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Van Susteren, former criminal defense attorney and host of On the Record on Fox, offers her opinions on a variety of controversial issues and celebrity-driven topics, including her switch to Fox from CNN and her eye tuck. Although she is presumed to be a liberal, Van Susteren maintains that her sensibilities are solidly rooted in her Catholic midwestern background and defy easy categorization. She's as much influenced by the nearly 20 years she spent practicing law as by her fairly recent career as television anchor and talk-show host. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at news shows, including correspondence from viewers; the interviews "from hell"; and the stress and occasional absurdity of "getting the get," the most sought-after guest for a television show. She defends using the controversial Mark Fuhrman as a frequent contributor on her show and recalls interviews and conversations with Henry Kissinger, O. J. Simpson, Ted Turner, and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Van Susteren turns her cogent analysis to the death penalty, cameras in the courtroom, corporate greed, the politics of patriotism, and tort reform. Whether or not readers agree with her positions, they will enjoy Van Susteren's candor and humor. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Welcome to the bully pulpit where opinions fly but common sense rules. Here?s where you?ll find straight talk about the most pressing issues of the day, all delivered in the trademark commonsense style of one of America?s most popular and admired television news anchors. Always resisting the political label that attempts to place people in one ideological camp or another, Greta Van Susteren speaks from the mind and the heart, not as a liberal or a conservative, but as a right-thinking, sensible citizen. ?Our country is at a critical juncture,? she writes, and ?too many of us are caught up in old definitions of left and right that no longer apply. If I favor the death penalty in some cases, does that make me right-wing? If I think hate crimes legislation is stupid, does that make me a conservative? If I happen to like and enjoy Ozzy Osbourne and have him on my show, does that make me a liberal? And if I believe that corporations should be held accountable if their products harm citizens and they should be subject to the rulings of a jury?ditto for doctors who commit medical malpractice?does that make me a lefty trial lawyer??

Here?s more of Greta in her own words:

On the military: Liberty isn?t free. As a nation, we must provide for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us. That means good pay, adequate funding for defense, and our heartfelt support. Vietnam was a very long time ago. We Baby Boomers have to wake up and realize that today?s military is a different military from the one we grew up with, and we are fighting a very different war. Patriotism is not a conservative or a liberal thing. Patriotism, as far as I am concerned, is the duty and obligation of every American.

On the Supreme Court: There should be a litmus test for Supreme Court and federal court judges, and that test should be their opinion about allowing public access to court proceedings. Let cameras inside the courthouse, or at least allow an audio feed to radio. What are they hiding?

On the death penalty: It should be legal and available to courts and juries . . . but it should be used extremely rarely, and only when we are absolutely certain that a fair trial has taken place.

On how you look: It?s your business and nobody else?s. Your looks and your life are not a democracy?not everybody gets a vote. Make your appearance and your choices a totalitarian regime?you are the boss.

On fun: It isn?t a curse word. It?s actually quite serious business, as it makes the hard times livable and the sad times bearable. Fun should be part of a work environment, too. Stuffed shirts and snobs who can?t stop and laugh at themselves should be banished!

In Greta?s company you?re guaranteed to get a fresh dose of common sense and a good hearty rant on many of the most important issues we face today. One more guarantee: you?ll have some good fun while you?re at it.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Audio Cassette
  • Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (August 26, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0739308084
  • ISBN-13: 978-0739308080
  • Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,368,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Much Like Her Show - Informative and Entertaining, November 24, 2003
By 
John Standiford (Cypress, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
Maybe I'm biased but I've always liked Greta Van Susteren. She is one of those people that when she is on television, you are drawn to watch her. I think I feel that way because she is bright, articulate, and can engage an interview subject and challenge them without attacking them. Moreover, she can display a sense of humor and seems to have fun.

This book is much like she is on television. It's concise and to the point and most normal people should be able to read the whole thing in a few hours.

My only quibble with the book is that the title seems a bit misleading. While Greta does weigh in on a number of important topics such as patriotism, the death penalty, her plastic surgery, cable news, corporate ethics and even professional sports, she is smart enough to temper her views. She rarely jumps on the soap box to take hard stances on most of the issues.

Still I enjoy the book because in what she does write, she reveals more of herself. That works to her advantage because the same appeal she demonstrates on television comes through in the book. This is especially true in the last chapter of the book that provides some examples of the e-mails she has traded with viewers of her show.

This book won't go down as one of the most important books of our day but if you like Greta, it's worth your time.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read, Though Not a Compelling One, August 29, 2003
Greta Van Susteran, from CNN and FNC fame, has written a fairly good book. At moments I really enjoyed the book, however, other chapters were quite boring. The book, however, reads easily and therefore, boring sections are not as tiresome as they could have been. This book, like other books of this genre, is often "choppy" because one chapter does not always natuarlly lead to the next topic.

There are some good things in this book, that take the less than satisfactory parts and raise this book to at least an average rating (although, one is probably better off waiting until the book is out in paperback). Her chapter on the Death Penality is, I think, briilant. She avoids the extremes, by paying close attention to real issues about poor defences, fair trials, yet deserved punishment. She supports the death penailty, but thinks the system needs to make sure it provides the best defence possible for all. She is not satisfied that public defenders offices are underfunded, while prosecutors often operate a larger budget in which to prosecute the case. Her concern is for the innocent person, but she also admits that the guilty must be punished.

Her chapter on Loyality" is also very good as she writes about her work at CNN and the FNC and her transition from one to the other as discussed by others. Further, her chapter on patriotism is also very good and she arguments hear, though said elsewhere, is needed (support the men and women in uniform).

The book is less interesting in other areas like her chapter on her plastic surgery. While I suspect others my enjoy this chapter and others chapters as well, I thought the pace of the book slowed and that its transitions from topic to topic were cumbersome.

All in all, an enjoyable read, though not a compelling one.

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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My Turn at the Bully Pulpit, August 30, 2003
Greta Van Susteren's book "My Turn at the Bully Pulpit" is an excellent book. I started to read it today and finished reading it in one afternoon. It is very interesting, educational, has humor, but most of all is not boring and is straight to the point. I recommend this book highly.
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