The Overton Window [Hardcover]

Glenn Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2010

A plan to destroy America, a hundred years in the making, is about to be unleashed . . . can it be stopped?

There is a powerful technique called the Overton Window that can shape our lives, our laws, and our future. It works by manipulating public perception so that ideas previously thought of as radical begin to seem acceptable over time. Move the Window and you change the debate. Change the debate and you change the country.

For Noah Gardner, a twentysomething public relations executive, it's safe to say that political theory is the furthest thing from his mind. Smart, single, handsome, and insulated from the world's problems by the wealth and power of his father, Noah is far more concerned about the future of his social life than the future of his country.


But all of that changes when Noah meets Molly Ross, a woman who is consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever. She and her group of patriots have vowed to remember the past and fight for the future--but Noah, convinced they're just misguided conspiracy-theorists, isn't interested in lending his considerable skills to their cause.


And then the world changes.


An unprecedented attack on U.S. soil shakes the country to the core and puts into motion a frightening plan, decades in the making, to transform America and demonize all those who stand in the way. Amidst the chaos, many don't know the difference between conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact--or, more important, which side to fight for.


But for Noah, the choice is clear: Exposing the plan, and revealing the conspirators behind it, is the only way to save both the woman he loves and the individual freedoms he once took for granted.


After five back-to-back #1 New York Times bestsellers, national radio and Fox News television host Glenn Beck has delivered a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that seamlessly weaves together American history, frightening facts about our present condition, and a heart-stopping plot. The Overton Window will educate, enlighten, and, most important, entertain--with twists and revelations
no one will see coming.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Glenn Beck has just shattered the fiction barrier. The Overton Window is the perfect all-American thriller."

—Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A novel ripped from today's headlines and destined to be as controversial as it is eye-opening. No matter your politics, this Hitchcockian thriller will have you turning pages well into the night."

—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author

"A visionary work of fiction. One of the best thrillers I've read in years."

—Vince Flynn, New York Times bestselling author

"Glenn Beck never fails to amaze. The Overton Window, a rip-roaring read of the first order, is as good a political thriller as you're going to find this year."

—Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Threshold Editions; First Edition edition (June 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439184305
• ISBN-13: 978-1439184301
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (571 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,414 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

129 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, July 8, 2010

By 

L. Hicken - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Overton Window (Kindle Edition)

I am conservative, but not a major Glenn Beck fan. I figured the book would have a lot of conservative political doctrine in it, and it did. For about the first half of the book, I would have given it 2-3 stars. The attraction between Molly and Noah seemed a bit contrived and the plot seemed to be kind of meandering. I was worried it was going to be a weak book that was just written as a vehicle to preach politics.

However, about half way through (and I will not give away any spoilers) Beck starts to put the first half of the book together in a way that made me understand what he was doing. It really starts to get good. The last half was a complete page turner for me.

Also, make sure to read the afterward at the end of the book. It was interesting to know how much fact was in the book. He also discusses how facts can be twisted (even by conservatives). IE, not all the conservative spiels in the book are what Glenn himself believes.

Overall, I was very happy I read it.

828 of 1,017 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Review of the BOOK not the MAN, June 17, 2010

By 

Kim Albert "BigMomma" (Fairfax, Va USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Overton Window (Hardcover)

I am writing this review, because every review on here seems to be about the author and his biases and not about the BOOK itself. Let me first say that I am an avid reader. I read everything from Stephenie Meyer to Bertrand Russell, Chuck Palahniuk to Freakonomics. I read 3-5 books per week, fiction and non-fiction alike.

I knew very little about Glenn Beck before I purchased this book. Of course I had heard his name, and that he was a radio personality, but that's about it. I read a little about him before beginning the book, learning that he is a "conservative libertarian." With that being said, it didn't really matter to me, a good book is a good book, no matter the political implications or insinuations.

About the book: The plot was weak, it could have used a lot less quoting and preaching and a lot more character development and background. I found myself being thrown into a whole lot of speeches and little narrative or story development.

The original character descriptions were good, but I found myself wanting to know more about them, who they were really, where they came from, and what they were thinking. The protagonist of this story was the only character that was explored deeper than a name, physical description, and a little about their backgrounds. I wanted to know more about them ESPECIALLY what they were thinking.

The writing was a little below average. Mr. Beck just isn't that good of a story teller, I found myself drifting through the quotes and preaching, wanting them to be over so the story could continue...which it never really did. There was never a climax in the story, and the ending left a lot to be desired.

You would have expected to learn a lot more of the elder Mr. Gardner(the main character's father) before the last chapter. Additionally, I felt that it ended without anything being solved. It just kind of ended in what I would think of as the middle of the story.

All in all this was not worth the day and a half I put into reading it, and I suggest if Mr. Beck wants to share his political ideology, he stick to non-fiction. I would be happy to read it, and would probably enjoy it.

Why write a fiction book, when really all you want to do is write a book of facts regarding the corruption of our country? That's what we really need to hear and read...hiding all of that in the guise of a fiction story(dubbed a thriller, no less) is disappointing to those of us who want to read a good novel.

***NOTE: For all of you who are going to call me a biased liberal hippie, I am a former employee and lifetime member of the National Rifle Association(thanks to Mr. Beck for the kudos in the book), and a member of the libertarian party.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Political? Certainly. Great Read? Yes!, November 14, 2010

By 

C. Paul (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Overton Window (Hardcover)

Not particularly liking or disliking Mr. Beck, I took a copy of this book from a co-worker with some reluctance, and it sat on my desk for several days before a trip caused me to pick it up for airplane reading. About 25 pages into the book I was hooked and finished it in a few short days. It is a great story. It is very well written. It is thought provoking. It is full of interesting facts and observations. And contrary to expectations, it is not a bashing of Democrats or a celebration of Republicans. Yes, there are political overtones but these can be dismissed, or considered, as the reader desires since this is just a great story.