Customer Reviews

An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal [Or How I Became the Most Hated Hispanic in America]

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

This very personal memoir reveals a side of Linda Chavez that even her longtime admirers probably haven't seen before. She is of course a brilliant lady--a sharp observer of culture and politics. Here we learn how a working-class Hispanic girl made an unexpected journey from dingy apartments in New Mexico and Colorado to the corridors of power in Washington. The story is gripping and the prose is excellent. She provides an inside look at her failed nomination as labor secretary, but the bulk of the book is about her family life and unrelated professional episodes (teaching at UCLA, working as a Democratic and union activist in the 1970s, becoming a "Reagan Democrat," and so on). Fans of Chavez won't want to miss it.

(Full disclosure: One of Linda Chavez's friends and former colleagues, mentioned several times in this book, is a friend of my wife's and mine as well. I've never met Miss Chavez, however -- though, after reading this book, I wouldn't mind doing so someday.)

In the whole vast array of American culture, few people are as morally represensible as those who insist that a person's race or ethnicity (or sex or sexual preference) MUST inevitably define their world view and, more to the point, their politics. Linda Chavez "became the most hated Hispanic in America" by maintaining -- and, worse, passionately and effectively defending -- ideas that are out of step with what we're told Hispanics are "supposed to" believe.

But this book is a biography, not a political tract. Miss Chavez tells us her life story, focusing on her evolution from Young People's Socialist League-member in the 1960s to highly-visible neocon today. Along the way, she gives us a moving portrayal of her family's climb out of poverty, her devotion to family and friends (and theirs to her), an inside look at political activism on both the left and right, and -- no small thing -- one of the most damning portrayals of 1970s campus radicalism since David Horowitz.

In keeping with her theme of "the transformation of an ex-liberal," the pace of Miss Chavez's narrative picks up somewhat once she becomes an ex-liberal. The actively political period of her life seems rather rushed compared to the earlier sections of her book, as though the author was in a hurry to get to, and through, the story of her withdrawn nomination as Labor Secretary after the 2000 election. If Miss Chavez had chosen to flesh out this portion of her life a bit more, I'm sure it would have been just as interesting as the rest of her story turned out to be.

This book reveals a lot about the real nature of American politics, and much of it isn't very pretty. But it also reveals something about the cliché-ridden, often derided, idea of the "American dream." And that part of the story is very attractive indeed.

I read this book because I have always enjoyed Linda Chavez's thought-provoking syndicated columns, but she definitely saved her best writing for this memoir. You get to see a side of her, and other public figures such as President George W. Bush, that you don't normally see on television and in the newspapers. Linda's story is unbelievably inspiring. I give this book the highest rating I can possibly give...without a doubt, it is THE book of 2002.

Linda Chavez is indeed an "unlikely conservative." Her Hispanic roots in Albuquerque, her tumultuous family life, her chaotic married life to a Jewish husband she loves very much, her experiences as a caring mother, her accounts of affirmative action at the University of Colorado and at UCLA, her up-close-and-personal days as a teacher of troubled young people, her labor-union days, her civil rights advocacy, her religious experiences in the Catholic church, her candid account of her nomination to Sect. of Labor by Pres. George W. Bush -- all are spelled out in fascinating detail.

While reading the book, I not only felt that I had taken a peek into Ms. Chavez's personal life, but I also felt I had relived an important part of our country's history. Ms. Chavez's attention to detail, her recall of names, and her descriptions of behind-the-scenes political maneuvering brought back pieces of history that I had either forgotten or had never known.

AN UNLIKELY CONSERVATIVE is an excellent read and offers vital insights into the political world. Ms. Chavez's descriptions of her life is both unpretentious and straight-forward. Any reader would benefit from reading her book to find out how she changed from being an active supporter of the Democratic Party to becoming a leading Republican proponent of conservatism.

Linda Chavez has written a book that should be required reading for all of the young, and not so young, starry-eyed idealists who honestly want to change the world in which they live. While her life story is interesting, the the personal growth story is compelling, as she is able to effectively and brilliantly convey the story of how a person can continue to grow throughout her life: through continual re-assessment of personal beliefs, through intellectual and emotional honesty, by having the awareness to recognize and the courage to break from beliefs and causes whose ends are being corrupted by the popular means they have begun to employ. Ms. Chavez has written the most concise and relevant account of how those who champion popular causes, in general, and the Democratic Party, in particular, have come to be the most destructive agents for those causes because of the premium they have put on their own self-interest and their aversion to honest assessment of undeniable data. She did not change her core beliefs, she did not adopt the liberal mindset of denying facts which contradict "feelings" and "beliefs". She analyzed, understood, grew intellectually and emotionally, and, most importantly, moved on. Because the positions that comprise her core beliefs were arrived at so honestly and with eyes open, the process of her transformation serves as a life lesson for those who want to stand behind what they truly understand and believe instead of following what is considered most popular and politically expedient. That her process is one to be emulated is proven by the fact that at no time does she attempt to build herself up by knocking others down; a technique continually and exclusively resorted to by her detractors. That is one of the reasons it is so easy to see who has been right and who wrong.

President Bush's biggest mistake was his decision not to fight with Democrats in the Senate and push for Linda Chavez to become the U.S. Labor Secretary. In this book Chavez reveals a set of precepts and ideas that are very much in line with traditional conservative thinking.

By fighting to get Ms. Chavez confirmed, the Bush Administration (and maybe the Republican party in general) would have been able to get much better hispanic support. In addition, Bush would have shored up his support among conservatives much earlier and established a stronger position of leadership in Washington, DC than he held prior to September 11, 2001.

Ms. Chavez explains that hispanics need to stop thinking of themselves as foreigners, and stop acting like aliens if theya re to succeed in the Unted States. "Let's join the culture here -- isn't that why we all came to the U.S. in the first place?" is her central theme for hispanic readers.

It is a mistake to read this as a "hispanic" book. It is really a book that, like the work of black conservatives, shows how the liberal establishment has used minorities to fuel their own political agendas; ones that ended up hurting non-wealthy, non-white, and other non-establishment groups. Ms Chavez also carefully explains that the political agendas of liberals that have hindered minortities have actually hurt whites without college educations even more.

MIT Linguistics professor, Noam Chomsky, called the Bush Administration "Radical statist fanatics, far removed from traditional conservatives ... a patrician clique who have little in common with most citizens.", at his recent Austin, TX appearance. Based on the treatment they gave Linda Chavez (vs. Tommy Thompson, Colin Powell and other G.W. Bush cabinet members), one has to wonder if Dr. Chomsky's assessment is correct.

For those who love unique and inspiring stories---have I got a book for you! Linda Chavez tells a facinating story of courage, dedication, and personal growth that anyone interested in politics must read. Like Norman Podhoretz, David Horowitz, and Ward Connerly, she moved from left to right after witnessing the near total failure of left-wing polices.

But what makes this a real page-turner is her remarkable personal story. The early chapters on her life and family read like a novel. I couldn't put the book down.

Linda Chavez has led an interesting life and has a great story to tell. Unfortunately, I found the writing style of this book to be completely flat. There seemed to be no highs or lows, everything was weighted equally. Rather a chronological bullet-pointed life rather than a real storytelling. I kept with it because of interest in her rather than being gripped by any powerful writing.

Linda Chavez is a voice of Americans of all ethnic backgrounds who have come to appreciate what it is to be an American. If she ran for president, I'd vote for her. No, I'd campaign for her!

It is sad that Linda Chavez even had to write this book. Regrettably, however, the radical Left has successfully branded anyone who rejects socialist nostrums and desires to minimize the importance of race and ethnicity in American politics as a traitor to their roots. Chavez is often treated rudely and contemptuously for merely advocating the principle that all citizens should be judged on merit and not on the color of their skin. She suffered occasional prejudice as a Hispanic child growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also, like many other children of ethnic parents--she never learned to speak the so-called native tongue. The dominant culture of the United States is a melting pot that fortunately assimilates its immigrants in a relatively short time. So much so, Linda Chavez later even marries a man of Jewish descent. She shares with the reader these assimilationist challenges that many other ethnic groups of lighter pigmentation had a much easier time to resolve. Racism does exist in our country, but Chavez is confident that America possesses the democratic institutions that are able to overcome bigotry and unjust discrimination.

The author early on in her adult years took for granted that the Democrat Party best represented the hopes and aspirations of the Hispanic community. She eventually realized that this mindset left much to be desired. Thus, her journey as "the most hated Hispanic in america" begins and her life would never again be the same. We learn about her experiences with the administration of Ronald Reagan and the present one of George W. Bush. Linda Chavez sees first hand how the Liberal political establishment advocates educational policies that unintentionally cause far more harm than good. Not everything goes smoothly, and Chavez endures the pitfalls of running for political office and accepting a cabinet post. Linda Chavez is still a relatively young woman and will not be disappearing off the national stage anytime in the near future. This book will do much to help you to understand how much more she has to offer her fellow Americans. An earlier community reviewer mentioned that "An Unlikely Conservative" also serves as a profound work of history. I agree completely with this opinion.