When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country [Hardcover]

G. Gordon Liddy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

Liddy sounds an alarm for all freedom-loving Americans, warning that liberties are being chipped away in the name of good causes, civic convenience and left-wing demagoguery. Liddy also divulges new information in a shocking, tell-all chapter on Watergate.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this colorful right-wing screed, the Watergate felon and conservative radio talk show host bemoans the politically correct gulag that is the United States. Liddy pillories the usual suspects-environmentalists, "killer air bags," gun-control advocates, women who think they can do anything a man can-and gnaws on old enmities in a tedious appendix full of Watergate ephemera (something about "the notorious rat John Dean," plus clippings of a call-girl ring, etc.). Liddy's hyper-masculine prose celebrates weapons, the massive, gas-guzzling "torque" of his automobiles, and Julius Caesar, a "great leader" who wisely "slaughtered all the males remaining alive" among his foes and "sold all the women and children into slavery." In his Nietzschean worldview, life is a ceaseless struggle for power among men and nations, channeled and structured by the sado-masochistic bonding rituals of warriors. But as his title implies, Liddy's most poignant writing dwells on the vanished liberties of youth: going hunting with a pal, making his own fireworks, burning leaves on an autumn afternoon (now, sadly, banned by "global warming"-a term he always uses with quotes-alarmists). His is essentially a boy's view of freedom as the absence of responsibility and constraint. His many fans, of course, will love it.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

G. Gordon Liddy, host of his own radio program syndicated in 170 markets, is the author of three best-selling books and numerous magazine articles. Mr. Liddy began his career in Washington as a Staff Assistant to President Nixon, and then became General Counsel of Nixon's 1972 campaign. For his role in Watergate, and for refusing steadfastly to implicate others, Mr. Liddy was sentenced to over twenty years in prison. He served nearly five years, before his release by President Carter "in the interests of justice." He lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing; 1St Edition edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895261758
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261755
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,378,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liberal elites will whine, November 11, 2002

By 

Steve Wise (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country (Hardcover)

Anything that makes America's (no, make that the world's) liberal elites whine puts a wide smile on my face. This book has caused me sore facial muscles from the dozens of times I cracked wide smiles and laughed aloud at the unvarnished presentation of truth on many issues--notably, women in combat roles and the mixing (literally) of men and women on naval vessels for weeks at sea. Reading the words of a man unfettered by political correctness is most refreshing. His critics (including those on this site) delight in referring to Mr. Liddy as "convicted felon," as if he had knocked over a convenience store, or bludgeoned an elderly lady for her handbag. Read for yourself why he did hard time, and decide if you would delight in such a description for a man who traded years of his life for the preservation of his personal code of honor. I doubt that his critics have the guts to lay it all on the line for their goofball agendas.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nobody messes with the G-man, August 6, 2003

By 

mcsidious (Kitsap County, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country (Hardcover)

I like reviewing books written by conservatives about as much as eating staples, since I have to survive the conservatives rogering up to everything with the same stupid lines and the liberals calling the conservatives fascists or racists or Bhaal-worshippers or something similar.

However, I like G. Gordon Liddy. I have listened to his radio show since I was in high school, and I can state wholeheartedly that people need to read his book all the way through (and preferably his autobiography 'Will' as well) before explaining how much they hate his guts. If they do, they might find that he is an extraordinarily intelligent man who has thought every one of his philosophies through in great detail. It amazes me how little people seem to know about him. Liddy used to be an atheist, for example, but he simply found belief in God to be the rational thing to do. He actually supports PETA's campaign against animal experimentation because animal testing is simply pointless! One of his best friends is Lanny Davis (formerly of the Clinton White House and a frequent liberal guest on Liddy's radio show), and he was good friends with THAT Dr. Timothy Leary. He is drastically unlike so many conservatives today, even though he shares many of their positions.

That's why his writing is so good. Liddy doesn't try to sugar-coat anything he believes. He doesn't stoop to any type of political correctness, and he doesn't pull any punches when he tackles an issue. Forget Hannity, Limbaugh, Thomas, or any other conservative writer - Liddy is absolutely fearless. He insists that men and women are different because they are. He decries the lack of freedom in the United States not because he's some reborn Simon Legree trying to bring back slavery, but because he sees *all* citizens of the nation being oppressed by the government with its taxes, regulations, and invasions of privacy. He blasts the state of public education in the United States because the state of public education is about as good as surgery with a rusty chainsaw and every halfway responsible parent realizes it (even if the NEA doesn't).

I disagree with him on some issues, but even then I must admit his position has been carefully formulated over his life and through the many careers that he has had - including that of prisoner. What makes liberals angry is that Liddy refuses to back down on anything, and this mentality played a major part in his conviction for refusing to sell out anyone in the Watergate trials. You Susan McDougal fans ought to love him for this.

And as always, his grammar and composition is flawless. Mr. Liddy is one of about 40 people in America who can spell 'definitely' correctly.

The only problem with this book is that it recycles much of what the G-man has said on his radio show and in his past books, but it does contain some of his most memorable quotes (whether you applaud them or burst a blood vessel in fits of Trotskyite rage).

In any case, do not stereotype Mr. George Gordon Liddy as a typical conservative. If you read his book and still hate his guts, fine. You can even explain it to him in detail - call his radio show, talk to him yourself and explain your position. Then your position will go down in flames - not from rhetoric, but from logic. That's the reason nobody messes with the G-man. Worth a read from liberals, conservatives, moderates, and just about anyone that gives a flip about politics.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Double-barreled Liddy, December 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: When I Was a Kid, This Was a Free Country (Hardcover)

This is a straight-forward, shoot to kill, double-barreled dose of the G-Man. Even the Washington Post gave him a decent review.