Freedom in Chains : The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen (Hardcover)

by James Bovard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bovard (Lost Rights) throws more red meat to angry libertarians in this antigovernment jeremiad. While he provides some frightening examples of how governments?mostly the U.S. federal?do more harm than good, his passion leads him to some hyperbolic conclusions. There are many passages that will make readers?not only welfare-state liberals but also moderate Democrats and Republicans?wonder whether they live in the same country as Bovard. One of his biggest targets is the notion of state sovereignty: "The doctrine of 'sovereignty' often does nothing more than provide a respectable gloss for some people's lust to control other people's behaviors, or to seize the fruits of other people's labor." That last clause is telling, for it could just as well be turned against Bovard. It is precisely to stop nongovernmental entities (e.g., factory owners) from seizing the fruit of other people's labor (e.g., factory workers) that so many of the regulations and laws Bovard decries (e.g., a minimum wage or corporate taxes) were instituted. But Bovard is well-read and makes entertaining use of Rousseau, Hegel, Hobbes (he's very fond of Leviathan) and other thinkers. He's also consistent and intellectually honest enough to follow his own ideology to its logical conclusion about, for instance, marijuana (legalize it, he says). Few readers will agree with Bovard that the dominant spirit in America today is one that idolizes the state, but most will find that he makes a rousing theoretical case against statism.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This author comes highly touted by the mainstream conservative press, and with good reason. Bovard, a journalist best known for his influential Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty (St. Martin's, 1994), sets forth a passionate indictment of the state's coercive powers over the people. He is especially critical of the "Peter Pan" theory of good government and other political illusions fostered by the state. Bovard reviews 200 years of political philosophy and makes effective use of extreme examples of government programs and regulations to drive home his essential message. Although his argument is bipartisan in its critique of the state's excesses and excuses, the overall effect is one of polemical overkill. Still, this is a well-researched book that can serve as a sampling of libertarian thought for many libraries.?Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312214413
• ISBN-13: 978-0312214418
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #915,561 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Government Abuse of Power, August 21, 1999

By	Bryan Carey "Bryan Carey" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

James Bovard explains, point blank, how the United States government has grown into an uncontrollable monster, negatively impacting each and every one of us, and taking away many basic rights that were once taken for granted.

There is no denying that power corrupts. Give a politician the authority to pass one oppressive law and, eventually, more and more oppressive laws will follow. Government has become increasingly intrusive, unethical, and dishonest over the years as more and more special interest legislation has made its way through congress.

This process did not take place overnight and it will not be eliminated overnight. Americans must work for change first on the local level, leading up to the state and national levels. We must act quickly before it is too late. I hope that many people will read this book and take action. A totalitarian United States government is closer than we think.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YES! Another Bovard strike off the port bow, March 16, 2000

By	Sean Riley (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

After reading Lost Rights, I couldn't wait to read this book. This book is an outstanding follow-up, with more insight into the evolution of government power. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in political science, philosophy, law, or really just interested on how the world works. If every American read this book, the Democrats and the Republicans would be relegated to third-party status practically overnight. The government is one thing if nothing else- coercive power over the individual. Upon that understanding we should make one thing clear: that the more power that is given back to the individual, the better we shall be able to live our own lives without a "nanny state" to watch behind our backs to make sure we don't do something "wrong", like ingest politically incorrect substances. It is in this spirit that I give this book my highest praise. It is worth every penny.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Bovard Bulls-Eye!, March 31, 1999

By	J. Lovin' Tool (Obscurity, USA) - See all my reviews

Once you read this book you'll have a tough decision to make: What will you do with the information? Will you muster the courage to start resisting tyranny while there's still some hope for a rebirth of liberty here in the U.S.?

If you're in America, you do not live in a free country. If you have any doubt about that, you must read this book, and with it, I would recommend "Why Government Doesn't Work," by Harry Browne and "Your Money or Your Life," a brand new book by Sheldon Richman.

While the Federal Government is distraction you with Kosovo and our new gauranteed-to-be-protracted war on terrorism, the IRS is tooling up do to more of what it's been doing for years, invading your privacy and controlling your life. The elephant/donkey boondoggle does not have your best interest in mind at all. You must put your best interest up front, especially when you vote. VOTE LIBERTARIAN!

Amen