Rugged Individualism Never Built a Barn

books:


	• The True Patriot Eric Liu, Nick Hanauer Sasquatch Books, 2008 - 136 pages average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Greater than Oneself

Every so often a book comes along that changes the way we look at the world, Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring", or Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene." Now Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer have written a book that changes the way that we, Americans, look at ourselves. How do they do this? By pushing aside the convenient stereotypes of modern media, asking Americans what it really means to be a Patriot, and revealing it to be this: to be what Americans fundamentally are -- pragmatists with the courage to stand on principle, people with the energy and optimism to improve self and society, and people who love freedom because it enables us to improve our lot in life but also to improve our life allot -- by serving and contributing to family, community and country.

These concepts are not presented as a sleepy civics lesson -- in the hands of Liu and Hanauer they are downright exhilarating. They show that to be American is to participate in one of the greatest experiments of all time, one that is still relatively new for history's laboratory. To help us appreciate this, the authors intersperse throughout the book speeches of great Americans that show us where we have come from, from Thomas Jefferson's inaugural address, to Teddy Roosevelt's call to "The Strenuous Life", to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 Speech on the March on Washington. These serve as touchstones to remind us of the core principles that have always been at the heart of the American Dream - freedom with responsibility; opportunity with personal initiative; purpose through sacrifice and service; community; contribution; stewardship; leadership and pragmatism. Working from these bedrock concepts, the authors then explain a ten-principle plan for a progressive Patriotism. (Note to reader: although the authors' have written a book about unabashedly "progressive" Patriotism, politics and civics, this book is in part a fiercely traditional tome - the authors hold up, illuminate and summon us with ideas that have been the engine of our democracy of over 200 years). The author's ideas about how to live our patriotism are provocative, challenging and generous. Ultimately, the plan laid out in The True Patriot lights a path for the American body politic by taking from our past what defines us as Americans, and revitalizing it with the common sense, clear sightedness and intellectual energy needed to keep America's compass on true north.

If you have been looking for a way to rekindle the excitement of being a citizen in the greatest political experiment going, "The True Patriot" is it.

for more information click here

TOM PAINE FOR TODAY

I've got a bookshelf full of fun rants written for liberals like me -- filled with incisive analysis of the atrocities of the Republicans and the Bush administration. The True Patriot is that rare optimistic book that devotes itself to the question of what OUR values are, and how we can proudly carry forward the progressive message, which the authors show is fundamentally the American message. They say that delineating progressive policies is inadequate; progressive leaders must learn to speak in moral and patriotic terms, and their book shows the way. Documented with profound quotes from George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK, MLK and other inspiring American leaders, The TruePatriot echoes JFK's appeal, "Ask what you can do for your country..." and your neighbors, your community. It calls on all of us to share the sacrifice necessary to restore America's position as a beacon for the world. "We are unapologetic," the authors write, " in our belief in America's purpose: to light the word's path to freedom and equal opportunity." Liu and Hanauer call The TruePatriot a pamphlet, in the spirit of Tom Paine's Common Sense, and at pocket size and 125 pages, double spaced, it can easily be read in one sitting -- and thought about and talked about for months and years. In fact it ends with five provocative questions to discuss with friends and family and on the authors' website, truepat.org.

for more information click here

Rugged Individualism Never Built a Barn

I love this little book and have been enthusiastically handing it to others since I first got a copy.

Traditional American values have been seriously corrupted! They have been corrupted by the right as well as the left, the religious as well as those who are not. Pop culture idolizes greed and selfishness: Paris Hilton, "prosperity gospel," and a nail salon on every corner. These same anti-values masquerade as social policy--American cowboys riding out of our corrals and trampling anyone in our way, including each other.

With powerful, visual language and quotations from great American leaders of the past, The True Patriot articulates a moral framework based on the ideals that founded this country. Liu and Hanauer argue that by definition patriotism is allegiance to a group effort, that patriotism seeks to serve something greater than any one of us. It acknowledges our debt "There's no such thing as a self-made man" and our responsibility "to measure a citizen's worth by contribution to country and community, not by wealth or power."

This book isn't perfect for me. As someone who has travelled extensively, I cringe at phrases like, "No other nation prides itself on being the world's laboratory, demonstrating what happens by when you intermingle the peoples of the earth." In their call for us to rally us around the great American dream, Liu and Hanauer brush aside the dreams from which ours emerged, the dreams of peoples outside our national boundry, and the crucially humbling consciousness of how at times we have violated our own deepest values.

But part of the beauty of their message is simplicity. This book is a powerful call to arms, a reminder that this country is worth fighting for--not our unfettered stream of cheap consumer goods, but the principles we represent. It reminds us of the potential we have to be a beacon to the world. This book should be in every high school civics class; I recommend it for anyone who cares about the past and the future of this country.

for more information click here

Buy them in bulk

I have shared copies of True Patriot with about 20 people, and it has touched deep nerves in friends across the political spectrum. A salve for cynicism and a source of sober inspiration, the book reminds us of American ideals and calls that we have come to take for granted, and does so without looking past challenges for personal and national betterment.

True Patriot is nothing if not timely. If you find yourself caught up in the Obama rage for change but can't put your finger on why or for what, this quick read (but long study) can help.

Inspirational!

"The True Patriot" is the most inspirational and thought-provoking book I have read in years. It's a quick read and a long think.

What do you believe in? What are your principles -- what sets the direction of your moral compass, and determines your position on the specific issues of the day? How can progressives re-claim the high ground? How can we rescue "patriotism" from flag-pin-wearing and sabre-rattling, and "freedom" from the right to do whatever we please regardless of how it affects others, replacing "me me me" with a focus on making the right choices for the nation, for all of her citizens, and for the world that we share?

You should buy a copy for yourself and for your five best friends. You should read it, you should think about it, and you should get together for an evening to discuss it. You'll be inspired. You'll learn about yourself. You'll recall the time when you used to be proud of the choices you made, because they were guided by a set of core beliefs that Liu and Hanauer frame as "true patriotism." You'll look at the world with a fresh sense of purpose, and you'll be able to make choices with clarity and explain them with pride and conviction.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

search for books
true patriot, patriot, true

Impressum / about us