"Conservative Victory"

I try to avoid as many momentary political books as possible.  By that I mean books that will be on clearance a year from now.  No one is reading that book from President George W. Bush's former press secretary.  No one is reading Bob Woodyards books on Bush or reading Bill Bennet's book on the moral bankruptcy of the Clinton White House.  Usually one can tell that a best-selling book will have a short shelf life and one easy way to do so is to see if the book is primarily about an event that just transpired or is about too.  This is especially true when it comes to political books (like Dick Morris' recent book 2010: Take Back America: A Battle Plan).

But there is one such book that I was interested in reading by radio host and Fox News anchor Sean Hannity and his new book Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama's Radical Agenda.  Hannity's audience and influence (and the number of books that have been sold) forced me to at least consider what he had to say.

The thing that impressed me immediately was the books binding.  The book is only available in paperback thus meaning that the book is cheaper and the author makes less money.  It only makes sense to publish a book first in hardcover because the publisher and the author make more money.  Hannity, however, has decided against it.  From what I know about Hannity, I get the feeling that he isn't interested in making much profit off the book, but genuinly wants as many people as possible to hear his message.

The book itself is pretty predicable.  Anyone familar with Hannity's political and moral views can almost write the book for him.  He is against the Obama administration, he considers the policies to be leading America towards socialism, and wants Republicans to win back both Houses of Congress forcing the radical policies of Obama to end and eventually take back the White House.  If you listen to his radio show or watch him on Fox News, you have heard all of this before.

But I must say that this is not just a book of ranting.  Hannity did his homework for this book and provides the reader with proof of everything he says.  It is rare to see a book by a radio hosts with this many references and footnotes (not that radio hosts are liars, but that normally books like this are purely ideological without all of the footnoting).  Hannity walks the reader through his many concerns with the Obama administration (like his many "radical" czars) always seeking to back up his claims.

The book is both a warning and a call to arms. He is warning the reader of the dangerous administration and at the same time calls on his readers to take back their country (again, predictable).  Hannity isn't writing a thesis, he is writing a book that he hopes will change America's direction.

Overall, though the book is predictable, I enjoyed it.  I do not agree with Hannity on everything, but I believe his views and voice are worth hearing.  Of all of the momentary political books I have read in the past, this one really surprised me and I might consider reading others.  So for those worried about the direction of the country, read this now because it will become outdated before this year is out.