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Title: Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist by William F. Buckley ISBN: 1-55850-471-0 Publisher: Adams Media Corp Pub. Date: 01 March, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Buckley's Best
Comment: This is Buckley at his acerbic best on subjects as varied as John Lennon, Ted Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor to academia, Gorbachev and The First Gulf War.
It's always illuminating and stimulating to explore the brain of one of America's foremost conservative thinkers and as these essays drift more into history, his insights and deliberations become astounding in their perspicacity and accuracy.
These essays cover everything from the fall of communism, the Los Angeles riots, Playboy magazine and lots more. The time spent reading this delightful paperback is time spent in the company of charming brilliance.
Rating: 4
Summary: Brilliant author, book uneven in quality
Comment: William F. Buckley is unquestionably one of the most articulate and knowledgeable American debaters of the second half of the twentieth century. Buckley seems to know a little bit--if not a lot--about everything, and he reflects and gives observations about various topics in this collection of essays from the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s.
As an author, Buckley is unfailingly witty and acerbic, and this book is littered with quips and sapient remarks. Buckley is particularly good at analyzing other peoples' positions, and at poking holes in their poor logic. That is where this book succeeds.
This book occasionally fails when Buckley attempts to elucidate his own position on an issue. For instance, in one essay Buckley suggests that Beethoven is "a national monument" and should be entitled to governmental protection, so that vacationers can listen to the great composer's symphonies when they are traveling in non-cosmopolitan areas. My suggestion to Buckley would be to rent a car with a tape deck or cd player. It is not necessary for the government to mandate all-Beethoven channels in all cities and towns in order for citizens to listen to Beethoven when they are on vacation.
In another essay Buckley spells out the case for allowing women to serve in the military, but then says that he takes the opposite position. His explanation for why he is against women serving in the military is vague. He says that allowing women to join the armed forces is repugnant to "human nature," which leads one to wonder how Buckley would respond to someone who believes that what he calls "human nature" is an artificial construct. Maybe he did not provide a response to that question because of spacial constraints, but I think that if he is going to base a policy position on human nature, he should provide readers with some sort of idea of what his theory of human nature is.
I hope that I have not accentuated the negative too much in this review, because Buckley truly is a wonderful writer and an interesting read. He has opinions about everything, and he is fun to read not only for what he has to say, but also for how he says it. His vocabulary is expansive and his word-choices are colorful. This book should be read by anyone who wants intelligent and fiercely-opinionated commentary on newsworthy events, and the various parties involved, from 1985 to 1992.
Rating: 4
Summary: Everything You Could Expect.
Comment: This is a fine collection of the thoughts and witticisms of William F Buckley. It covers most any area that Mr. Buckley holds an Interest whether it be politics, social affairs, sailing, classical music and spending time with dignitaries and well to do people. It is fantastically written (as can be expected from Buckley) however it seemed to talk just over the head of the common man. With his infatuation with the Ryder Cup and talking about people who are important to him, really have no impact on my life. All in all it is a very well written fast paced collection. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys political and social commentary. And to anyone who just like to read something different than a novel or text of history.
Thanks For Your Time:
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Title: Letters to a Young Conservative by Dinesh D'Souza ISBN: 0465017339 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: Up from Liberalism (In print) by William F. Buckley ISBN: 0812829697 Publisher: Natl Book Network Pub. Date: 01 May, 1984 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Let Us Talk of Many Things : The Collected Speeches with New Commentary by the Author ISBN: 0761525513 Publisher: Prima Lifestyles Pub. Date: 01 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression by JIM POWELL ISBN: 0761501657 Publisher: Crown Forum Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith by William F. Buckley ISBN: 0156006189 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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