America The Last Best Hope Volume I..., William J. Bennett
America The Last Best Hope Volume I..., William J. Bennett
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America: The Last Best Hope (Volume III)
From the Collapse of Communism to the Rise of Radical Islam

Author: William J. Bennett

Narrator: Jon Gauger

Unabridged: 10 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 07/07/2020


Synopsis

Respected scholar William Bennett reacquaints America with its heritage in the third volume of America: The Last Best Hope (Volume III). This engaging narrative slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism.America began to breathe easy at the close of the Cold War and loosened its grip on the fear of nuclear confrontation for the first time since World War Two. Peace was palpable, but in retrospect the years between 1988 and 2008 were as rocky as they were uncertain. Turbulence, not tranquility, marked the turn of the century: the war on drugs, race riots, values debates, deep economic shifts, and the growing threat of terrorism on U.S. soil that would tragically play out on September 11, 2001.In this, the third volume of America: The Last Best Hope, William J. Bennett explores America's recent and momentous history:the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of global Communismsweeping changes in political and popular culturethe war on terrorthe election of America's first African American president Surveying the players, personalities, and pivotal moments, Bennett captures this recent chapter in the American story with piercing insight and unrelenting optimism. Praise for America: The Last Best Hope"This is the American history that Abraham Lincoln has long awaited."
-Harry V. Jaffa, Crisis of the House Divided"Bennett has a gift for choosing the pithy, revealing anecdote and for providing fresh character sketches and critical analyses of the leading figures. This is an American history that adults will find refreshing and enlightening and that younger readers will find a darn good read."
-Michael Barone, US News & World Report"A worthy and necessary book for our time."
-Michael J. Lewis, Commentary"Bennett ... has a strong sense of narrative, a flair for anecdote and a lively style. And the American story really is a remarkable one, filled with its share of brilliant leaders and tragic mistakes. Bennett brings that story to life."
-Alan Wolfe, The Washington Post"The role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important. He puts our nation's triumphs, along with its lapses, into the context of a narrative about the progress of freedom. Every now and then it's useful to be reminded that we are a fortunate people, blessed with generations of leaders who repeatedly renewed the meaning of America."
-Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life"The importance of America: The Last Best Hope probably exceeds anything Dr. Bennett has ever written, and it is more elegantly crafted and eminently readable than any comprehensive work of history I've read in a very long time. It's silly to compare great works of history to great novels, but this book truly is a page-turner."
-Brad Miner, American Compass"This lively book acknowledges mistakes and shortcomings, yet patriotically asserts that the American experiment in democracy is still a success story."
-School Library Journal

About William J. Bennett

Dr. William J. Bennett is one of America's most influential and respected voices on cultural, political, and educational issues. Host of "The Bill Bennett Show" podcast, he is also the Washington Fellow of the American Strategy Group. He is the author and editor of more than twenty-five books, and lives in North Carolina.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Christopher on November 14, 2021

A lackluster history of political campaigns from 1988-2008. Unnecessary and underwhelming. Bennett's final volume in his "Last Best Hope" history of America tumbles headlong into the political knife-fights of the last 20+ years and we lose the charm (and actual history) of the first volume. Instead,......more

Goodreads review by Camilla on November 17, 2020

This installment was not as good as the first two, mostly because it dealt primarily with politics. Although there was a fair amount of politics in the other two books, it only made up part of the tapestry of American history. This book focused primarily on the potential presidential candidates of t......more

Goodreads review by Joe on October 08, 2019

Excellent; covering the years 1998-2008, this last book in the series looks at the recent history of the United States, including the war on terror and the many changes in the elected officials in the country, with a conservative leaning from someone who was actively involved with many of the subjec......more

Goodreads review by Tim on November 04, 2011

Looking back on my years as an undergrad, I often regret not taking more history courses. Actually, not more history courses, any history courses. I took U.S. History I & U.S. History II for college credit my senior year of high school. This was great for me in high school as it allowed me to receiv......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on January 30, 2013

The third book, the shortest of the trilogy, luckily only oversaw three presidents (Bush, Clinton, W. Bush), thus it left a lot more room for the events that helped shaped America, such as the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the Clinton scandals, and 9/11. Bennett is surprisingly bipartisan in his c......more