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Freedom Book of the Month
Email List Archive
Free-Market.Net's F r e e d o m B o o k o f t h e M o n t h
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Edited by Sunni Maravillosa. To join or leave this and other
lists, click to: http://www.free-market.net/features/lists/
* April, 2003: "Shattered Dreams", 4th Ed., compiled by the National
Center for Public Policy Research
* New and notable
* Freedom Book of the Year 2002; Administrative note
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Freedom Book of the Month for April, 2003:
"Shattered Dreams: 100 Stories of Government Abuse"
compiled by NCPPR staff
NCPPR, March 2003, oversize paperback, 103 pp.
Let's face it -- this book reviewing gig is pretty sweet. I get books
that are by definition of at least some interest to me sent to me
free, and I get to read 'em and write about the best ones. And I get
*paid* for this ... as I said, pretty sweet.
Sometimes, though, it isn't all that sweet. Last month's choice,
"The Rule of Lawyers", is a good case in point; it's an excellent
book offering truly frightening evidence for lost ground in the
courts. As good as a book can be, it can still be downright
depressing to read about egregious abuses of state power, and other
challenges to liberty. At first glance, one might think I'd feel
similarly about this month's Freedom Book of the Month, "Shattered
Dreams: 100 Stories of Government Abuse".
One would be very wrong. As I read through the stories, my spirits
began to lift. By the end, I knew that this would be a Freedom Book
of the Month, and the prospect of writing about the book delighted
me.
No, this isn't some secret insight into a previously-hidden
masochistic streak. I realized that "Shattered Dreams" offers lovers
of liberty an excellent -- arguably the best I've seen in a long
time -- means of effectively sharing our message with mainstream
individuals. The staff at the National Center for Public Policy
Research who compiled the fourth edition of this volume stayed out of
the way, letting the stories tell themselves. And they do --
poignantly, persistently hammering on the same idea: Americans are
losing their freedoms to increasingly capricious, avaricious state
bureaucracies and officials who abuse their power.
Know a friend's "hot button" issue? Let's say it's medical care. One
need only look at the table of contents to find a story that speaks
to it. In this case one can choose between two stories that tell of
FDA meddling in patient care. Many will speak to the left as
effectively as the right, particularly on conservation ("Man serves
hard time for cleaning dump") and civil liberties issues
("Environmentalists deprive slavery descendants of wealth").
"Shattered Dreams" has no scary libertarian phrases -- nor even that
word itself -- to frighten away the, er, unenlightened. Resources for
the story are included so that readers who wish to follow up can do
so. A very helpful index organizes the stories by state as well as
alphabetically by victim name; there's also a glossary.
Each story is short and to the point -- the longest I recall spans 3
pages. "Shattered Dreams'" oversize format makes photocopying
individual stories for sharing very easy. The National Center for
Public Policy Research doesn't seem to mind generous distribution of
the stories -- the Cybercast News Service has been featuring a story
a day from it, and the NCPPR's own site offers PDF format free
downloads of the book.
Even so, I highly recommend purchasing a copy. First, for many people
nothing works like the printed word placed in their hands. I've a
hard time imagining a reader not wanting to share at least some of
the stories in "Shattered Dreams" with others. Second, when a product
this good comes along, it behooves us freedom-lovers to "vote with
our wallets". Supporting the NCPPR in this important work will help
keep future editions coming -- and will help them continue their work
to limit the number of future editions we need.
Order "Shattered Dreams" from NCPPR:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/191302996.html, $15.00, S & H included.
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New and notable
o "The Bias Against Guns: Why Almost Everything You've Heard about
Gun Control is Wrong" by John R Lott
Probing examination of current RKBA issues, without inflammatory
rhetoric. Sound research, as well as a section on how to evaluate
research. Lott scores another bullseye!
Order "The Bias Against Guns" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/237576349.html, $19.57
o "The Politics of the PTA" by Charlene K. Haar
It isn't just the teachers' unions that are dominated by special
interests that care more about keeping their coffers full than
educating young people -- or even getting parents involved in their
child's education. A detailed examination of a tarnished American
institution.
Order "The Politics of the PTA" from Amazon.com:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/221074876.html, $29.95
o "Darwinian Politics," by Paul H. Rubin
A thought-provoking examination of the evolution of "political
preferences". Wide ranging (and sometimes far-reaching), weaving
connections between biological and social sciences.
Order "Darwinian Politics" from Laissez Faire Books:
http://www.free-market.net/rd/229705624.html, $19.95
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Freedom Book of the Year 2002
Yes, a winner has finally been selected! Vin Suprynowicz scores
another victory with his excellent book "The Ballad of Carl Drega".
Congratulations to the five winners of our ISIL-sponsored book
prize packages, too.
Administrative Note
There was such a high level of interest in our Book of the Year
voting that we're looking into other ways to make the books
section of Free-Market.Net more interactive, and of greater value
to you. To that end, I've shifted publication of the Freedom Book
of the Month column back to the third week of the month, with
plans to begin offering a second feature published the first week
of each month. If you don't wish to have two book-related emails
from us each month, you can unsubscribe from the Freedom Book of
the Month list here: http://www.free-market.net/features/lists/
If you're reading this online and would like to subscribe to the
Freedom Book of the Month email list, you may do so by using
the link above. It's free and easy. We keep your email address
and all other information private, too.
Keep doing freedom,
Sunni Maravillosa
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