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bluestjuice's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty solid. The most important take-away point from this book is the personal obligation to engage in politics at the local and national level - beyond just voting. A nice reminder that moaning about 'the government' is useless if you aren't willing to step out and do anything - because the government is all of us, not a distant nebulous 'other.'
Now, to decide what I myself am going to do.
Now, to decide what I myself am going to do.
bea_pants's review against another edition
4.0
I try to space out my political reading, especially during an election year. I often find it equal parts enraging and frustrating and I wind up in a funk for several days after reading. What's great about Naomi Wolf's book is that it doesn't just make you mad, it tells you how and where to channel that anger into something constructive. Give Me Liberty is exactly what its title suggests it is. But it is also a guide for us as citizens to re-involve ourselves in the political process.
Ms. Wolf starts by dissecting the Declaration of Independence. She parses the most quoted and misinterpreted passage regarding "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and then moves on the the rest of document which states that it is our duty as citizens to be active, involved and constantly vigilant for governmental abuse. She then goes on to tell about how citizens were encouraged to be involved in government until very recently. They were even given a citizens handbook that explained to them their rights and responsibilities. This all changed with the political unrest of the 1960s when politicians became what she described as a "priestly caste" who cloaked their procedures in legalese that is unintelligible to the average citizen. After that the book explains the ways in which government has slowly eroded our rights over the decades and what we have the right to do in response. The final chapters I skimmed somewhat. They detail all the ways in which you can take action and become involved; everything from starting a petition to running for office.
I'd highly recommend this book for anyone frustrated with the current political landscape. Even if you are not a dyed-in-the-wool liberal like Naomi Wolf. Everyone should get involved in the political process; conservatives, liberals and everything in between. It's our duty as Americans to be an informed and involved electorate.
Ms. Wolf starts by dissecting the Declaration of Independence. She parses the most quoted and misinterpreted passage regarding "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and then moves on the the rest of document which states that it is our duty as citizens to be active, involved and constantly vigilant for governmental abuse. She then goes on to tell about how citizens were encouraged to be involved in government until very recently. They were even given a citizens handbook that explained to them their rights and responsibilities. This all changed with the political unrest of the 1960s when politicians became what she described as a "priestly caste" who cloaked their procedures in legalese that is unintelligible to the average citizen. After that the book explains the ways in which government has slowly eroded our rights over the decades and what we have the right to do in response. The final chapters I skimmed somewhat. They detail all the ways in which you can take action and become involved; everything from starting a petition to running for office.
I'd highly recommend this book for anyone frustrated with the current political landscape. Even if you are not a dyed-in-the-wool liberal like Naomi Wolf. Everyone should get involved in the political process; conservatives, liberals and everything in between. It's our duty as Americans to be an informed and involved electorate.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
4.0
I had an epiphany reading the introduction to Wolf's book. We don't need to know explicitly what the founding fathers intended. Because we can make it better. She may not explicitly say that, but I think that's what she's getting at when she talks about liberty.
And in this book, Naomi Wolf calls us to revolution. It is us who are responsible to rise up in rebellion and fight against tyranny.
It turns out that the Declaration of Independence is about our continual duty as Americans to rebel‰Ы_
This is interesting! And it makes total sense!
‰Ы_activism is a lot like sex: if you can never act on the impulse of the moment, the moment is much more likely to pass and never present itself again.
One thing we forget - we are the government. It's supposed to be us. We're a democracy. We have to remember that. The government isn't some big "other" organization. It's us. Or it should be.
Naomi Wolf talks about our Core Values as Americans.
For example, we are required to speak freely. This isn't just a right. It's a duty.
When you are a real American, the desire for liberty of thought and action, the desire for justice, burns in you as it did for the founders and as it does for dissidents. And when it burns, you need to speak out in protest and assemble.
We are required to fight against injustice and oppression.
Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
-Benjamin Franklin
I've never really understood the depth of the first amendment. The right to peaceably assemble isn't about having the right to gather in private spaces.
For assembly to be "free", it must have the potential to stop a town or city from engaging in business as usual. The freedom to assemble is meaningless if it can be so managed that everyone is able to entirely ignore it.
And the last part of the book is almost a ‰ЫПhow to‰Ыќ for revolutionaries. (Though some of it is a bit dated.)
Be the media.
Protest.
Assemble.
Deliberate with each other.
Wolf suggests, addressing the citizens of the US: You need to be the pundit.
We have to keep liberty alive. And spread it to other parts of the world.
The American DNA holds that liberty is universal and transitive - that everyone in the world is equally entitled to it.
And in this book, Naomi Wolf calls us to revolution. It is us who are responsible to rise up in rebellion and fight against tyranny.
It turns out that the Declaration of Independence is about our continual duty as Americans to rebel‰Ы_
This is interesting! And it makes total sense!
‰Ы_activism is a lot like sex: if you can never act on the impulse of the moment, the moment is much more likely to pass and never present itself again.
One thing we forget - we are the government. It's supposed to be us. We're a democracy. We have to remember that. The government isn't some big "other" organization. It's us. Or it should be.
Naomi Wolf talks about our Core Values as Americans.
For example, we are required to speak freely. This isn't just a right. It's a duty.
When you are a real American, the desire for liberty of thought and action, the desire for justice, burns in you as it did for the founders and as it does for dissidents. And when it burns, you need to speak out in protest and assemble.
We are required to fight against injustice and oppression.
Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
-Benjamin Franklin
I've never really understood the depth of the first amendment. The right to peaceably assemble isn't about having the right to gather in private spaces.
For assembly to be "free", it must have the potential to stop a town or city from engaging in business as usual. The freedom to assemble is meaningless if it can be so managed that everyone is able to entirely ignore it.
And the last part of the book is almost a ‰ЫПhow to‰Ыќ for revolutionaries. (Though some of it is a bit dated.)
Be the media.
Protest.
Assemble.
Deliberate with each other.
Wolf suggests, addressing the citizens of the US: You need to be the pundit.
We have to keep liberty alive. And spread it to other parts of the world.
The American DNA holds that liberty is universal and transitive - that everyone in the world is equally entitled to it.
bethanyjnz's review against another edition
3.0
Good civics information - a bit panicky and quickly out-of-date.
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