“The Parent Bloggers Network asked for reviewers who would be able to read Bill O’Reilly’s new book Kids Are Americans Too with an open mind. I figured I could do that.

And I tried. I really tried.

But man, Bill O’Reilly and I just are not BFFs. We aren’t.”

The general consensus among the parent bloggers who read Kids Are Americans Too seems to be that he has missed the mark. Even those who didn’t have a strong opinion on O’Reilly in the first place - “I’m not a Bill O’Reilly fan, nor do I think he’s the Devil incarnate either” - were “pretty turned off“.

That’s not to say that the bloggers didn’t see the value in the premise of the book or in many of the topics presented by O’Reilly. One blogger noted that he “discusses how sometimes an individual has to think about the common good versus what the individual’s own interests are, and sometimes the common good has to outweigh that.” Another commented: “He explains quite well the fact that my rights only extend as far as they don’t infringe on your rights. This is the point I think most people miss. He gives several examples of the best practice of disagreeing with rules and guidelines and gives a good outline of how to enact change in the most effective manner.” A third blogger agreed: “He does emphasize, again and again, that the best way to get what you want is to negotiate calmly and use tact.”

However, the key inconsistency that the bloggers found was that O’Reilly himself didn’t use much tact in his writing.

First, he is unwaveringly critical of the ACLU, which one blogger noted is “Ironic, given they’re all about guaranteeing our civil liberties (aka our rights).” Another blogger agreed: “If there had been just a couple of disparaging remarks about the ACLU, then I wouldn’t have cared. But this was just blatant and I got tired of reading about the next stupid thing that the ACLU had done.”

Even more bothersome to the bloggers were O’Reilly’s misguided attempts to relate to teens, which in many cases were downright offensive:

• “…the first thing that struck me as odd was the number of times that O’Reilly threw “teen” words into an otherwise well written paragraph. I understand that he was trying to connect with the book’s demographic [teens] but I’m not so old that I can’t remember being a teenager. If I had read this book at the age of 16 or 17, I would have instantly been put off by his pandering.“
• “If his goal was to reach an older crowd of kids, he comes across as condescending and talking-down to the type of 16 year old who would pick this book up. I have three younger siblings, still teenagers, and I’m pretty sure all of them would be put off by the dunnos and uhs.“
• “…personally, I wouldn’t read a book that started off by making a blanket assumption about kids, especially when that assumption is that many are morons.“

Political objectivity is hard to come by; any author with enough interest to pursue the subject will have difficulty keeping personal views completely hidden. While it would be great to “see this subject tackled for teens by someone who is a little more politically neutral“, I think this mother has the most realistic plan:

“Will I give this to my kids to read? If they’re interested.

Will I foster discussion about what they’re reading in the book? Absolutely.

Will I help them find other materials with a different political leaning? You betcha.”

To purchase your own copy of Kids Are Americans Too, click here.

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Finally, at long last, we have winners for the Wacky Warning Label Blog Blast!

Grand prize ($200) goes to Davis Gang for the warning label that advised: Do not hold the wrong end of a chainsaw.

Runner-up prizes ($100 each) go to Coming to a Nursery Near You for the warning label on a bottle of insect killer for plants: Do not use on humans; RN Mom for the warning label on a jug of detergent: Do not reuse this package for dispensing beverages or other liquids; and Composter Mom for the warning label on a rocker, including the statement: Do not eat The Rocker.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and especially for your patience as the judges deliberated!