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A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill…
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A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

by Bill O'Reilly

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I enjoyed the funny stories about growing up in the 50's and the Catholic school experience. I found his constant praise for himself and all of his traits that he considers so admirable to be a bit tedious. ( )
  lindap69 | Apr 5, 2013 |
I picked this up from a used book sale because I was curious how he formed his social and political opinions. It's a surprisingly readable look at his psyche. His ego, paranoia, and persecution complex are on pretty good display, and his periodic comments on race and ethnicity can be cringe-inducing even when he's trying to be inclusive, yet I actually found myself liking the guy a bit more. The book helps the reader see him as a person instead of just a personality. Worth the time if you're curious about how commentators become who they are. ( )
  JAshleyOdell | Feb 13, 2013 |
Bill O'Reilly is a great entertainer. As "Factor Fan", I enjoyed learning about his life growing up in America. The only disappointment I had when reading the book was that there were too few Clem stories. If Clem were alive today, I would enjoy seeing him on the "Factor".He would have been a great Miller sidekick.
  MaryClareLyons | Jun 8, 2012 |
An interesting and fun read. Also gives insight into this very public figure ( )
  ctkcec | Nov 27, 2011 |
I don't generally read autobiographies, but O'Reilly's was pretty good. His writing style almost exactly matches the phrasing and cadence of his on-air speech, but I suppose that's to be expected of a reporter. He gives a slew of stories, ranging from light-hearted to downright sad, all aimed at giving the reader a clearer picture of how O'Reilly has come to see his mission as a reporter. Basically, because of his working-class, Catholic background, he has established well-founded principles of right and wrong, and he uses his position of political power to root out the bad guys and expose them as scum. No surprise for anyone who has watched his show. ( )
  MorganGMac | Sep 23, 2010 |
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“But fight back smart,” he advises. “Remember where you came from and figure out where you want to go. Along the way, help everyone you can help.” Arguments about whether he does this better in theory than in practice are outside the realm of his chatty, nostalgic book.
 
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0767928822, Hardcover)

The year was 1957, the month September, and I had just turned eight years old. Dwight Eisenhower was President, but in my life it was the diminutive, intense Sister Mary Lurana who ruled, at least in the third-grade class where I was held captive. For reasons you will soon understand, my parents had remanded me to the penal institution of St. Brigid’s School in Westbury, New York, a cruel and unusual punishment if there ever was one.

Already, I had barely survived my first two years at St. Brigid’s because I was, well, a little nitwit. Not satisfied with memorizing the Baltimore Catechism’s fine prose, which featured passages like “God made me to show his goodness and to make me happy with him in heaven,” I was constantly annoying my classmates and, of course, the no-nonsense Sister Lurana. With sixty overactive students in her class, she was understandably short on patience. For survival, she had also become quick on the draw.

Then it happened. One day I blurted out some dumb remark, and Sister Lurana was on me like a panther. Her black habit blocked out all distractions as she leaned down, looked me in the eye, and uttered words I have never forgotten: “William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity.”

And she was dead-on.

One day in 1957, in the third-grade classroom of St. Brigid’s parochial school, an exasperated Sister Mary Lurana bent over a restless young William O’Reilly and said, “William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity.” Little did she know that she was, early in his career as a troublemaker, defining the essence of Bill O’Reilly and providing him with the title of his brash and entertaining issues-based memoir.

And this time it’s personal. In his most intimate book yet, O’Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from working-class kid to immensely influential television personality and bestselling author. Readers will learn how his traditional outlook was formed in the crucible of his family, his neighborhood, his church, and his schools, and how his views on America’s proper role in the world emerged from covering four wars on five continents over three-plus decades as a news correspondent. What will delight his numerous fans and surprise many others is the humor and self-deprecation with which he handles one of his core subjects: himself, and just how O’Reilly became O’Reilly.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:05:32 -0400)

(see all 2 descriptions)

In his most intimate book yet, O'Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from working-class kid to immensely influential television personality and bestselling author. Readers will learn how his traditional outlook was formed in the crucible of his family, his neighborhood, his church, and his schools, and how his views on America's proper role in the world emerged from covering four wars on five continents over three-plus decades as a news correspondent.… (more)

» see all 2 descriptions

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