Jack Cafferty

I'll admit it - I was a Jack Cafferty fan before I read the book, and now I think I'm a little in love with him. They don't make 'em like Jack anymore. His unfailing political and cultural BS detector is spot on and unapologetic. I even enjoyed his autobiographic asides, which he presents in a clear, true voice without the petulant whining that too often accompanies modern personal histories. What happened to the little boy who shouted, "The Emperor's not wearing any clothes!" - well, he's show more all grown up and working at CNN. show less

The only reason I did not rate this book higher is because it mostly reads and feels like his previous book, which I did read and review here as well. If you watch Cafferty on CNN with some degree of regularity, then you have seen a lot of the material in this book. He starts with the 2008 election and works his way through current events and issues facing the U.S. Unless you have lived in a rock for a decade or so, this is not new. On the other hand, if you are not terribly informed, Jack show more Cafferty is pretty good at summarizing what is going on along with his sharp commentary. I think that is the problem for me as a reader: I have seen most of this before. And while he does rant quite a bit, there are not too many solutions in sight. This is not Cafferty's fault; politicians in this dying age are just lousy and incompetent, and the people who keep electing them are no better. Some events in the book already seem dated given how quick some things move (for example, his comments on immigration given the recent new legislation in Arizona).

I like Cafferty, but I think this book may be a bit much overexposure for him. As in the previous book, he does feature some autobiographical narratives, and those are always interesting. Overall though, unless you are a big fan, or you are curious, you can probably skip this book. There is not a whole lot material that is new. show less

If you have seen Jack Cafferty on CNN's "The Situation Room," then you have a pretty good idea of what he is like. A lot of this book draws on segments and e-mails from his viewers to that program. However, in between the chapters dealing with current events, there are autobiographical chapters where Jack talks about his early days as a journalist, his family, and his struggle to overcome alcoholism. I think those chapters are interesting, and they can be moving at times.

Jack Cafferty is a show more common sense man, pure and simple. He will rail on either political party and their foibles without any compassion. The only reason I did not give this book more than three stars is that the material he draws from his work at CNN, for me at least, is stuff I have seen. I actually recall a few of the segments he refers to. Also, if you are fairly well informed, then he is not revealing anything new. However, the book is worth reading to get a sense of what a lot of Americans with common sense are thinking about the incompetence of the government. Sometimes, I think he does not go far enough. Worth reading, but you might want to just skip and choose the parts you read.

I borrowed it via Interlibrary Loan. I don't recall for sure how I heard of it. It may have been promoted on CNN, and I got curious. show less

There are probably more F-bombs in this book than Dick Cheney could shake a stick at, so it isn't for the easily offended. I, personally, appreciated some of Cafferty's insights. I'm probably revealing my stupidity here, but, like one of Cafferty's viewers who said, "I want President Bush to catch every terrorist he can. I have nothing to hide, so he can tap anything he wants," I couldn't imagine how government wire-tapping could possibly affect me in my non-controversial, completely legal, show more and boring life. Now I get it: if we went down the secret checklist the administration uses to decide who gets wiretapped, my favorite presidential candidate would probably meet all the requirements. Coincidence? I'd like to think so, but at this point it seems my own paranoia about Bush and his colleagues has a way of bearing itself out.

The chapters that cover the political events of the last seven years are a bit rambling at times. It seemed somehow awkward that Cafferty often quotes himself (literally, in quotation marks). And the chapters on his personal life seem like they belong in another book--they're interesting--I just didn't think they connected to the other chapters. But, overall, this was a funny and informative read. show less