The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth and Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam by William J. Bennett & Seth Leibsohn
208 pages
File size: 317 KB
Retail: $19.99
In the introduction of this book it states, "This is not a book intended to detail every mistake, error, and lapse in judgement that we have made in the war that radical Islam has declared on America and the West. Nor is it a book that can describe every threat against us. Nor is this book meant merely as a criticism of President Barack Obama." But this book definitely is criticizing how the United States went from not negotiating with terrorists to blurring the lines that are not to be crossed. When writing about the Fort Hood massacre, Bennett and Leibsohn say, "maybe even the very cause of the massacre itself, implies that this understanding, this once necessary dichotomy, has become outdated- or rather that the lines of division in our culture have become blurred. The soft has corrupted and eroded the hard."
"The point, in fact, of this book: through our cultural and political actions, we are not now as a country on a serious war footing against our enemies, Islamist terrorists; but, rather, we are abnegating the cultural, policy, and rhetorical responsibilities of rational self-defense." That is how it is now. How different from right after 9/11/01- as the authors write: "After that series of coordinated attacks, what Winston Churchill once said about us would, at long last, become true again: 'The United States is like a giant boiler. Once the fire is lighted under it, there is no limit to the power it can generate.'"
I do not usually see myself as one to really argue with people on these issues (politics in general and especially on wars- I'm a bit of a pacifist, I suppose) but this book has really brought to my attention a lot of disturbing events and thought processes of the American people. One of the most shocking statements to me is as follows: "Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." -Army Chief of Staff General George Casey speaking after U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan murdered thirteen and one unborn child at Fort Hood.
There is definitely a war going on- it is very real. This book goes down the path that has led to the war going on now and why it is important to realize that it is indeed a war. Coming from the author William J. Bennett, I am not sure what I was expecting of this book. I definitely got more than I bargained for. Time to take my head out of the sand, I suppose.
**Disclaimer: I received this Kindle edition book from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.**
I too enjoyed this book. I recommend Lightkeepers Ball if you haven't chosen the next one. I read it last night. Epub on the ibook.
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