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The Silencing

By: Kirsten Powers
Narrated by: Kristin Watson Heintz
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Publisher's summary

Life-long liberal Kirsten Powers blasts the Left's forced march towards conformity in an exposé of the illiberal war on free speech. No longer champions of tolerance and free speech, the "illiberal Left" now viciously attacks and silences anyone with alternative points of view. Powers asks, "Whatever happened to free speech in America?"

©2015 Kirsten Powers (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
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What listeners say about The Silencing

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Well done

The book is right on the money. Good research well thought though and well told. This is a truth we all know but is not spoken by most in the media. Kirsten is fast becoming my favorite journalist. I recommend this book.

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9 people found this helpful

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Reminds of Ann Coulter

That may not be fair, though like Ms. Coulter , Ms. Powers cites a string of facts the Il-Liberal Left cannot dispute . And, she demonstrates their heartlessness by simply quoting them. 😀
All in all, I found it a very good read , though for those of us who have paid attention, she just reinforces what we already know about the Il-Liberal Left.
I'd recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great listen for all, regardless of your politics!

What did you love best about The Silencing?

Being a life long liberal gives Kirsten Powers a unique position when it comes to the activities to squelch free speech of the left. She supports her points with facts and logic that are not shrouded with any of her own political bias's.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Silencing?

Her outlining the attacks by the left on Fax News and the facts she present that dissect the attacks as baseless. While no news organization is perfect when you take time to watch the various networks operate, listen to their on-air personalities her points really clarify the nasty nature of the left's anti-Fox operations.

What does Kristin Watson Heintz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is an outstanding narrator with a delivery that aligned well with the book's topic.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It was a great listen all around. Have recommended to several people with all kinds of political stripes!

Any additional comments?

Over the years I have read or watched Kirsten Powers numerous times. While I do not closely align with her politics I will always take the time to absorb her message and the logic she had used to from her thoughts. She is a consummate professional who conducts herself from facts, logic and the ability to look, listen and lear from others. "The Silencing" is a perfect example of how opinion columnist, news personalities and other who are within the media should operate with: facts, logic and respect for those who you may differ with.

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16 people found this helpful

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An Intellectually Honest Book

Highly recommended. Kirsten Powers is a too rare example of an open-minded liberal Democrat. Accordingly, "The Silencing" provides a stark, but honest, look at 'ill-liberals' real-life attempts to intimidate and silence legitimate opposing views and supportive evidence. Any flaws I found in the book are merely stylistic and, therefore, not worthy of further discussion here.

In my judgment, taking Power's book to heart would enable liberals to be heard, accepted, and appreciated by any reasonable conservative, let alone any moderate.

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The Politics of Thoughtcrime

I enjoyed this book. I'd have rated it a 3.8 were the option available.

This book, as the title implies, is concerned with recent attempts by the political left to limit or discredit some opposing views. Powers mostly details events from the past half-decade, but does touch on some earlier episodes where individuals were shamed into silence or forced from their careers. The author presents a compelling, but by no-means even-handed, argument, which resonate with free-speech proponents.

I think the books suffers some from a lack of just a few counter-examples of rightist censoriousness. And yes, this book is about the silencing of free speech by the left, and as such I wouldn't expect the author to give anything close to equal time for the right, but I think that sprinkling a few examples of conservative lockstep-think throughout the chapters would make this sound a little less like a screed, and drive home a little better the idea that she cares about free speech (although I believe she does) and not just bashing the left, with whom she shares many viewpoints, and indeed considers herself a liberal. She does invoke McCarthy (and given the subject matter, how could she not?), but largely conservatives are given easy treatment.

One other problem I had with the audio version is the frequency with which offensive (or often just vulgar) words are bleeped out. It may be that the words are redacted in the original text, which would force the audio producers' hands. I don't know who's to blame, but it's distracting.

Having said that, I really did enjoy the book and would recommend it. The narration is solid.

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6 people found this helpful

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Enjoyed a lot.

I really liked the subject matter and the research was impeccable. The examples given are great. The book is well written and the narrator was superb. I will recommend this book to everyone I know. To tell the truth, I haven't been very fond of Kirsten Powers because of her debates on O'Riley and the dumb positions that she mostly takes, but the book has made me view her in a very different light.

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5 people found this helpful

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A Powerful Indictment Of The Left

A powerful indictment of how the left attempts to stifle debate and demonize those who they view as opponents. Powers uses facts and personal interviews to prove her point. Thank you for exposing this insidious culture.

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3 people found this helpful

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States Clearly The Current Crisis...

and signals why it is so important to maintain as much freedom of speech as possible. The ability to understand and know is directly proportionate to how many voices are allowed in the dialogue--in short, the best outcomes are when absolute free speech reigns. O, trivia bit: it has been legal to shout fire in a crowded theater since 1969--look it up.

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Great Book

Although I don't agree with Kirsten on many issues, I admire her honesty and openness on this topic. Open discussion is good. Thanks

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Hoorah Ms Powers!

Powerful! I must listen again and again. I would like to see this book used as a text.

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1 person found this helpful