Mr. Snerdley's Book ReviewOctober 29, 2013
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RUSH: I gave the Official Obama Criticizer and the Official Program Observer, Mr. Snerdley, a copy of the book yesterday, and I woke up today to an e-mail that is his review, and it brought tears to my eyes. I think I'm gonna read it. Even though you will think that it may not be totally objective because he works here, it is totally objective. One thing I want to emphasize, folks, about the structure of the book that is really critically important is the time-travel device.
Kids love time travel. Everybody's fascinated by it. But the time-travel device here takes the reader -- the children, the adults -- into the period. You are actually taken to various places -- on the Mayflower, to Holland, to Plymouth Colony -- and the characters come to life, and what is recorded history is actually uttered in quoted conversation by the characters who made this history. It really was a fun device to use and explore, and it makes the book.
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RUSH: I got an e-mail here. "Dear Rush: You shouldn't be so self-conscious about mentioning your book. You only do it every 20 years or so. It's not like you're overdoing it." I guess. I guess that's a good point. But, folks, look, I'm just gonna hit this straight on. This is not a kids' book with a celebrity name slapped on the cover. It is not that. There's a serious effort here to correct the historical record, the truth, just the simple truth because it's so wonderful; it is so blessed; it's so magnificent, the truth of this country.
There's no reason to feel guilty about it. There's no reason to feel ashamed. Quite the opposite. There's every reason to be as proud as you can be to be an American. There's no reason to be embarrassed; no reason to be ashamed, none of this that is being taught today. There's no reason to feel guilty about everything, and there certainly is no reason to think that you, as an individual, don't have a future in this country. This is the best place on earth to have a future. As I say in the foreword, this is a place where dreams come true. Most places on the planet, dreams remain just that, just dreams. So there's an attempt to inspire here.
The time-travel device that's utilized here, it takes what could ordinarily maybe be thought of as just the dry, historical record, takes people and puts them right at that moment where history was taking place and places them in it where they are experiencing it vicariously. We all know that William Bradford wrote the Mayflower Compact. We all know that William Bradford was the leader of the Pilgrims, and if you wanted to, you could go read the story of William Bradford. But this book has William Bradford explaining it to Rush Revere and a couple of the students he takes along.
I'll give something away. It's not a big deal. Rush Revere actually gets a handwritten invitation to the first Thanksgiving from William Bradford. That's the kind of thing that the time-travel device permits. And that just opens up the imagination as an author and as a creative force. It just opens up all kinds of possibilities. We talk about it a lot, persuading people and so forth. The truth is one of the greatest persuasive agents that there is, but storytelling is also crucial. Stories have a magic about them. If they're told well, they are magnetic. And that's what is attempted here.
By the way, here is what the audio version looks like, four CDs in a box. That's what it looks like. I'm holding it up on the Dittocam. As I say, our spies report today having to really hunt this down at some bookstores. Many of the bookstores have great displays, but it's the hardcover book.
Now, Mr. Snerdley, do you mind if I read what ended up being your review? Because I won't, if it would embarrass you, I won't do it. Okay. So I gave Snerdley a copy of the book yesterday. I gave everybody a copy of the book yesterday, and I woke up today and he'd sent an e-mail at a quarter of two this morning. I saw it when I got up.
Rush,
Well, what to say? This book is totally AWESOME. Everything about it is awesome. The dedication to Vince Flynn brought a gasp. Of course, we've heard you explain American exceptionalism on the air, but seeing it in print in this book added another dimension. The pages are beautiful to the touch, and the old "scroll" look to the paper adds a layer of depth. It's a fine book, one that feels like it ought to be treasured. The story is magnificent. I love the detail. This is a REAL history book, but it's fun, it's witty and it has whimsical details like the Dutch-style wooden shoes on Liberty, the talking horse.
The illustrations are stories within themselves. The jackscrew in particular captured my attention. I never heard or seen of one prior. The maps, the cutaways of the Mayflower, the signing of the Mayflower Compact, just to name a very few, all compelling. Mixing it with current day photographs, old photos, brilliant approach. You've made one of the oldest stories of American history new again. For those of us who absolutely love American history, "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims" is an exciting way to review what we know and learn details and nuances we either didn't know or forgot. This book is not a dull telling of history. It's vibrant, colorful; best of all, it's inspiring. Well done. What an honor it is.
Signed, Bo.
I almost got misty-eyed this morning when I read this. 'Cause I know Mr. Snerdley, he means every word of this from the bottom of his heart. So there it is, folks. It's hardcover, e-book, and the audio version, which I have some excerpts here that I'll share during the course of the day. At RushLimbaugh.com we're gonna have excerpts from the audio book and some graphic displays, and don't forget the Rush Revere section now at TwoIfByTea.com.
There's a little test. I mean, it's a book for kids, there's a test on what they just read at the end of the book. The answers are at TwoIfByTea.com on our website there. But it's meant to be interactive and inclusive. The graphic that we have for the Two If By Tea website, we got the tea factory in the back, and we're gonna be adding the EIB broadcast central complex to it and all. It's extremely well done. We're very proud of it.
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