One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future
Written by Candy Carson and Ben Carson, MD
Narrated by Prentice Onayemi
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Dear Listener,
In February 2013 I gave a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. Standing a few feet from President Obama, I warned my fellow citizens of the dangers facing our country and called for a return to the principles that made America great.
Many Americans heard and responded, but our nation’s decline has continued. Today the danger is greater than ever before, and I have never shared a more urgent message than I do now. Our growing debt and deteriorating morals have driven us far from the founders' intent. We've made very little progress in basic education. Obamacare threatens our health, liberty, and financial future. Media elitism and political correctness are out of control. Worst of all, we seem to have lost our ability to discuss important issues calmly and respectfully regardless of party affiliation or other differences. As a doctor rather than a politician, I care about what works, not whether someone has an (R) or a (D) after his or her name. We have to come together to solve our problems. Knowing that the future of my grandchildren is in jeopardy because of reckless spending, godless government, and mean-spirited attempts to silence critics left me no choice but to write this book. I have endeavored to propose a road out of our decline, appealing to every American’s decency and common sense. If each of us sits back and expects someone else to take action, it will soon be too late. But with your help, I firmly believe that America may once again be "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Sincerely,
Ben Carson
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Reviews for One Nation
28 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a pretty easy, common sense read. Carson explains what he sees as the problems facing America today and then gives solutions to those problems. The book is divided into three main parts: "Causes of Disunity and Decline," "Solutions," and "Who We Are." He also includes the text of his 2013 National Prayer Breakfast speech which many people see as the event that jumpstarted his involvement in politics. The writing wasn't stellar. It was very simplistic. I sometimes wondered if Carson dumbed it down on purpose because he believes that government documents and laws should all be able to be understood by 7th graders and that everyone should be able to read at an 8th grade level so maybe he wanted his book to be at a 7th/8th grade level?The part that annoyed me more than the simplistic writing was the repetition. In his chapter on bigotry, he discusses racism, ageism, homophobia, sexism, and religious bigotry. But many of these topics he discusses once or twice more later in the book. Also, there are at least two or three sections on helping the poor as well as his thoughts about the welfare system throughout the book. My favorite parts, and where I can agree with Carson the most, are on the topics of education, reading, being an informed citizen, and having knowledge and wisdom and knowing the difference between the two. In the beginning of the book, he explains the Carson Scholars Fund that he and his wife started to provide academic awards to high achievers and to establish reading rooms in Title I schools where the children usually do not have great access to books. Carson talks about education and reading throughout One Nation and explains how reading improved his own academic performance and changed his outlook on his own life. But he also devotes two chapters to education and knowledge in the "Solutions" part of his book. These are topics I think all of us book nerds would agree on!I am not a religious or spiritual person so I didn't really see eye-to-eye with Carson on some of the issues that he takes more of a conservative Christian approach on. But I did appreciate that he could see why some people recoil from religion, and he can at least respect why others have the opinions they do. So I would say for those that are very squeamish about religion it's best to avoid this book since it was published by a Christian publisher and Carson starts off each chapter with a Bible verse.NB: If anyone wants to read this to evaluate Carson as a politician, he barely touches on foreign policy.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I wanted to use "fantasy" as the genre. Ben tries really hard to convince us that he is a political independent. That makes it difficult to take his arguments seriously, especially as he continually contradicts himself. He starts every section with a phrase of simple common sense that no one can disagree with and then veers off from there. I think he should stick with medicine.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dr. Carson tries so hard to come from an independent place, but sadly he is also trapped in the mire of the Right's Straw-Man arguments; primarily that the ACA is going to destroy America, that the "gay agenda" is trying to destroy marriage, and that America is falling apart because of some moral decline brought about by our turning away from God. Of course, he also gives multiple examples that can easily be used to counter his arguments, such as stating that humans have a moral compass without the teachings of the scripture.The thing is, some of his ideas actually sound feasible, and I'd likely give them some credence if he didn't take every opportunity to throw the blame at what he calls the "secular progressives," claiming they are the reason the parties cannot work together. Also, the media seems to only be biased towards the Right, not the left.Now, this book is a few years old, written in 2013, so it would be interesting to sit down and have a conversation with him now that he has been in the political arena and seen exactly what he is up against, both on his side and the other. Would he still make the same claims? Probably, but it would still be interesting to have some form of follow-up. For someone so intent in this book on reaching towards bi-partisan efforts, I don't recall that notion ever coming up during his campaign.And he definitely needs to learn the real reason that "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" to our money. It certainly didn't have anything to do with "signifying the importance of God in every aspect of our lives," and instead has everything to do with finding suggestive ways to fight off the "Red Menace" of Communism in the 50s.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I can honestly say that I picked up this book with an open mind towards the author. I didn't know hardly anything about Dr. Ben Carson. I had heard that he had recently declared his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election and that he was the darling of the Tea Party Movement, a fact that impacts me neither positively nor negatively. I picked up the book hoping to find out what all the buzz was about.My curiosity on some points was satisfied. One Nation put forward the views of a concerned citizen with conservative moral, economic, and social issues. While his views were definitely conservative, they were expressed with grace and respect towards those who would differ. He writes, "Though today's politicians would have you think otherwise, it is eminently possible to have substantial disagreements with others and remain friendly and cooperative. This is a lesson that must be quickly relearned by American society if we are to be successful going forward. People will always have different ideas about what is important, but those differences should not trump a cordial working relationship" (99-100). Amen, Dr. Caron! Amen!The most inspired part of this book was Carson's take on political correctness. He challenges Americans to ignore the barking media and exercise their freedom of speech, regardless of how unpopular it may be. Frankly, I see the day coming when my own conservative Christian views on morality and spirituality will be marginalized in culture - I'm not sure that sad day isn't already dawning. Caron's charge to me and others like me was truly inspirational.A close second in the "inspiring parts of the book" category is Carson's fresh take on health care. As a physician, he advocates a position that honors the doctor-patient relationship rather than the doctor-patient-insurance provider relationship. I've never heard anyone espouse the ideas he puts forward. I won't take time to describe them here; just read chapter nine. I don't know if these ideas are viable. I'm sure the keepers of the status quo will say, "No!" But I believe if we are going to overcome the issues that lie ahead of us as a nation that we need fresh ideas. Those ideas may not be the answer, but they may create a dialogue that leads to the answer. On this point alone, I find Ben Carson to be a breath of fresh air. Any concerns I have with One Nation have more to do with what it didn't say than what it did say. For example, I wish Carson had expressed his views more clearly on national security issues and social security, just to name a few.After reading this book, I'm not sure if Ben Carson has won my vote. But I can say confidently that he has won my respect.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow. I am taking notes on how to confront people without offending the idiot speaking to me so ignorantly. ;-)