The hardest person to shop for on your Christmas list can usually be placated with the right book or CD.

Yes, people still buy those shiny silver disks, especially since it’s hard to wrap up a digital file and stuff it in a stocking. With that in mind, here are some recent book and music releases which could be just the right gift this holiday season.

BOOKS

• “Arguably” by Christopher Hitchens – The great writer may be battling cancer, but his rapier wit remains unchanged. “Arguably” assembles some of his thoughtful essays for easy consumption.
• “Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark” by Brian Kellow – Conservatives may know Kael best for her infamous quote regarding President Richard Nixon’s re-election vote tally, but for movie buffs Kael’s prose represents a thoughtful, albeit typically left-of-center, voice.

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Amelia Hamilton, a communications consultant and writer in Colorado, recently announced a new venture of hers: her very first children’s book publication, One Nation Under God: A Book For Little Patriots. Between her constant travels and managing her small business, it’s hard to keep up with her, but we were able to ask a few questions about the book, her experiences as a self-publisher, and how she’s linked Frank Capra to the project.

So, for those who aren’t familiar, what is the purpose of the book? How is it structured, and what kind of lessons are you sending to its “little patriot” readers?

It is a teaching tool to help kids learn the fundamentals of America. So, it goes from one nation under God through ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. It’s a counting book, but it covers government structure, history–a little bit of everything. It’s meant for ages 5-8; the counting aspect is for younger children, but they might not really understand the concepts until they’re a little older. Still, good to familiarize them with it early!

What brought about the decision to make a book specifically catering to conservative parents?

It’s not really conservative; it’s more patriotic. It’s all factual things–I guess “one nation under God” is considered religious–but aside from that, things like 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights are pretty straightforward, information for kids. (more…)

There is a procedure in law called summary judgment where you can win your case without even going to trial because the basic facts are simply undisputed.  Ben Shapiro’s new book,  Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV is one of the best motions for summary judgment I’ve ever read.  There can be no dispute over the facts because Ben presents them through the words of the leading lights of Hollywood liberaldom themselves – how he got the interviews he recounts here is simply beyond me (I count over 20 pages of footnotes).  But what is clear is that the television industry is liberal-left through and through, and that it pushes its dogma upon its audience while closing ranks to ensure conservatives never get a chance to enter what Ben demonstrates is an insular, incestuous community of like-minded Democrats cocooned away from reality in an echo chamber of Obama-worshipping limo-libhood. 

The half-hearted denials of some in the industry are belied by their own actions and their own words – and, surprisingly, by the refreshingly candid admissions of some liberals in television who not only admit its intolerance and stridency but even claim to regret it.  Case closed.

Full disclosure – Ben’s a friend and my frequent “Hour of Hate” partner on Larry O’Conner’s legendary Stage Right Show.  He’s also the rarest of things – a proud Harvard Law School graduate who is fiercely conservative and who loves television (By the way, Ben’s much-mocked predilection for wearing Harvard Law hats and other apparel makes a hilarious appearance in the book).  But Ben’s no snob – he not only freely admits how much he likes television but insists that much of it is well-acted, well-directed and well-produced, its insidious pinko undercurrents notwithstanding.  Moreover, Ben is a creature of Hollywood – he has family in the industry, friends in the industry, and he even flirted with entering into it himself, until he ran smack into the seemingly impenetrable wall that is the conservative blacklist.

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The liberal media relentlessly criticizes Sarah Palin for her ubiquitous media appearances from hard news punditry to pop culture appearances.   The Fox News analyst is “going Hollywood” with her latest stint in reality TV, attendance at Bristol’s Dancing with the Stars events.  Palin is everywhere.  More than any other political figure in modern history, the ever-present Palin has shown a phenomenal ability to remain relevant.  Her savvy has left her progressives hand-wringing, potential presidential opponents sniping, and everyone else in America abuzz over what she will and should do next. 

Depending on your point of view, she is either a genius or opportunist.  Should a politician go anywhere near reality TV?  If you are a crusty, wing tip wearing beltway boy, the answer is obvious. If you are in Hollywood, you are jealously wondering which agent she engaged.  If you are in flyover land, you are withholding jjudgment.  

What is clear is that Palin has tapped a connection with “real America” in a Reaganesque manner that makes any politician jealous.  She understands the culture, and she knows what it takes to keep ones name at the center of conversations.  She engenders just the right amount of criticism to keep her fans rabidly defensive.  Her detractors wind up looking like yipping, hysterical Chihuahuas with pink, spiky collars in pathetic attempts to appear menacing. Meanwhile, poli-star wannabe’s from Michael Moore to Meghan McCain are salivating as their pathetic attempts to pedal their way to relevance falls far short of what only comes naturally to Sarah Palin—Poli Super Stardom. 

She has it.  They want it.  They can’t get it.  It is that simple.    (more…)

This series of essays was not intended to be a laundry list of conservative literary authors – laundry lists are always boring and never helpful.  Instead, they were intended to be an investigation only, examining the dearth of conservatives in literature with an eye toward discovering the reason for this curious state of affairs and formulating a course for its possible correction.

As to the first, we have reached a tentative answer: A combination of temperament and values in the conservative mind combine to make the writing life both less suitable for, and less attractive to, conservatives.  The question remains:  What is to be done?

Let us state the obvious first  – conservatives who are so inclined must write, write often, and write well.  But that is not enough.  They must submit their work to literary magazines, publishing houses and agencies, large and small, again and again if need be.  Getting your work to market is a long, disappointing slog, with no guarantee of success for even the best of work.  Liberal writers know this and engage the process nonetheless; conservatives must do likewise. (more…)