America, how well do you know your history? Who quelled a coup d'etat by putting on a pair of reading glasses? Which U.S. senator was nearly caned to death on the Senate floor? Which first lady refused to serve alcohol in the White House? What famous inventor was called to find the assassin's bullet in President Garfield's back? Which successful candidate for president insisted on telling the truth about his sex scandal? Which beloved ex-president raced with death and poverty to write his best-selling memoirs and which famous humorist came to his rescue? Which president carefully read the trial notes of 303 condemned Sioux warriors and spared all but 38 from the hangman's noose? Which "four-eyed" future president beat up a drunken bully in a saloon?

In his Farewell Address, Ronald Reagan said if we forget what we have done, we will forget who we are. This book, written by one of Reagan's most loyal lieutenants, responds to Reagan's heartfelt call for an informed patriotism.

We all need to know more about this land we love. In this gripping tale of a nation, our country's past comes alive. Here is the story of those we chose to lead us and what they did with the awesome power we gave them. Join Bill Bennett for the great adventure. America's teacher will lead you on a voyage of discovery.

What others are saying:

"William J. Bennett artfully and subtly makes connections between our past and current events, reminding us ... that we are intimately and immediately connected to the extraordinary Americans who have bestowed upon us our great heritage.... T]he importance of America: The Last Best Hope probably exceeds anything Dr. Bennett has ever written, and it is more elegantly crafted and eminently readable than any comprehensive work of history I've read in a very long time. It's silly to compare great works of history to great novels, but this book truly is a page-turner.... Prepare to have your faith in, hope for, and love of America renewed."
-Brad Miner, American Compass

"The Role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important. He puts our nation's triumphs, along with its lapses, into the context of a narrative about the progress of freedom. Every now and then it's useful to be reminded that we are a fortunate people, blessed with generations of leaders who repeatedly renewed the meaning of America."
-Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

"For too long Americans have been looking for a history of our country that tells the story of America's triumphs as well as its tragedies. Now Bill Bennett has come forward with America: The Last Best Hope, which tells the story-fairly and fully-from 1492 to 1914. Americans who have been reading recent biographies of the Founding Fathers will love this book."
-Michael Barone, US News & World Report

"Bill Bennett's book will stand as perhaps the most important addition to American scholarship at this, the start of the new century. For the past fifty years American historians have either distorted American history or reduced it to a mess of boring indictments of our cultural and political heritage. With this book Bennett offers to Americans young and old an exciting and enjoyable history of what makes America the greatest nation on earth.
-Brian Kennedy, president, The Claremont Institute

Help your children develop moral character with this updated, 30th anniversary edition of the perennial classic The Book of Virtues. Almost 3 million copies of the Book of Virtues have been sold since it was published in 1993. It is one of the most popular moral primers ever written, an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop character--and helps parents teach it to them. Thirty years ago, readers thought that the times were right for a book about moral literacy. Back then, Americans worried that schools were no longer parents' allies in teaching good character. As the book's original introduction noted, "moral anchors and moorings have never been more necessary." If that was true in the 1990s, it is even more true today. The explosion of information with the Internet has left many unsure of what is valuable and what is not. Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Loyalty. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Hard work. Self-discipline. Faith. These remain the essentials of good character. The Book of Virtues contains hundreds of exemplary stories offering children examples of good and bad, right and wrong. Drawing on the Bible, American history, Greek mythology, English poetry, fairy tales, and modern fiction, William J. and Elayne Bennett show children the many virtuous paths they can follow--and the ones they ought to avoid. For the 30th anniversary edition, the Bennetts have slimmed down the book's contents, while also finding room to introduce such figures as Mother Teresa, Colin Powell, and heroes of 9/11 and the War in Afghanistan. Here is a rich mine of moral literacy to teach a new generation of children about American culture, history, and traditions--ultimately, the ideals by which we wish to live our lives. The updated edition of The Book of Virtues will continue a legacy of raising moral children far into a new century.

Read here the storied history of these United States.

The stories in this book are part of what Abraham Lincoln called the "mystic chords of memory." They are the symbols that define the essence of the United States, that mark its historic course, and connect its people. "The American Patriot's Almanac" is a daily source of inspiration and information about the history, heroes, and achievements that sum up what this nation is all about.

"The role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important." --Walter Isaacson

A decade ago, William J. Bennett published a magisterial three-volume account of our nation's history. Now, Bennett returns to that bestselling trilogy, revising and condensing his epic tale into one volume, a page-turning narrative of our exceptional nation. In Bennett's signature gripping prose, Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan, and others reemerge not as marble icons or dust-dry names in a textbook, but as full-blooded, heroic pioneers whose far-reaching vision forged a nation that attracted and still attracts millions yearning to breathe free.

In this riveting volume, Bennett covers America’s greatest moments in breath-taking detail:

• From the heroism of the Revolution to the dire hours of the Civil War,
• From the progressive reforms of the early 1900s to the civil rights reforms of the 1960s,
• From the high drama of the Space Race to the gut-wrenching tension of the Cold War,
• From the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of global Communism to the attacks of 9-11 and the war on terror.

America began to breathe easy at the close of the Cold War and loosened its grip on the fear of nuclear confrontation for the first time since World War Two. Peace was palpable, but in retrospect the years between 1988 and 2008 were as rocky as they were uncertain. Turbulence, not tranquility, marked the turn of the century: the war on drugs, race riots, values debates, deep economic shifts, and the growing threat of terrorism on U.S. soil that would tragically play out on September 11, 2001.
In this, the third volume of "America: The Last Best Hope," William J. Bennett explores America's recent and momentous history: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of global Communism; sweeping changes in political and popular culture; the war on terror and the election of America's first African American president. Surveying the players, personalities, and pivotal moments, Bennett captures this recent chapter in the American story with piercing insight and unrelenting optimism.

Respected scholar William Bennett reacquaints America with its heritage in the second volume of America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II). This engaging narrative slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism.

"WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN"

Raising up men has never been easy, but today is seems particularly tough. The young and old need heroes to embody the eternal qualities of manhood: honor, duty, valor, and integrity. In"The Book of Man," William J. Bennett points the way, offering a positive, encouraging, uplifting, realizable idea of manhood, redolent of history and human nature, and practical for contemporary life.

Using profiles, stories, letters, poems, essays, historical vignettes, and myths to bring his subject to life, "The Book of Man" defines what a man should be, how he should live, and to what he should aspire in several key areas of life: war, work, leisure, and more. "Whether we take up the sword, the plow, the ball, the gavel, our children, or our Bibles," says Bennett, "we must always do it like the men we are called to be.""The Book of Man" shows how.

Refocus on the fight.

Ten years ago, when radical Islamist terrorists used three U.S. airplanes to kill nearly three thousand of our countrymen, America was angry. It was a focused and justified anger--one that generated clear objectives and a willingness to meet them. But that resolve has deteriorated so much that many of our nation's top political and military leaders will scarcely utter the word that brought us here, "terrorism," let alone the ideology that fuels it, "radical Islam."

In "The Fight of Our Lives," William J. Bennett and Seth Leibsohn examine the devolution of America's post-9/11 tenacity and how this country's well-meaning culture of religious tolerance, coupled with soft and apologetic political leadership, has placed us squarely in the pocket of radical Islamists who have made clear their intention to obliterate everything we value.

America's devotion to political correctness has crippled its ability to accurately interpret and respond to the motives of its fiercest enemies. Unless we change course and re-engage the fight, the costs of our tolerance will prove tragic and immeasurable.

"The Fight of Our Lives" helps readers refocus, to reframe and understand the threats we face.

By surveying and explaining the current scene, Bennett and Leibsohn point the way to a future in which our enemies are properly acknowledged and firmly opposed.

"Crucial," "Timely," "Brave"--Advanced Praise for "The Fight of Our Lives"

"An important book. Many have forgotten the mortal threat to America that is radical Islam. Bennett and Leibsohn explain why we must wake up and what we need to do." ―Mark Levin, nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and author of "Liberty and Tyranny"

"This bold and readable book makes a powerful, if controversial, case against appeasing terrorists and those who support them--and in favor of a strong cultural commitment to defeat an enemy bent on our destruction. You may disagree, as I do, with some of its points, but you ignore its central conclusions at your, and our, peril." ―Alan Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard University, and author of "Trials Of Zion"

"Bill Bennett has been a brilliant sentry in our nation's cultural life. In this luminous and spirited book, he and co-author Seth Leibsohn sound the alarm on behalf of us all. America can prevail in its struggle against radical Islamism, and they show us exactly how. A book for this moment, written with poise and passion, and suffused with love of country." ―Fouad Ajami, Johns Hopkins University professor and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution

"Bennett and Leibsohn follow Admiral Nelson's strategy―"Go right at 'em"―right at both our deadly enemy, radical Islam, and its apologists, and especially right at our own politically correct, self-neutered establishment. A wise, timely, and brave book." ―R. James Woolsey, former director of Central Intelligence and head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

"We are living, as Bennett and Leibsohn say, in 'the Gelded Age, ' but we won't be living there for long because the forces of radical Islam have not paused in their drive to defeat the West. "The Fight of Our Lives" rouses the sleepy and the weary. It's the crucial book of the year." ―Hugh Hewitt, nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and author of "The War Against the West"

A major narrative history of Christianity's first thousand years by acclaimed educator and #1 New York Times bestselling author William J. Bennett. Now in trade paper.

As shocking as it sounds, Christian persecution is at an all-time high. From the modern martyrs facing the scourge of the Islamic State to the sanctioned destruction of Christian churches in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the church is facing trials it hasn't seen since the first millennium AD. Tried by Fire tells the stories of those first Christian centuries and reveals that persecution and violence has been the church's lot from the outset.

Former secretary of education, syndicated radio host, and New York Times bestselling author Dr. William J. Bennett has written more than twenty five books on America, virtue, and education. In Tried by Fire, Bennett turns his attention to the development of the early Christian church, with a special focus on how it was shaped and strengthened by centuries of imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom. In the midst of the church's harshest persecution in centuries, ignorance is not an option--the time to reengage with the heroes of church history is now.

Almost a decade ago, author and educator William J. Bennett and John T. E. Cribb published a 365-day almanac of our nation's history. Now, in this new two-volume series compiled from The American Patriot's Almanac, Bennett and Cribb's masterful grasp of our history offers 150 examples of fascinating details of great American events. A two-volume series compiled from William J. Bennett's bestselling book, revised and updated. 150 Great American Events includes: American drama and interesting facts about American figures Obscure details about American history Patriotic facts to broaden one's sense of the past Bold personalities and internal conflicts Discoveries, ideas, and more In these easy-to-read entries, historical American events reemerge not as cold facts or boring details in a textbook, but as authentic events experienced by full-blooded, heroic pioneers whose far-reaching vision forged our nation. Great for history buffs, homeschoolers, teachers, and people who are interested in American history.

Almost a decade ago, author and educator William J. Bennett and John T. E. Cribb published a 365-day almanac of our nation's history. Now, in this updated and expanded series compiled from The American Patriot's Almanac, Bennett and Cribb's masterful grasp of our history offers 150 more great Americans. Our history is a heritage we Americans all share. It ties us together, like a common language or currency. Knowing that heritage helps us understand the central principles underlying American democracy and our responsibilities in passing them on to the next generation. At a time when so many seem to be losing sight of our identity as a nation, it's more important than ever to remember our heritage, not only so we can know who we are today, but to set us on the right path for the future. From the letters of Abigail Adams to the adventures of William Penn, 150 Great Americans sheds light on: Incredible stories Larger-than-life personalities Fun facts, discoveries, and new perspectives In these easy-to-digest entries, historical Americans reemerge not as marble icons or names in a textbook, but as full-blooded, heroic pioneers whose far-reaching vision forged our nation, connecting you to this great nation's heritage.

The perfect companion to William J. Bennett's number-one bestseller; The Book of Virtues, The Children's Book of Virtues is the ideal storybook for parents and children to enjoy together:

With selections from The Book of Virtues, from Aesop and Robert Frost to George Washington's life as well as Native American and African folklore, The Children's Book of Virtues brings together timeless stories and poems from around the world.

The stories have been chosen especially for a young audience to help parents introduce to their children the essentials of good character: Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Work, Self-discipline, Compassion, Faith, Honesty, Loyalty, and Friendship.

Lavishly illustrated by the well-known artist Michael Hague, these wonderful stories and the virtues they illustrate come to life on these pages.

The Children's Book of Virtues is an enduring treasury of literature and art that will help lead young minds toward what is noble and gentle and fine.

Estados Unidos, ?que tanto conoce su historia?
Todos necesitamos saber mas acerca de esta tierra que queremos. En esta historia apasionante de una nacion, el pasado de nuestro pais cobra vida. Aqui tiene la historia de aquellos que escogimos para que nos guiaran y lo que hicieron con el asombroso poder que les dimos. De la valiente y brillante mente del autor de gran exito de ventas, William J. Bennett, llega este relato emocionante de las virtudes y vicios de nuestro gran pais y los muchos hombres y mujeres osados que lo convirtieron en la poderosa nacion que es hoy. Una historia arrasante de iniciativa humana, lucha y victoria, Bennett capta excepcionalmente lo singular de Estados Unidos.

El respetado erudito William Bennett vuelve a poner al corriente a Estados Unidos con su herencia en el segundo volumen de "America: La ultima esperanza." Esta interesante narrativa corta las telaranas del tiempo, la memoria y el preponderante cinismo para dar un nuevo impetu a Estados Unidos mediante un patriotismo informado.
El segundo volumen de Bennett continua la historia norteamericana donde la dejo el volumen 1, en los albores de la Primera Guerra Mundial. La historia conmovedora de Bennett lleva a los lectores a traves de dias lugubres, resaltando las tragedias, los triunfos, el sacrificio y las secuelas que estremecen al mundo. Relata los disturbios de la Gran Depresion y la Segunda Guerra Mundial destacando el liderazgo y heroismo de hombres como Franklin Delano Roosevelt y Winston Churchill. Despues de los grandes cambios politicos y culturales del movimiento por los derechos civiles y la guerra fria, Bennett trae la historia de Estados Unidos hasta el final del segundo gobierno de Reagan y la victoria final sobre el comunismo, cuando este fue eclipsado por un movimiento por la libertad a nivel mundial dirigido por Estados Unidos.

Millions of American families have turned to "The Book of Virtues" and "The Moral Compass" by William J. Bennett for moral guidance in troubled times. "Our Sacred Honor" offers inspiration and instruction as well...this time of a particularly American sort.
The lessons it contains are especially welcome. We live in a time when the practice of representative government in the United States of America is under siege from both the left and the right. Scandals abound. We are first shocked, then wearied, to learn that our national leaders have feet of clay. We live in a time, in short, which demands that we return to our origins to discover the common principles that make us essentially American. "Our Sacred Honor" reveals those common principles. They are articulated by the flawed but deeply admirable men and women who first wrote what it is to be American. The pledge made by the Founders to one another that hot July day in 1776--the pledge of "our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor"--has been redeemed many times in the centuries since, but the nation they founded has never failed to profit from their example.
It is time to profit from their advice.
In "Our Sacred Honor, " William J. Bennett has collected the best that has been thought and said by and about the men and women who founded America. And what a group they are: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John and Abigail Adams, and so many more that otherwise first-rate intellects such as John Dickinson, Benjamin Rush, and George Mason are relegated to the status of footnotes in the popular imagination. Not since Periclean Athens has such a small nation been led by so many larger-than-life figures. The only characteristic they shared more widely than revolutionary ardor was their talent (and inclination) for advice. Here is that advice on virtually every aspect of "the good"--good government, good relations between individuals and nations, and what it means to live a good life. Here are Thomas Jefferson on piety ("Adore God. Murmur not at the ways of Providence"); James Madison on justice ("It ever has been, and ever will be pursued, until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit"); and Patrick Henry on patriotism ("Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?"). Here are Abigail Adams on love ("When he is wounded, I bleed..."); Benjamin Franklin on industry ("Have you somewhat to do tomorrow, do it today"); and George Washington on friendship ("Be courteous with all, but intimate with few"). Here are the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle," Longfellow's celebration of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and the Declaration of Independence. Here are the stories of the Liberty Bell, Washington at Valley Forge, and Nathan Hale. Here are selections from "The Federalist Papers, " and Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn," with "the shot heard round the world." Here are "Poor Richard's Almanack, " the extraordinary correspondence between John and Abigail Adams, and George Washington's Farewell Address.
The stories, songs, letters, and speeches collected in "Our Sacred Honor" are an inspiring celebration of American exceptionalism, produced by a collection of exceptional Americans. It is the best book of advice in more than two hundred years.

Bestselling author William Bennett addresses the central social issue of our time—the deline of the family—in a book as intellectually provocative and politically controversial as his landmark The Death of Outrage.

Our recent economic prosperity has masked the devastation of the American family, which is now under seige as never before. From the dramatic rise in illegitimacy, divorce, and single parenthood to the call for the recognition of gay marriages, the traditional nuclear family is being radically challenged and undermined, along with the moral and legal consensus that once supported it.

Now in The Broken Hearth, William Bennett, America's foremost conservative spokesperson on matters of family values, presents a strong, well-reasoned, and informed defense of the traditional family. Interweaving history, anthropology, law, social science, and the teachings of Western religions, he argues that marriage between a man and a woman and the creation of a permanent, loving, and nurturing environment for children is a great historical achievement, one that should not be lightly abandoned in favor of more "progressive" arrangements. Bennett displays his ability to combine fearless conviction, acute insight, and respect for his adversaries in thorough, balanced, and enlightening discussions of single parenthood, cohabitation, gay marriage, and other trends that are undercuttingthe ideal of the family as the essential foundation of society.

Looking closely at the concerns and questions that divide America, Bennett provides a powerful affirmation of family life and the values and benefits it bestows on individuals and on society as a whole.


From the Hardcover edition.

For decades Americans have turned to the Commerce Department's Index of Leading Economic Indicators to spot trends in the economy. The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators brings a similar kind of empirical analysis to the moral, social, and behavioral condition of American society from 1960 to the present--a vivid, clearly accessible portrait in numbers of who and where we are as a nation. First published in 1994 and now completely updated and considerably expanded, it draws from a wide array of government sources and academic studies to offer comprehensive chapters on crime, the family, youth behavior, education, popular culture, and religion, as well as new chapters on civic participation, international comparisons, and decade-by-decade comparisons. For each topic covered, there are statistical and numerical breakdowns; tables and graphs; ranking of states; and a "Factual Overview" interpreting the data. The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators should serve as the starting point of any discussion about America's moral and cultural condition. William J. Bennett's provocative introduction provides the essential context and perspective for the data he's collected, offering an assessment of the problems besetting modern America. Some have gotten better--most notably, crime and welfare rates--leading him to conclude that politics and public engagement in social issues can make more of a difference than he once thought. But there is much else of a worrying nature, and Bennett pulls no punches in identifying pathologies and laying out the challenges we face. No one who cares about American society and a whole range of social issues can afford to be without this essential volume--a statistical snapshot, an invaluable source-book, and a call to action.

In this new, updated edition of a book heralded as a clarion call to the nation's conscience, William Bennett asks why we see so little public outrage in the fade of the evidence of deep corruption within Bill Clinton's administration. The Death of Outrage examines the Monica Lewinsky scandal as it unfolded, from Clinton's denials that he had had sex with a young White House intern, to his testimony before the grand jury, to the nation's decision not to remove Clinton from office. Brick by brick, Bennett dismantles the wall of defenses offered by Clinton and his apologists, and casts the clear light of moral reason and common sense on a shameful chapter in American history.

Edited by a prominent Wall Street Journal editor and a distinguished Federalist Society thinker, PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP, the first comprehensive book of its kind that rates U.S. presidents, includes an updated chapter on George W. Bush and his first term in office. The only national survey published in book form, it features multiple categories of best and worst rankings, most over- and underrated, and most controversial, to name a few, along with essays on each president and his leadership abilities. A variety of historians, scholars, journalists and current and former government officials weigh in with their opinions, from Jay Winik on Lincoln, Lynne Cheney on Madison, and John McCain on Theodore Roosevelt to Robert Bork on FDR, Kenneth Starr on Nixon, and Peggy Noonan on JFK. With William Bennett providing an engaging Foreword, readers can also enjoy provocative essays on the individual qualities essential for a Commander-in-Chief. Whether one is liberal, conservative, or anywhere in between, PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP is an informative and engaging resource about the successes, failures and final legacies of the inhabitants of the Oval Office.

William J. Bennett, former director of the National Drug Control policy under President George H.W. Bush and bestselling author of The Book of Virtues, and co-author Robert White provide strong societal and scientific arguments against the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana, once considered worthy of condemnation, has in recent years become a "medicine," legalized fully in four states, with others expected to follow. But the dangers are clear. According to Bennett's research, more Americans are admitted to treatment facilities for marijuana use than for any other illegal drug. Studies have shown a link between marijuana use and abnormal brain structure and development. From William Bennett comes a call-to-action for the 46 states that know better than to support full legalization, and a voice of reason for millions who have jumped on the legalization bandwagon because they haven't had access to the facts.