Anyone that knows me can see right away that I'm a fan of O'Reilly. He appreciates the salt of the earth, the heartland of America, and has a genuine distaste for elitists on the Left who try to spin Americans into believing something against their best interests and beliefs. O'Reilly certainly has a real disdain for those who have money and power and misuse it.

During his rants on society, though, it can come across as an excess of whining. O'Reilly knows that solutions are never as easy as "chicken soup for the soul," and rarely tries to offer such solutions. With an absence of solutions, most of the time the book is spent on complaints, which can be a bit much.

Excerpt from "The O'Reilly Factor" Viewer time-out: "O'Reilly, I don't know if you're a conservative or a liberal, but you come off as one of the most obnoxious, self-righteous journalists I have ever seen. I am forced to sit there in revulsion and fascination at what you say. I can't take my eyes off someone so completely full of himself." (Scott M., Kerrville, Texas) Not really being too full of myself, I think, I'm going to take a break now from my personal odyssey from Levittown to Harvard and eventually to The O'Reilly Factor, a national TV program where I get to spout my opinions every night. That journey has been strange, treacherous, and very enlightening, but I'll return to it later. I've mentioned my beginnings here to underscore the point of this opening chapter: The way you look, sound, carry yourself, dress, and even smile is very, very important to your life and career in today's America. The system is cleverly designed so that a lucky few will get rich and grab power, and those people are an even smaller group than the ones who inherit money and power generation after generation. Barring an alien invasion from outer space, the president elected in November 2000 will be a "legacy," as the term goes in fraternity life. Both Gore and Bush are privileged heirs of established political families. . . Bulletin: America is not supposed to have a class system, but it does. Even if the rules aren't as rigid or oppressive as in India or Britain or Spain, class issues influence your life every day, and you ought to think about it. . . A tiny, exclusionary group with loads of money rules America financially. Yes, as the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald said, the rich are different from you and me. And I say they want it to stay that way. I know it, you know it, and they know it!

To those who are tired of politics, O'Reilly leaves the subject behind for the most part, addressing general topics like child-rearing, illegal drug use and the media (which I always like to read about and relate to).

I can see why O'Reilly has many critics who can't see beyond his persona. Because he's such a cocky bastard, and although I agree with him on so many points, I sometimes don't want to!

O'Reilly does not tolerate personal weaknesses such as drug use or parents who can't control their children, but he does poke fun at himself and admits to personal failures and (many) mistakes. If you're not responsible or loyal, though, steer clear of him because he has no qualms about attacking you viciously.

His main focus was on chastising our "celebrity-mad culture," lamenting that "fame contributes so little of value to our society," yet we want to know all about them, even though they don't want us to know personal details. Except, of course, their political ideas, which they express even though they know as little or less than most Americans about issues. Just shut up and act.

This relates to O'Reilly's most scathing writing, that in the U.S. "thinking is not that encouraged . . . The establishment does not want us to think for themselves." To them it doesn't matter, as long as we feel good about ourselves.

Even if you disagree with O'Reilly, at least he has some sort of personality worth watching, unlike bores like Greta Van Sustren, Wolf Blitzer or Brian Williams.

After running through a list of people with whom he has a beef, from Bill Clinton to South Park to Martha Stewart, O'Reilly ends on a positive note. He runs through a litany of positive things in America, from people (Tom Hanks, Dave Berry), to convenience (all night grocery stores) to entertainment (best movies in the world).

Fans of his hit talk show will get a kick out of O'Reilly's new book, while enemies would be encouraged to not pick it up, although it would probably broaden their horizons and maybe influence some of their leftist opinions into the correct way of thinking. Be prepared to hear no spin, just straight, honest talk.