Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth

Ben Shapiro presents a thought-provoking argument, backed up by an incredible amount of research, revealing much of academic leadership in the U.S. as radically liberal. Shapiro demonstrates how liberal professors, in an incredibly unbalanced atmosphere, use their lectern to spout liberal propaganda and anti-American sentiment. Before reading this book I was aware of the liberal bias in institutions of higher learning, but I was ignorant concerning the astonishing depth of the problem. It appears that America has an enormous challenge ahead to return our colleges and Universities to a platform of education without indoctrination. A very well written book.

As a college student, I feel as if much of the content taught in classroom has an underlying agenda. Thank you Ben for helping me to specifically identify the instances of extreme bias. Ben is so good at putting thoughts into words, backing those thoughts with facts, and destroying the liberal agenda. Great read for students of any age as well as adults and parents!

This book has me absolutely in awe! Shapiro does an amazing job of encompassing the agenda that is sweeping most of the nation's universities. What a great read for those going into college!

This book struggles to make any eloquent, solid point. I bought it hopeful and while it does have some interesting points, each topic is not fully developed. Instead it seems like the main goal was to hit as many controversial items as possible and results as a jumble of short, not fully substantiated ideas. Definitely a quantity over quality book.

informative and reinforcing.very well referenced. was reassuring to my young relative who is in an ivy league school and has been quite distressed about the extremity of the left wing political positions rampant there--no freedom of speech if you disagree even slightly with the left wing political thought-- very scary. she thought there was something innately wrong with her before reviewing this book.

I like Shapiro from what I hear on internet and radio. I think he wrote this book when he was a teenager, and it kind of shows. The depth of argumentation is not what I expected. However, he speaks from his experience which makes the book valuable to that extent.

His presentation has matured since then. So not as penetrating as his current work. However, an important book that is well written especially considering he was only 17.

Ben Shapiro describes the liberal agenda spot on. Very informative.

This book is a must-read for parents about to send their children off to college with the expectation they will receive an actual education. Those days appear to be long gone as educators these days appear to view their roles as ideological transformers rather than spurs to interrogation and independent thinking. Shapiro presents what students do receive instead--a barrage of leftist indoctrination that begins from day one and doesn't cease till graduation. This "education" is as intellectually bankrupt as it gets, for, at the end of the day, while students may come to share their professors politics they actually know nothing and have had no practice in thinking for themselves..

This is the best written book by 17 years old. Today society is very scary right now; today most of college graduates and college students are supporting democratic socialism; I wonder why college professors are brainwashing these students. Since 2016 the leftists are just insanely popular; most of college students are considered leftist. There are even Marxist theory class and that include Canada; they want to silence right wing professors and students for the free speech just like socialism/communism. Somehow Ben Shapiro mentioned most of college professors make them to sympathize terrorists, and criminals; making them anti-capitalist, and anti-american; that is related to Black Lives Matter Marxist Movement which is they are giving feeling to criminal, abolish capitalism, and ridding off significant amounts of police.

Ben Shapiro presents a thought-provoking argument, backed up by an incredible amount of research, revealing much of academic leadership in the U.S. as radically liberal. Shapiro demonstrates how liberal professors, in an incredibly unbalanced atmosphere, use their lectern to spout liberal propaganda and anti-American sentiment. Before reading this book I was aware of the liberal bias in institutions of higher learning, but I was ignorant concerning the astonishing depth of the problem. It appears that America has an enormous challenge ahead to return our colleges and Universities to a platform of education without indoctrination. A very well written book.

As a college student, I feel as if much of the content taught in classroom has an underlying agenda. Thank you Ben for helping me to specifically identify the instances of extreme bias. Ben is so good at putting thoughts into words, backing those thoughts with facts, and destroying the liberal agenda. Great read for students of any age as well as adults and parents!

This book has me absolutely in awe! Shapiro does an amazing job of encompassing the agenda that is sweeping most of the nation's universities. What a great read for those going into college!

This book struggles to make any eloquent, solid point. I bought it hopeful and while it does have some interesting points, each topic is not fully developed. Instead it seems like the main goal was to hit as many controversial items as possible and results as a jumble of short, not fully substantiated ideas. Definitely a quantity over quality book.

informative and reinforcing.very well referenced. was reassuring to my young relative who is in an ivy league school and has been quite distressed about the extremity of the left wing political positions rampant there--no freedom of speech if you disagree even slightly with the left wing political thought-- very scary. she thought there was something innately wrong with her before reviewing this book.

I like Shapiro from what I hear on internet and radio. I think he wrote this book when he was a teenager, and it kind of shows. The depth of argumentation is not what I expected. However, he speaks from his experience which makes the book valuable to that extent.

His presentation has matured since then. So not as penetrating as his current work. However, an important book that is well written especially considering he was only 17.

Ben Shapiro describes the liberal agenda spot on. Very informative.

This book is a must-read for parents about to send their children off to college with the expectation they will receive an actual education. Those days appear to be long gone as educators these days appear to view their roles as ideological transformers rather than spurs to interrogation and independent thinking. Shapiro presents what students do receive instead--a barrage of leftist indoctrination that begins from day one and doesn't cease till graduation. This "education" is as intellectually bankrupt as it gets, for, at the end of the day, while students may come to share their professors politics they actually know nothing and have had no practice in thinking for themselves..

This is the best written book by 17 years old. Today society is very scary right now; today most of college graduates and college students are supporting democratic socialism; I wonder why college professors are brainwashing these students. Since 2016 the leftists are just insanely popular; most of college students are considered leftist. There are even Marxist theory class and that include Canada; they want to silence right wing professors and students for the free speech just like socialism/communism. Somehow Ben Shapiro mentioned most of college professors make them to sympathize terrorists, and criminals; making them anti-capitalist, and anti-american; that is related to Black Lives Matter Marxist Movement which is they are giving feeling to criminal, abolish capitalism, and ridding off significant amounts of police.

I was reading this book while in college classes here in Utah. It surprises me how in a Conservative state like Utah, this indoctrination was going on 24/7 in all of my classes. After visiting the University of Utah, my English teacher ranted for half an hour about how Ben Shapiro is a Nazi. Seriously, it blew my mind the closemindedness of professors.

I can tell the author was young when he wrote it. It's jammed with facts and footnotes which adds to the credibility; however, it doesn't read very smoothly... It does name names and names offending universities, but that gets a bit boring after awhile.

In this day and age of political correctness for anyone to buy this book. Schools are for learning, developing oneself. Schools should not be for zombies,where one permit one's brain to turn into mash potatoes.

Truthful, verifiable, perfect explanation of everything you've heard about our NEA, (National Education association) and brainwashing our children, for 75 years. Out of control. Ben Shapiro - BRAVO!

Read to save the Union. Educate yourself because your school won’t teach you.

Universities and academia are basically ruining what used to be a good education. Not even sure there's anyplace to go to avoid it.

The book was in terrible shape. It was marked in and highlighted throughout. It had a bad mildew smell. I placed it outside on a covered porch for about a week and still, the odor was causing me a headache. The odor was very offensive. I rated it 1 star because it was the only way to leave comments.

This is a very interesting and realistic book. While it is not written as eloquently as I am used to, it tells important facts about American public universities today. I found myself relating to many points made as I currently am an undergrad at a public flagship state university. Ben is not attacking intellectualism or education itself in this book, but rather the close-minded left-leaning professors that are so prevalent in university lecture halls. Ben receives a lot of hate for his outspoken conservative ideas, and these are evidenced in how almost all of the 1-star reviews are not verified purchasers.

ALL SIDES of any argument, one side snuffed out, how is that growth.

Extremely well written. A must have for teens going to college and their parents who may be paying tuition.

Great read! Points out what is needed & what is wrong!

I feel like this is a must-read, especially before you send your child to college.

It was a great book and provided evidence of his claims. He even provided names if he could and the dates of events that took place on different college campuses. I wish it was more detailed. It feels like the book was quickly written. Not enough depth but I still liked it.

There is little doubt that America's colleges and universities have a leftist mindset that is used to teach only from one side of the political spectrum. So sure that this is the natural order of things that even their apologists argue that such a one world vision is the result of educational Darwinism--that those on the right simply choose to work in the world of business rather than in the world of ideas. In BRAINWASHED, Ben Shapiro explains how this mass indoctrination is as deeply entrenched as it is. Shapiro is a recent graduate and the memories of four years of Marxist, feminist, Hispanic, socialist, and environmentalist professors are permanently etched in his brain. And what he has personally witnessed forms the bulk of his book. He further refines his thesis by interviews with hostile professors who seem astounded when even one student has a contrary opinion. From the time that a student enters college as a freshman to the time that he graduates, Shapiro accuses that college of a deliberate act of groupthink mind control in which that student has been thoroughly inculcated in what now passes for a modern liberal education. Such a student will have a powerful tendency to accept any and all the following: the Democratic Party cares about the "little guy" while the Republican Party cares only for the wealthy industrialists; the War in Iraq is a total disaster and our troops deserve to suffer and die; gays not only have a right to come out of the closet, they expect all non-gays to view the world as their new closet; God does not have any impact on our daily lives nor in the lives of our Founding Fathers either; all students from kindergarten to grad school must be exposed to sex in the class and if they object, why then they are labeled as intolerant; it is permissible for Jews to be Jews (in the previous belief that it was ok for gays to be gays in the closet) but as soon as Jews speak up in defense of Israel, they are termed racist, anti-Moslem, and imperialist; and the curriculums of all colleges have been denuded of traditional courses to be replaced by Queer Theory, Feminist studies, and Marxism. Shapiro uses extensive documentation to prove that his accusations are the norm and not the exception in America's colleges. He names hundreds of professors who are not bashful in their views that their leftist views are in fact mainstream while conservative views simply have no place anywhere on campus. My gut level reaction to Shapiro is that if anything he has understated the case. Most college students are totally unaware that their professors have abdicated their roles as impartial dispensers of truth. As such books like this one are desperately needed as a corrective. Yet I doubt that Ben Shapiro will be a name that will appear anytime soon on any syllabus.

Excellent book.

This book is brilliant - loaded with facts parents need to know before sending their children off to college. It's loaded with information students need to know before they enter an institution that will control and limit their ability to think critically and independently about the future of this country as well as their own. The scary thing is how many college age young people even realize what is happening to them. By the time they get to college they are already programmed to accept what their professors teach as gospel. If you have an inquiring mind and are not willing to accept what is gong on in America today, especially with our young people - this is a must read.

Item arrived on time and safely in new condition. Was bought as a gift, and the reciever is very happy with it!

A gift for my husband.

I didn’t agree with everything he wrote, but 98 percent he was on the money!!!

Amazing book, my young adult sons are a fan of Ben and his messaging , they are the ones who introduced me to Ben. FYI, we have found in our Northern California community there are many that agree with Ben, and truly appreciate his continued efforts. Thank you Ben!!

Ben Shapiro never disappoints! I keep a few extra copies around and add them to gifts, everyone always loves them.

As a 14-year-old and currently deciding if I want to go to college this book has really been educating me on what to expect if I do decide to go to college.

Purchased as a gift so it was too late to return but the book cover is smaller than the book's pages. It was a little embarrassing.

Excellent read. Addresses some of the whacko professors whose courses people pay Big money to attend

I appreciate Ben Shapiro's citation. The book was way ahead of its time. Well done.

👍

Loved my book by my political hero. :) Arrived as scheduled.

Gift for our niece

Love this guy, great book.

Read the book you braineashed slave!

Great read! Being a student in college made me get this book. I rarely read books but I needed to read this one. And I’m glad I did. It was outstanding!

Ben nails it

Great book

Really insightful to what the universities have become and the political influence set in the channels of education.

great

Thankyou arrived within time. Great book

As a college faculty member this book was of interest to me. It should also be a warning to all Americans. Every statement is footnoted adding to the veracity of the content.

An excellent expose.

Came in perfect condition.

I bought this book for my husband and he is really enjoying it. He says it is very interesting and excellent reading.

Being a college graduate myself and experiencing this first hand, Ben goes into how leftist universities are brainwashing our youth.

as advertised and fast shipping.

Before I purchased this book, I looked at reviews from both sides of spectrum. Even though I'm a Shapiro fan, I always like to see the responses a book has received. That being said, the only reason I can see this book getting less than 3 stars is because the reader is either belligerently anti anything that promotes morality, individual critical thinking or simply has some personal beef against someone like Shapiro who dares to take on the sadistic shepherds leading America's young flock. I've always known that the education system was primarily left-leaning, with some exceptions in private education, but i was horrified as I read this book. It's more or less a volume of statistics and quotes at the university level, with some highly applicable anecdotes from Shapiro's college days. And for the democrat or liberal who holds every educator in high esteem, I implore you to read this just so you can compare the stats to any you may have in your favor. He also has a big portion of the book dedicated to all of his sources- which is incredibly helpful if you want to challenge his assertions. Either way you lean, its a book that makes you think and I personally believe we are increasingly in need of more critical thinkers.

High quality book looking forward to reading

Great book recommend reading

I went to college for ten years, hoped to teach, and did for six years, but quit because I just couldn't indoctrinate more college students. Even now, years after the fact, I mourn that lost career. But the university was very definitely not a place for self-development or free thought. After my experience, I have never respected teachers of any stripe again, nor anyone affiliated with college environments. Previously, I had really revered "scholars." I'm very sorry I was born in America when I was. Just ten years before, I feel like I would have had a great life, in a school system where I would not have to lie about my life experiences and from the real viewpoints that stemmed directly from my real-life experiences. For anyone who reads this: such educations can just destroy people who aren't in synch with them. No wonder kids "act out." Anyway, I can' t wait to read this one. Finally, people are giving voice to what I experienced and to what has long been silenced. While it's a difficult decision, and one wants to give "kids the best leg up," I would never send my child to college. They're better off just getting more regular jobs, where they have more genuine freedom of thought. Recently, I read a study showing that working class people have more conversations involving diverse views that any other group. That why I chose that life. Sad, in the sense that I was "headed for more." But in the lives of most academics, more is less. You could not pay me to do that work.

"Brainwashed" is Ben Shapiro's first book, and while rough around the edges, it is successful in making its points. Despite the claims from the left that contemporary American universities are bastions of free thought, the overwhelming majority of professors are registered Democrats, and many if not most are in the far-left end of the political spectrum. As the son of an English professor at a public university, I have seen firsthand the self-perpetuation of liberal indoctrination in universities, first and foremost in faculty selection. If the committee to select a candidate is overwhelmingly liberal, it's a virtual certainty that the successful candidate will be too. Some argue that Shapiro's work must be discounted due to his age (he had just finished college when he wrote this;) ironically many of the people making this claim are in his peer group. If we aren't to trust Shapiro's judgement due to his youth, why should we trust the judgment of an equally youthful liberal? There are some more legitimate criticisms of the book though, the first being lack of statistically valid arguments. In essence it is argued that Shapiro has no mathematical proof that because these were his experiences at college, that they apply when extrapolated to all other collegiate experiences. I would love to see statistical rigor in the book, but, unfortunately, I don't know how the study would be constructed to obtain this data. What the people who hide behind this argument ignore is that with the personal observations made, and the numerous other citations Shapiro has presented, his arguments are still very compelling, and raise legitimate questions about what is going on in American universities, particularly publicly-funded schools, which are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. Some of the issues Shapiro confronts in the book are (hopefully) not representative of most schools' teachings, but the fact that they exist anywhere is reprehensible. The worst offense in the book, in my opinion, is the discussion of professors (at least seemingly) endorsing pedophilia beginning on p. 62. Several professors are cited, but typical is Professor Harris Mirkin of the University of Missouri, who calls pedophilia "intergenerational sex," and claims that "children are the last bastion of the old sexual morality...there needs to be a more real, open discussion of pedophilia and adult-child sex, not just emotional reactions that call all such relationships 'evil.'" While assuredly outside the mainstream, the fact that this man (and his sympathizers) is on a university payroll is a travesty. Chapter 11, "Burning the Flag," is a must-read, and is probably the best chapter in the book. Disagreement with government policies is fundamental to democracy, but the traitorous venom spewed at many schools makes me question why they receive tax dollars. The chapter is replete with examples, but take as typical the quote on p. 101, from Professor Richard Berthold of the University of New Mexico, who, in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks said "Anyone who bombs the Pentagon has my vote," while University of Texas Professor Robert Johnson said that September 11th "was no more despicable than the massive acts of terrorism...that the US government has committed during [his] lifetime....My anger on this day is directed...at those who have held power in the United States and have engineered attacks on civilians every bit as tragic." I am fairly certain that Johnson never served in the armed forces, but speaking as a former US Air Force officer and pilot, the public has no idea how hard the US armed forces plan to mitigate civilian causalities, nor how much additional risk we ourselves take toward that end. The best illustration of the anti-US streak among "scholars" came on p. 102 from Professor Dana Cloud also of the University of Texas, who was quoted in the "Daily Texan" on July 11, 2001 as saying "It seems very strange to pledge loyalty to a scrap of cloth representing a corrupt nation that imposes its will, both economic and military around the world by force....I pledge allegiance to the people of Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan, and to their struggles to survive and resist." Of course the best known radical on campus, Noam Chomsky, who is by education a linguist, weighed in with "The United States claims that it has its reasons [for the War on Terror]...and the Nazis had reasons for gassing the Jews." (How exactly is a linguist qualified to comment on world affairs?) This is a strain that is oft repeated in academic and left-wing circles, that the US (under Bush, of course) is morally equivalent to Nazi Germany under Hitler, and that, evidently, the US deserved the September 11th attacks. Oh wait...did I say "evidently?" Scratch that: make it "explicitly," as Professor Walter Daum of City College of New York helpfully explains on p. 114: "The ultimate responsibility [for the attacks] lies with the rulers of this country, the capitalist ruling class of this country." At Columbia University Assistant Professor Nicholas De Genova told a crowd of students at a "teach-in" that "The only true heroes are those who find ways to help defeat the US military," and that he "personally would like to see a million Mogadishus (p. 130.)" Not only are some professors blaming the US, still others are openly requiring students to support their viewpoints. At Citrus College, for instance, Professor Rosalyn Kahn told her students to write anti-war letters to President Bush, specifically telling students that pro-war letters would not be accepted. Shapiro goes on to cite examples of professors who gave students assignments telling them to think about assassinating President Bush (Professor Michael Ballou of Santa Rosa Junior College was foolish enough to commit the assignment to writing in an e-mail to his students, which included the verbiage "kill the president," p. 129.) The FBI and Secret Service investigated and Ballou sanctimoniously hid behind the right to free speech. The school not only refused to fire him, the college President, Janet McCulloch, defended him saying that Ballou "has the right to say what he wants in the classroom," while Ballou himself explained that "I'm not going to take any flak from the 60 percent of American people who don't vote anyway. For them the President and the Presidency are already dead." This is something Shapiro excels at: exposing unacceptable behavior and ensuring that the self-righteous and smug professors are exposed for their true beliefs. While the book has some flaws, I have tried to cite representative cases of Shapiro's reporting, which collectively has enormous insight into the leftist groupthink that is passing for collegiate instruction in many classrooms throughout the country, particularly in the social "sciences." Shapiro details many more issues than I have raised here (all equally scandalous,) and I salute his fortitude at persevering as an openly conservative student at UCLA and in writing this book. It's a staple that when caught saying something outlandish liberals hide behind their right to free speech (like Michael Ballou,) while attempting to paint anyone who does not follow their doctrine as an uneducated, ignorant, bigot. It's a red herring, and I'm glad that Ben Shapiro called them on it.

Great purchase!

for one of his first books it was fairly well written, He did hurry through some areas and could have expanded on his thoughts in a few places but overall gives the reader a great look into what your children are really learning in college

Great read!

Ben Shapiro takes us through tactics, curricula and policies that are intended to fill the holes in our illiterate and I'll- of uneducated youth.

College is becoming a racket, and this will make any thinking person angry.

All of it true, Ben writes with facts and flair. A great synopsis of the current knucleheads on US campuses and how they are breeding fools.

It really just makes me sick how our education system is turning out. Shapiro does his best to uncover a lot of the indoctrination, but somehow I dont think many people will listen until its too late. Overall, its a great book and I really recommend it to anyone. I actually made copies of of the inside and cover, and plan on posting them all around campus. Thats sure to p*ss a few libs off!!

Mr. Shapiro has written one of the most inciteful book's on the subject of the Amercan education system. As I write this review, the Philadelphia eagles just won the Superbowl. As an example of their joy, they celebrated by trashing their city. This is a living example of the lack of respect,as well as the lack of true knowledge our youth is expected to be taught by our most prestigious universities, and their professors. The truth about loving your neighbor as yourself. Mr. Shapiro's book highlights the changes beginning with higher education that effect the mindset of modern day American youth. I highly recommend this book. I will be discussing it with my grand daughter, who will be entering college in about a year from now.

Really opens your eyes to the power the liberals have over universities and how they can minipulate young minds.

When a place of learning becomes a place of indoctrination...our society is in trouble. This book exposes a tragic situation within our educational system. Loaded with statistics and facts, as well as the author's first-hand experiences, this enlightening book is one to be consumed like a delicate tea...relax, sip, and absorb the richness. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It will frustrate you. It will infuriate you. And it will open your eyes.

Informative and truthful, what every high school student should read.

Mandatory Reading Schools are actually making this country dumber.

Insightful, well written. Every parent and future student needs to read this book!

Ben Shapiro is a brilliant writer. He can take a lot of interconnected information and lay it out laterally in a way that makes sense. I think political writers too often write their thoughts in circles, and he avoids that. Scary book though, his observations parallel my own experiences in high school and college. Very eye opening.

I Just got throught reading this book, and I will tell you, this is exactly the kind of lingo I hear throughout the schools, with professors spouting their own agendas, and when you have something worth saying that completely contradicts their teachings, they just antagonize me and any other students willing to challenge their beliefs. Anybody who challenges or second guesses this book, let me say, I could've written the same book because I too have seen exactly the same things. Finally a book that speaks the truth about our professors and universities.

This book is still on my pile of books to read but I do enjoy watching Mr. Shapiro on TV and on YouTube.

Great book! A lot of great information. Worth every penny.

Shapiro hits it on the nose in describing the leftist environment of far too many college campuses. Not much of this was a revelation but it was so well documented as to be compelling. Also, quite an effort for such a young (at the time) author. Well worth the read if you're sending a kid to college. You probably can't escape what Shapiro reports but at least you can understand what your child faces and be prepared to help them make some sense of it.

Finally! Somebody that feels my pain. I am a student and it has surprised me how ideologically subverted and completely bias the faculty is. Unfortunately, many of the students are all too willing to take a bite out of what the professors are serving. Some of the communist propaganda they push at my university is so blatant and surprising it should cause outrage, but doesn't. I am the only student that has ever protested against communism in the history of the university. Thanks Ben for helping me shore up my argument.

Well researched and to the heart of truth

GREAT book... parents and students of ALL political views should read this book. It will keep you or your child from being brainwashed by others ideologies and help you to understand how difficult it can be to associate with, and get the grades you deserve from FAR left colleges and their professors... Hopefully, you can come out on the other side virtually unscathed!!

Ben Shapiro is adept at "telling it like it is."

Its great worked as advertised.

This isn't as much Shapiro's opinion as it is facts. He makes a tight case: Don't send your teenager off to college without teaching her/him to think for her/himself.

Great

This book addresses the source of concern for most parents! It is thought provoking, interesting, informative, enlightening and frightening! It is a treasured addition to home libraries. I would recommend to anyone and everyone to read this book asap!

Great book! Required reading for all! Ben hits the nail on the head with regard to identifying how the liberalisation of the youth of today is occurring. Now more than ever the power of the left is equating to stupidity rather than logic in laws being passed and the destruction of country identities. 'Tolerance' at all costs rather than logic is yielding compromised safety for all citizenry.

As a college student at a college mentioned in this book, this was an amazing read!

Great book! Nice to read something different and refreshing as a college student.

I would say I am one of Shapiro’s target demographics: 26 yer old conservative millennial and I listen to his podcast constantly and think he is a fantastic speaker. This book however is something different. While the message of biases in universities is on point, the book reads poorly. It sounds like it was written by a 20 year old college student because..... it was. It is full of personal anecdotal stories without many facts to back it up. If I wanted to introduce conservatism to a 14 year old this might be a book for them.

the book seemed to be more of a summary than a statement. l failed to see a viable point other than examples of what professors are saying, writing and offering in their classes. we are all pretty aware of just how badly the Social Sciences are presented to students at every level of their education.

This book was very informative and I look forward to reading more books by Ben Shapiro.

Bigger baggot

Highest rating deserved for a well organized round up and revelation of tyranny and intolerance where they should be fought at any cost. Also praise for Shapiro's historical summary of the developement of the university system, right from the first professor,Socrates thru religious colleges to separation of church and state and finally to the classic liberal university which is under attack from within. Classic liberalism is being kicked out by radical leftism dressed up as liberalism. A special comment on chapter 10, "Zionist Pigs": It was shocking news that anti-Semitism is thriving at university. "Since September 11, anti-Semitism on campus has spun out of control", Shapiro says. It used to be the primery preserve of poorly educated right-wing populists. Having read ch.10 I was glad to see that americans are strong supporters of Israel, our democratic forepost surrounded by fanatic tyrannies.

Love it!!!

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Absolutely unreal what's happening at these universities. Students need to remember to make their own decisions and not take what leftist professors with an agenda tell them is fact.

Shapiro states the facts about the perversion of facts on college campuses that leads to the indoctrination of future citizens to something wholly un-American. A great read.

I agree with a lot of the other reviewers in that this is a good source of information and glimpse into today's college campuses. However, it's really just facts/scenarios being presented over and over and over again - there's not really anything wrong with that - but it gets repetitive and so this took me forever to finish reading.

I recently discovered Shapiro and bought this book (along with 2 others) because he is a straight shooter. After reading this book I was truly shocked at how much the US university system has gone downhill from its purpose. I saw some of it when I went to college and thought nothing of it. I understand how it can truly affect a young mind, when that person is straight out of high school. As Americans we need to reclaim the education system and end this indoctrination of the youth! We as a people look down on cults and liberalism is a cult! Any patriotic American who is concerned with our country's future should read this. Any parent who will be paying for their child's education should read this.

Refreshing, fantastic and unapologetic for writing the truth. Ben Shapiro is truly talented.

As a future college student, this book showed me a lot of what to expect on campus. He even proposed some long term solutions I think conservatives ought to pay attention to. Impressive first book!

Very information

The only diversity that should be of any concern at an institution of higher learning is intellectual diversity. "Cultural diversity" invariably corresponds to a rise in political uniformity crucial to promote an extreme ideological agenda. Academics don’t really want things diverse so that unacceptable factual perspectives are permitted a hearing on campus or the public square. Brainwashing students to embrace the anti-intellectual, anti-religion, anti-American "party line" uncritically is the primary, overriding goal of higher education today. There is no longer such a thing as a true "liberal arts" education to prepare youth to think and act based on the time-tested truths elucidated by Western Civilization.

...the book reads more like a sneering rant than a piece of intellectual literature. I respect Mr. Shapiro, and I agree with him on many issues, but I find the book wanting for real research. It is overwhelmingly anecdotal evidence and snapshot quotes from professors and academics of liberal bent. His commentary is less of solutions and more of simply mocking the previous liberal sentiments before moving on to the next anecdote. The organization of the book is poor and I found it to flow very coarsely. It was not a smooth read. Although I agree with Shapiro in principle, as a literary critique I must say that this book falls flat, I would not recommend this as reading, and unfortunately I do not know of any other titles on the subject that a reader could substitute in its place

Great read

Ben Shapiro is the kind of guy who's almost impossible not to like. He's smart, witty, and pop-culturally literate. I first learned about this book of his several years ago, but didn't order it and read it until last summer. Before then, I was an avid listener of his Seattle radio show, where I tuned in to his biting commentary on local and national politics. If you read this book looking to find that same fully-developed, well-honed, opinionated commentary on such an important issue as the state of the modern college campus, you may be dismayed. This book was written in Shapiro's younger years, way back in 2004, so it's a little dated. The principles he espouses and the facts he reports haven't lost their relevance, but you can tell that he still hasn't completely fleshed-out his writing voice. A lot of the paragraphs are quite short, often amount to a quote from a whacky college professor, maybe some further explanation, and then a quick editorial. I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't know that Ben Shapiro is a genuinely intelligent and articulate individual who is definitely capable of meatier, richer work. As it is, this book does offer some interesting insights into the world of the four-year university which are still applicable today, but it is still evidently a product of Shapiro's earlier years as a columnist. A nice, fun read, but it hasn't quite stood the test of time.

Bought this book believing it would provide arguments for my wife in favor of alternatives to a college education for my youngest son. Total waste of time and money. Instead this turned out to be one long uninterrupted Fox News like rant with little substance and a lot of opinions. Maybe Im naive but I thought a book supposedly about whats wrong with today's college curriculum would focus more on college and the not the authors left v. right politics.

Great read.

This book is really good. Ben Shapiro is a very intelligent conservative who hits the nail on the head with this book. Colleges across the U.S. Are brainwashing students to no end, and this book will tell you all about it. The liberal left has lost its mind. (which is why Trump won!) MAGA!

Good information. It reads like a research paper though. Maybe one day I'll get around to finishing it.

Xcellent

This book makes clear what should already be obvious, but isn't to many, that the liberal agenda did not just happen. It is deliberate and it weakens our nation and our people. In a word, it is evil.

Author points out numerous examples of PC thought control and thought manipulation in academia. However, he all too often resorts to ad hominem attacks instead of factual refutation. He has written better.

Great Book! Every student and educator should read it.

This has been going on for a long time. History is being re-written. Fundamentals have been changed, not for the better. The values of our AMERICAN culture are disinigrating and it appears that no one nows how to reverse it. People have come from all over the world to be a part of the AMERICAN culture and now People are wanting to change the culture to what they had before. Doesn't make sense. Probably why so many Americans are packing their bags and heading out the door. Sounds like the writings in ATLAS SHRUGGED and Ancient Rome are becoming a reality. Verry, Verry Sad.

"How Ben Shapiro indoctrinates people who have not been to college and don't plan to go."

In his title and subtitle Shapiro implies that he opposes indoctrination by universities. From the overleaf we expect an expose' of brainwashing and indoctrination. He breaks that promise on the first page of Chapter 1. It's not that Shapiro objects to universities indoctrinating youth, he's just mad because they don't indoctrinate them with his views. In chapter 1, Shapiro complains that universities are NOT teaching (his) moral absolutes. I purchased the book looking for information about how universities might be teaching one sided political agendas, and I agree with Shapiro's complaints about the overboard advocacy of racism, feminist sexism, gay/lesbianism, and other leftist political agendas. But the main point of this book is the lack of teaching of right wing moral values, not what is suggested by the title. Some of it is just poorly written. For example he cites a Google search as scholarly research. Some of it is Christian religious dogma; for example he claims that The Bible was written by one person, God. What about Mathew, Luke, Mark, and the others? Shapiro goes way beyond objecting to leftist one-sided teaching and demands one-sided right wing teaching. He argues that science classes ought to teach divine creation instead of evolution. He demands teaching of moral absolutes instead of telling the students that they have to find their own. The book is raging hypocrisy. He claims to expose indoctrination and brainwashing while criticizing universities for failing to indoctrinate and brainwash with his agenda. Overall it's a poorly written rant with confused objectives and a hard core right wing fundamentalist christian agenda.

Cringe. Ben, like most conservatives, just can't get over the fact that education itself opens up a person's mind, thus, making them more likely to lean liberal. They hate this fact so much they attempt to blame "university indoctrination" rather than accept their followers are just ignorant, uneducated people.

Americans need to know what our universities are NOT teaching: History, Western Civ, Great Lit, Great music, Philosophy -- in short, the greatness of our nation which is God.

It's a good summary, but it tells me stuff I already know. It's also a little dated, copyrighted in the early 2000's. The book only cost 47 cents, so at that price, it was a good find. Worth reading if you're not up on all the Marxism in today's campuses.

It was a gift for someone - but as far as I know he loved it!

There are indeed elements within academia that have a regressive and authoritative agenda. These elements can be found peppered throughout the many disciplines of a university, but tend to gather in woman's and gender studies programs or "critical lens" theories within philosophy or sociology departments. It should also be noted that it is also a staff issue and not just a problem of faculty gone awry. However, the issue isn't nearly as systemic and invasive as Ben Shapiro presents it. I wish that was all there was to this collection of diary entries masquerading as a book. It should have been Brainwashed: How Religion Indoctrinates Youth. A missed chance I suppose. Ben Shapiro is quick to jump to the "facts not feelings" assertion he clumsily presents, but as soon as science doesn't support his position, instead of accepting and adapting his belief to the science, he doubles down with a level of hypocrisy that is both hilariously funny and incredibly sad. Above all else, Shapiro is a creature driven by his lust for powerful "gotcha" moments but is truthfully an absolute intellectual coward and a fraud. He's like the baby version of Dennis Prager. Skip this book and buy a couple of extra rolls of double-ply toilet paper; they'd be more useful. Maybe take a philosophy or psychology class at your local community college instead. Stay in school kids.

If I could give this 0 stars, I would. I don't know where to begin: the many published studies demonstrating the falseness of the entire premise of this is probably the best spot. I imagine people that are tremendously fans of both Alex Jones and deities will enjoy the book: most people enjoy reading things that reaffirm what they believe. But for the educated AND intelligent, this is a boring and false book.

Let me first start that I agree with the premise of the book. The university education system has indeed become infected with a particularly virulent strand of leftism/liberalism that is going to be hard to develop an antidote or treatment for, let alone a cure. We see this borne out today (2016) with professors wanting to prosecute anything and everything challenging their dogma as "a hate crime" or where any criticism or differing point of view becomes something worthy of sending a student to a "student tribunal" for. What a joke. So why two stars? The book itself is horribly written and reads more like a diary or journal of Mr. Shapiro's personal experiences with one specific university out of thousands (UCLA), his dealings with a handful of professors he happened to have, and during his specific time attending university (presumably in the very late 90's and early 2000's). I also take umbrage with Mr. Shapiro's blind support of the zionist/Israeli point of view, he offers no rationale for supporting such a cause other than it happens to be a typical right-wing talking point (and I personally am quite far to the right). Unfortunately Mr. Shapiro has, in rejecting the ultra-leftist point of view, has made himself susceptible to, and absorbed, the ultra-neocon point of view. The worst part about this is that his views on Israel/Zionism/Jews in general seem to be oddly injected into every other page at fairly inopportune times. One has to wonder if this itself is not also a piece of propaganda. So......who's BRAINWASHED? Turns out that Ben Shapiro is just another brainwashed Israel supporter who reiterates the same exhausting mantras that are repeated over and over again in US media channels as to why ordinary Americans should support this Apartheid state and sponsor of real terrorism against not only people throughout the middle east, but also against Westerners. Pros: The main premise of the book is solid and could be expounded upon and refined by other, far better, authors who would be interested in taking up the charge. Cons: Poorly written, fairly low level of diction, random inserts of pro-Israel propaganda, little to virtually no organization (use an outline, please). The most surprising aspect of this book however: that it was published in 2004. In that regard it has foreshadowed the even deeper and more entrenched aspects of leftism as well as the simultaneous 'sissification' and radicalization of faux-outrage by universities in general (in 2016 parlance this translates to "safe spaces", "micro-aggressions", and "cultural-appropriation" run amok).

This book was published in audio format August 8th 2017, but it was first published May 6th 2004 in book form. It's obviously before Obama, before Trump, and before a whole lot of other events happened so this is definitely not up to date, but it is not outdated either. I'm sure what he talks about here, from first hand experience, has only gotten worse. I would LOVE a part 2, updated version with the same topics covered. A few points I should mention as to why I chose to "listen" to this book: *I don't normally read this genre, but I occasionally listen to Ben Shapiro's podcast, and I have a lot of respect for him and his views. *I graduated high school in 2004, but I went on to a private college not a big university so I don't feel like I had any experience with the situations he did while attending a highly accredited university. Having said that, I do know people who went on to universities and I feel like they changed after that experience. *I have children, a couple in a double digit age group that will be adults in just a handful of years. I want to know what they are growing up into and what their educational and career choice and struggles will be. *With current governmental and society climates (direction, situations- insert what you will), I am trying to understand where we as a society went wrong. *I want knowledge that can help me raise children that won't be susceptible to the "brainwashing" I have seen occurring in front of my own eyes before reading this book. Back to my review.... Ben is an amazing writer. He has this way of connecting and laying it out in (for lack of a better word) laymen terms. I feel intimidated by the wealth of knowledge and understanding Ben has, but that is what he has dedicated his life too already. I have much respect for Ben and what he does, as well as sharing that knowledge with us. The narrator for book was great. He captured the essence of Ben and put feeling behind his words without talking too fast (as anyone who listens to Ben may be familiar with). This book is EYE OPENING! I know brainwashing happens, you know it too. I had a Social Science teacher in High School that was very politically left and we all knew it. Had the small rural town I lived in not been a little more conservative leaning then he may have had more of a foothold then he actually did. He also didn't last long as a teacher there before he moved on to a bigger city to teach where he would be more accepted. I highly recommend reading/listening to this book. If you are about to start college, if you child is coming up on college age, or oven if you are like me and what want to know what the heck is going on in the world. I think this is a good start. I look forward to reading more in this genre. Thank you Ben for writing an excellent eye opening book.

I really enjoy Ben Shapiro. He is intelligent and quick witted but this book could have been much more. Thus 3.5 stars. First the cons: 1) Ben selects quotes that fit his narrative to create an idea that all universities have a staff of libtards whose mission is to turn our youth against the United States. Are many of the best colleges overrun by liberal professors- you betcha. And Ben does a great job of highlighting this. However, he uses the most extreme examples and at times takes their words out of context. What I will give him credit for (and its scary to think) is that some of the examples are from his personal experience- should give anyone pause. 2) Ben also makes a couple statements regarding the Bible and religion that are wrong. He is well versed in Christian-Judeo values but was slightly off in a couple of his examples. The good news is those statements have little relevance to the bigger message he is trying to convey. In his later book, The Right Side of History, he fine tunes his Judeo-Christian message much better to make his point. 3) Environment- this is where I have a problem with this book. He goes off on a tangent in a subject he apparently has little knowledge of. I relate that to his being 100% conservative Republican and would not support any subject that tends to be backed by a majority of Democrats. Towing a party line is a real problem in our country. You can be a fan of the POTUS, yet challenge or questions his words and actions. This is unfortunate as I am a conservative but recognize the implication of denying we can do a better job in conservation and the environment without spending more. He fails to recognizing the emerging markets of renewables and holds onto the dying market of fossil fuels. He also makes statements and give numbers that are outright false or misleading. I don’t believe he did this intentionally, I just think he failed to do his research and study the subject without bias (something he claims to endorse at the end of the book). 4) Criticizes labor unions as all labor unions are the same. He relates this to “professors” having an “incestuous” relationship with labor unions. Grouping all unions together, is like saying that all predatorial animals should be hunted because they are capable of killing people. Is their corruption (past and present) in the Teamsters and AFL-CIO? Sure? Is there corruption in Congress? Most (as far as I am aware of) labor unions do not throw money at schools to promote their union. Ben fails to provide any information of what labor unions have, and continue to bring to our workforce, quality of service, ad safety standards. He only cites unions for what he thinks is going on and that early union movements have been associated with Socialism. My experience with unions is that members tend to be a 60/40 mix of Dem votes to Republican and that is because about 80% of elected officials who are pro-union are Democrats. If more Republicans supported unions, you would see membership at a 50/50 mix. Pros: 1) Does a great job in highlighting the liberal bias in most of our facilities of higher learning. He gives numerous examples of political correctness and censorship of those who express conservative views. He uses a great personal example of his dealing with the school newspaper and his being “fired” for going on a public talk show to expose what is happening in his school. 2) He lays out a convincing case for the very controversial issue of our War on Terror and the invasion of Iraq. You can disagree on our Iraq invasion but was it truly GW Bush’s fault? Ben provides statistics and evidence of America’s support for and our mission to invade. I am an Iraq war veteran and can tell you from first-hand experience and eye witness account regarding Saddam Hussein, anyone would of believed he had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) based on what he DID have, and what he was doing to his people. Later, we find out how we, and the rest of the world, were duped into thinking he had more than what he really had. Ben does not go into this detail (I doubt it is something he knows of) but lays out other details that support Bush’s actions. Ben provides numerous examples of how professors have opposed the war and use a no-holds-barred approach to indoctrinated students to feel the same. Whether or not you are opposed to our actions and foreign policy, you would (should) not want anyone to impose a one-sided view without intelligent discussion. This apparently was/is not the case with many professors. 3) Lists names and schools in his examples on various topics where professors are using tactics that most of us may not be aware of. Makes looking up these professors online much easier and to verify their position on a variety of controversial topics. 4) Highlights many of the perverse subjects being taught in our schools using public funding while anything deemed as moral or aligned with Christian or Jewish values is squashed. 5) In the final chapter, he makes some great recommendations to open the door to a more moderate mix of education and courses that encourages actual diverse thought and discussion. He also explains why US News and World Report’s ranking of schools is skewed and what they should do to better reflect on the education system of higher learning. Bottom line: I recommend this book but as with any topic, be prepared to read between the lines. And do not shut out his view of higher education as a right-wing conservative; he makes many valid points that NEED to be exposed for what they are in our education system- Dangerous. If not for his lack of understanding of the subject of the environment, and a few misleading statements, I would give this book 5 stars. But I cut him slack, this is his first book in a series that has gotten better in writing style and accuracy.

It is clear that in his book he has a theological agenda. Mr Shapiro wants to teach creationism and intelligent design as equal as evolution which is ridiculous.

I decided to sit down and read all of Ben's books. I have a political science bachelors degree so i felt i would be able to judge if his claims held any water. I was aware of his reputation but wanted to give it a try. But all his books are right wing propaganda with a disguise of intelligence. All while being misogynies, homophobic and bluntly raciest. All his books are just a way to cash out on conservatives and hold no actual reason to read.

Intellectually insincere book. Every Conservative has at the base a fundamental assumption that a GOD exists. This is, of course, an unproven assumption and therefore their arguments fall apart. Better arguments can be made without religion based on Natural law. Remember proving that evolution wrong does not imply in any way whatsoever that creationism is true. Creationism and its slimy cousin, intelligent design, can never ever be proven scientifically. Keep religion out of science.

Ben is one of the best commentators out there. Always right on target, with solidly reasoned arguments that make sense- and work. His detractors can't argue with him, because they have no arguments, beyond strong emotions, so they call him names. German universities in the 1930's were not much different from todays. They are producing the same kind of unthinking robots.

75% of the book is filled with quotes from other professors, while the other 25% is pulling together a loose narrative and firing back with one-liners.

But now I’m republican. Students are brainwashed into what? Global warming is real? Yeah science has conspired to tell us the fake news of climate change

This book was written in 2004 when Ben Shapiro was twenty years old, so it is a bit dated. However, the argument remains the same as we see evidence every day of eminent statesmen and women invited to speak at college graduations and then being denied because they happen to have a point of view that differs from the liberal academics and student body. When they do come on campus they are booed and harassed as in the case of the NY city police commissioner who came to Brown University and had to be escorted off the stage. What it boils down to is that unless one has the same point of view as the professorship of these colleges and universities, one is derided, condemned, and dismissed. It was in this atmosphere that young Ben, a prodigy of 16 entered UCLA. He gives countless examples of how he stood up to and questioned professors and challenged other students and in the final chapter urges other young people to "think for themselves" and explore all the facts before caving in to the opinions of their instructors. The book talks of the many aspects of college life where the academic community and student body dictates political correctness on campus. One example is the affirmative action challenge. Ben writes, "In California, affirmative action is banned by Proposition 209, which prohibits the use of race or gender preferences in state hiring or admissions. That referendum passed easily, with 54% of the public vote. However, that doesn't stop the universities from attempting to "increase diversity" in different ways." He then goes on to describe how a UCLA education professor wanted the admission policy to take into account "life challenges." All applicants were awarded "extra credit for surmounting a wide range of personal, family, or psychological obstacles----what UCLA calls "life challenges." In the Fall of 2002, 191 students with SAT scores between 1500 and 1600 were rejected from UCLA as well as 1455 students with scores between 1400 and 1500 and 7609 with scores between 1200 and 1300. Instead lower scoring applicants took up those slots. What were their scores? Seven students admitted had scores of 700-800, 412 students had scores of between 900 and 1000, 762 students had scores between 1100 and 1200. Another example he gives is the reaction on campuses after the terrible tragedy of 9/11. From many professors, the comments ranged from "don't blame Islam", "it's all our fault", and "three cheers for Osama!" One professor even proclaimed, "Anyone who bombs the Pentagon has my vote." There was very little sympathy or compassion for the thousands of innocent people who happened to be on the planes, the Pentagon, or in the twin towers that day. There are other countless quotes from professors from nearly all the most eminent universities, and they are definitely eye opening to those that aren't aware. It's not a surprise if one watches the news channels because much of the opinions are often from people from academia. Most of us are familiar with Larry Sabato from UVA who often gives his views on upcoming elections. His, for the most part are fairly objective and backed by historical facts. What I found somewhat disappointing about this book is that while Ben Shapiro backs up his premises with facts, he often is very subjective and emotional in his responses to many of these academics. There are a few pages devoted to teaching of Creationism vs. Evolution and he tries to make the case that schools should be allowed to teach Creationism. While I applaud his views of freedom of speech and allowing states to form their own curriculums it also remains that we must teach our children facts of science. While Creationism could be taught as part of the historical aspect of how the world began, we must still use the scientific method to determine just how old the Earth is and how nature evolved. What I do admire about Ben Shapiro are his convictions, his quest for the truth, and his forthrightness in challenging those that think they have all the right answers to the world's problems. There is an old saying "those who can do, those who can't teach."

This book is a chance to look in the mind of a growing power in the conservative movement. I feel like this reveals the true intent of the Alt Right. Ultra Orthodox Jews want an apartheid Israel, no compromise, so they take up the cause of fascists in the US. I wish they would just give up on the temple and compromise for peace.

It appalls me that there are still people out there who deny the Cultural Marxism, anti-americanism and left wing indoctrination occurring on today's college campuses. Ask any collegian why ACLU members teach their classes. Or why anti-Israel hatemongers get department chairs while military history is pushed aside. Thank goodness for folks like Shapiro and sites like Students for Academic Freedom. No one is asking for a conservative slant (though pro-american might be ok), bur rather a balance. Thankfully, as students mature, leave college, get real jobs, raise families, etc (unlike profs who never grow up), they move right. But still, to talk to a collegian today, especially one at the so-called "elite" schools is an exercise in futility. They laud Che Guevera, accept rogue Muslim readers (see the Ivy League schmucks at Columbia last month) and blame America for being sexist and bigoted. What's wrong here? These days, college makes tou dumber. No doubt. I read Shapiro's book three years ago while I was teaching 5th grade. I saw a lot of this in that school too. Is that not scary? It's bad enough what Ben saw at UCLA, but in the public schools for ten year olds? They don't need to be told that President Bush hates blacks or that Columbus was a murderer, do they? Their petulant, angry teachers think so. Wake up, America!

Shapiro is dead on. When I asked my niece about the introductory econ class she had taken at Barnard last year, she responded that it was mostly econ theory and then rattled off the names of the most prominent proponents of socialism. When I asked if she'd also studied Friedmen or Hayek, she said she'd never heard those names. Shapiro is so right. Too many colleges are in the business of herding sheep rather than creating thinkers, because thinkers are more likely to challenge the status quo and pull the plug on the power the liberal establishment has gained. But, I can go back to when I was a freshman in college in the 70s. I wrote an English essay in support of a particular candidate who was apparently the wrong one in my teacher's eyes. I got an A for my writing, and a C for the content - never mind that my Republican candidate eventually won (by a landslide). One one-star reviewer noted that students entering college are already liberal and so are not brainwashed in college. I agree with that reviewer. Since my son's high school uses Howard Zinn's History of the American People as the text for its AP US History class, I am painfully aware that the indoctrination begins much sooner than college. Fortunately, I'm a parent who bothers to know what textbooks are being used and can engage my son in discussions that allow him to see that there are two sides to consider on any issue. I will, however, suggest that he should tilt his college application essay to the left because I want him to have the best chance of getting into college in the first place. From there, he will hopefully read this book and then remain open-minded enough to challenge the liberal establishment and leftist totalitarianism that sadly exists on almost every college campus.

"What Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth With" would be a better subtitle for "Brainwashed" than "How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth," since Ben Shapiro spends most of the book quoting professors to prove their liberal bias in various areas (chapters cover the beliefs of professors in regards to affirmative action, environmentalism, Israel, terrorism, immorality, etc.). I would have learned more had he emphasized how students are influenced rather than the types of influences, but he has done well considering his purpose. Shapiro spends an appropriate amount of time discussing each subject he has chosen to cover, and he keeps his writing moving. No one should become bored reading his book. "Brainwashed" is probably not a book liberals will want to read (all the way through, at any rate) because of some of the sharper comments (often warranted) the author injects between the quotes that make up the bulk of the book. As an non-interventionist conservative, I was very offended by chapter 9, "Teaching for Saddam," which covers campus reactions to the Iraq War. Some of Shapiro's harsh reaction is justified: who wouldn't be disgusted by a professor that refused to condemn a sign saying "We Support Our Troops When They Shoot Their Officers"? But Shapiro's disregard for the concern of various professors that the Iraq War is incompatible with just war theory shows a serious lack of consideration on his part. In chapter 1 of the book Shapiro shows disgust that Stanford professor Paul Ehrlich equates of the Holocaust with the dropping of the A-bomb on Japan. "To compare the slaughter of six million innocents with a military action that saved hundreds of thousands of American and Japanese lives is reprehensible," he writes. Shapiro is correct that Ehrlich's statement was unfair, but the dropping of the A-bomb on civilians was a war crime and violates the just war theory he disregards in chapter 9. While Hiroshima was no Holocaust, neither is it excuseable. However, Shapiro gives the impression that he believes the American military can do no wrong, even in the dropping of the A-bomb. Aside from those (serious) objections, as well as his unbalanced discussion of black dialect, "Brainwashed" is generally good. The best parts of the book, in my opinion, are recountings of Shapiro's own college experiences. His liberal professors must have been at their wit's end.

As a second year college student, I feel that this book overall gave a good implication of the "liberalization" of our college campuses. Although I haven't nearly come in contact with the amount of college liberalization that the author has, I see that friends that I have at other colleges have. I have only one instance where a teacher that I had was blatantly far left. It was a beginning college English course, and my professor one class told us that she was a socialist. I was one of the only people in the class that debated with her (that's mostly all we did), and she later said that she appreciated that. However during the class itself she told us such things as why socialist countries are better than us, why she doesn't celebrate the 4th of July, and why the founding fathers were liars and hypocrites. She even went as far (I think) as to call Abraham Lincoln our "very racist great leader." Although I didn't find myself personally swayed by what my professor said, I'm afraid other students in the class may have been. As to the book, it was a good expose of college liberalization. I feel that the book would be eye opening for those to whom this subject is brand new. However, I have a few complaints with the book. First, the book is entirely statistics, with generally a sentence or two by each statistic of the author's commentary. The amount of research done on this book was huge. Statistics aren't bad, but I feel the argument of the book would have been stronger with more non-statistical information (and not more commentary). I don't want an opinion piece. Such as, how was university teaching in the past, why is it so liberalized today (and that liberals at college campuses are far higher than the national average), what we can do about this, etc. All these questions are left for the reader to decide. By the middle of the book I was already getting tired of the constant statistics. By then I already understood that the liberalization was going on and how they were doing it. Still though, half of the book remained of yet more statistics. Second, although this book is about bias on college campuses, this book is not without bias itself. In various places, "Brainwashed" chastises CNN for being a biased news network, and then holds up Fox news as a model. Also, the author denies the science behind such things as global climate change (which seemingly only the far right consistently refutes). The science behind global climate change is clear, but it seems the author refuses to believe it's true simply because a professor said so. The author holds the view that if protecting the environment costs money (and therefore jobs), don't do it. I can't agree with this at all. Although there is a lot of liberalization at our college campuses, everything that comes out of a professor's mouth isn't necessarily a lie. Finally, like I said before, I think this book would have been much more effective if it said how we got here (not really mentioned), then stated where we're at with all of those statistics, and then to end with what we can do about this situation (also not mentioned). As a conservative I agree with much of what the author had to say (in his abundant commentary), but certainly not everything. Eye opening yes, but ultimately the book provided no real solutions. Other than, at having finished the book, the thought in you're head "well, now I know."

I admire Mr. Shapiro for writing a book about the slant in our educational system. From my own experiences with professors years ago, I can sympathize (although I was far more liberal when I was in college, so it did not bother me at the time). I agree with the macro in much of what Shapiro writes. The problem? The slant is so far to the right that the author often takes obvious leaps in logic. While these leaps may be acceptable to his core audience, I find any logical fallacy annoying, even when I would generally agree with the author's premise (as I do in this case). In many instances, the book weighs in as pure propaganda due to the extreme slant and lack of evidence to back up his claims. I cannot say that this book is horrible (2 stars, after all, means less than average, not "it is dreck"). If you agree with the point of view and do not mind a heavy slant, you will enjoy the points he makes. I, myself, prefer Freefall of the American University, but Ben Shapiro's writing style is not as "scholarly", which makes it a more enjoyable read. At times, it is as easy to read as a novel. If you disagree with the premise, however, Shapiro might feel like a slightly less vitriolic Coulter. For the record, I am a Conservative and generally agree with the direction Mr. Shapiro has taken; I do not, however, concur with the leaps in logic. I feel the points Ben makes can be made without appeals to emotion.

Academia is nothing less than a jihad training system. Socialists have no right to pretend like they don't know how domestic terrorists got radicalized when jihad against America IS the curriculum. This book points out how teachers and administrators use group think and any means necessary bullying and Allinsky tactics to shut down critical thought and any ideas or students who dare to oppose the strict regiment of brainwashing socialist party rhetoric. It also explains how the mental midget sheeple heads full of mush young people conform to the socialist ideal and get suckered into enslaving themselves to the point that they will use violence to demand it. The dumbest people in our society are college educated. As a young person who is a victim of the brainwashing efforts of academia, I relate well to the subject of this text.

As a conservative, I do agree with many of Mr. Shapiro's positions on a lot of issues, and I do believe he is correct in stating that many campuses across the country are dominated by left-wing ideology: the professors, the administrations of these colleges, and the student bodies themselves. However, this book did disappoint me. Mr. Shapiro gives plenty of examples and cites them all, and I believe he is probably telling the truth in all of the examples he gives (even personal ones); however, he cannot help but add his own two cents to the end of probably every single example of liberalism he gives. It's not that the man shouldn't express his opinions---it just gets a little annoying after a few pages or so with the manner in which he does it. I think I would be able to take this book more seriously if Mr. Shapiro didn't add his cutesy and sometimes caustic quips at the end of each section. It takes a lot for someone to learn that it's more effective to debate with someone without being rude or sarcastic. But he's young, so...that's what you get. If that won't annoy you, buy the book (it doesn't cost that much), but you could just as easily read other books that argue the same things he does, and hopefully in a more mature fashion.

What is truth? A perspective. It's often biased based on conditioning, religion and world views. It's most often fear based and distorted to those biases and perspective. Find your own truth and be open and willing to look at both sides.

Kind of repetitive, kind of juvenile. But gets across an important message: college campuses are no longer the realm of freethinkers and that needs to change.

He speaks the truth mainstream media, and liberal ignore because it doesn't fit thief warped view. A must for your children going into freshman year, to cope with the intolerance, lies and false beliefs of the left.

This book is five stars. The trouble is the leftists will only give the book a star and say it's the worst thing in the world. However, I've been there at the colleges. At Ferris State University I've seen pure socialism taught by a professor. She actually advocated that all children, when they reach the age of 5 years old, be taken from their parents and put into state schools for proper education. When I argued against this the end result was this poster was asked to leave the Teachers College of Ferris State University. There should be signs posted on all state funded universities: Abandon Hope all ye who enter here. The bad thing is this book is true. Christians, traditional families, American patriots, and capitalists are not welcomed at American universities. God curse the college students of the 1960s. All the teaching colleges should be disbanded. Why? They teach sedition and engage in treasonous activations. This is a good book. The trouble is the leftists hate the truth. Traditional America already knows the problems. However, not all is lost. Because state schools now charge so much money for education parents can send their kids to private schools that all believe in the USA, traditional families, and the church. Why give money to the devil? Do not support University education in America.

It's obvious from the beginning that not a lot of research went into this, and it's just an opportunity for the author to boost his own profile through lies. Sorely disappointed.

For many new students from conservative homes, college can be an unbelievably bizarre place. Simply, college can be a new level of liberal. Ben Shapiro, presently closing in on his twenty-first birthday, was sixteen when he first entered college at Berkeley. He was a conservative young student from a devoutly religious Jewish family. Four years later, he is the youngest syndicated columnist and the author of "Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth." You can tell by reading the book that Shapiro was shocked at every turn in his four years at Berkeley. Personally, I can't blame him. College is shockingly liberal. Among the many stats that Shapiro quotes in his book, one is most telling. Nine percent of Professors voted for Bush in 2000. That's across the board. University professors are liberal, and if they aren't liberal, they're communist. Dealing with the incredible control the left has in universities both public and private is the purpose Ben Shapiro has given himself with this book. For the first hundred pages, Shapiro uses lots of documented cases of professors' irrational hatred of the United States. Professors' views are given lots of coverage, at times, the book is quite dull because he's just listing the names of professors that signed some stupid peace document or protested some Israeli self-defense measure. It gets a little tedious, and he never actually challenges or refutes the professors' positions. He assumes that common sense people know these professors' assertions are wrong. After all that, Shapiro then gives a short chapter on what can be done to weaken the leftist control of American institutions of higher learning. Though his answer to the problems are most likely off, and Shapiro doesn't spend any time refuting arguments, this book is a good read for a few reasons. First, it's strong documentation of just how liberal professors across the country truly are. Second, there are some interesting anecdotes from Ben Shapiro's own college experience that makes some of the incidents one might encounter a little less shocking. And thirdly, it's another book that is putting the spotlight on American colleges and is one of the first trying to answer the question, "what is a conservative to do in college?" Sure, Mr. Shapiro is quite young, and his writing reflects that. Some of his conclusions are naïve. However, this is a must read for conservative parents or students.

To all the reactionaries who gave critical reviews to "Brainwashed": 1) Shut Up! 2) Your review earns an "F." 3) You need to be re-educated, and explicitly show that you respect Shapiro's value system and his plea for diversity. Just kidding! :-) But how does it feel? :-). I have just one quick point. In "Brainwashed," Shapiro notes that professors consider the New York Times, LA Times, etc. "mainstream" rather than liberal. My experience as a student was that professors considered the NY Times too *conservative.* For research projects, we were told to compare coverage of NY Times, LA Times, Time, Newsweek, etc. to left wing journals -- to see (and write) how conservative the "so called mainstream press" is. When some students asked if we could compare the NY Times to conservative journals (National Review, etc.), we were told no... because "there is almost no difference." The difference, it was said, "is just a matter of degree... their philosophies and framing are the same.... NY Times says we should spend X on defense, and National Review says we should spend X + 5%." Pity the poor student who quotes the NY Times without explicitly challenging their "adherance to the status quo." And forty lashes and re-education to the student who references conservative journals. My suggestion: Read National Review, but keep it a secret... keep a copy of The Nation, put National Review *inside* of it, and read away.... Indiscreet "fronting" with The Nation cover may even raise your grades!! Well, hang in there folks!

I really wanted to like this book, but wasn't fully convinced the author has the maturity yet to attack this issue adequately. However, he does have the knowledge base as a recent student - on the front-lines in this ideological war. He makes plenty of valid points and I am really worried about my son having to put up with these bozo professors in a few years. Web-based learning seems more appealing after reading about this author's experiences. My only complaint is that Ben Shapiro makes a few immature comments, which showed his age. For the price, it's worth it.

I have nearly finished Shapiro's book and the most striking thing about it is the ease with which he shows American university professors to be fools, by using their own words. I teach at a public university in Canada, where all universities are public universities, and most university faculty have socialist tendancies, so I have some sense of the difficulties that conservative thinkers face in the academic community. While Shapiro may have put forward some of the most blantant examples of professor bias, his basic thesis is valid. There is not much diversity of thought at universities. If there is a major flaw in Shapiro's argument it is that he should draw a distinction between professors who make controversial statements about issues that fall within their area of competence and those who do not. For example, a professor who holds a Ph.D. in economics may have a legitimate basis to question the "fairness" or "effectiveness" of President Bush's capital gains tax cut program, even though he/she is still bringing bias into the class. On the other hand, the opinions of a professor with a Ph.d. in english are no more relevent on these questions than the opinions of a plumber, an astronaut or Barry Bonds. I suspect that most of the professors cited by Shaprio are really speaking well outside their area of competence. Thus, they are not only biased, but ignorant.

I usually choose the books I wish to read based on the Amazon reviews. This one I could not resist. I trolled through it at Barnes and Noble and read half of it in an afternoon. I had to buy it and finish it. Well I finised last night and debated whether to think about it for day or go ahead and review. No need to re-hash the premise here but author Shapiro makes a powerful case that todays college students are basically brainwashed by todays liberal professors. He uses plenty of examples, but I suppose we as the reader must assume that these are representative samples. It been a long time simce I attended school at yes folks - Berkeley. From my experience there as well as a few other encounters I find mysefl having to agree with the author. Of course as long as use the "new" definition of "liberal". These days liberals are considered communists, socialists and/or fascists. I agree with one reviewer in that I think the colleges are not liberal enough - using the the classical definition of "liberal" - that is based on the root word of "liberty" and that students and professors should have the "Liberty" to freely discuss and explore in any direction. I agree with the author that this is just the opposite of the current situation at most universities. The ones I have had dealings with are probably the most repressive institutions this side of the old Soviet Union re-education camps. Free discussion of the issues is all but prohibited at most of todays universities and our society os the poorer for it. Dissention is generally shouted down buy mindless chanting such as seen one time whwn John Stossel wanted to interview some students about "date rape". Questions were prohibited and Stossel was shouted down by a mob of screaming students chanting the same slogan over and over. I was embarassed and ashamed that foreigners may have been watching the show and wondering what hell we are doing - or worse not wondering. Intelligent speakers such as Thomas Sowell have experienced the same thing as have others who dare depart from the PC party line. It is no mystery why our society is in decline if this is state of higher education today. This is an important book and should be read by every parent with children close to college age. Todays college students are generally unprepared for the world and this inability to reason for themselves is a big part of the problem. No wonder that the number of foreign educated scientists and engineers is syrocketing. The leftists ( as opposed to the classical liberals such as myself ) have destroyed higher education in this country and failed in their misison to educate the next generation. If anyone is in doubt about Shapiros contentions, merely have a conversation with a non-techical college student. Ask a question - get a slogan. Many are like the little dolls with the string and ring and a little record inside. This is sad state of affairs and chronicled in a pointed and important book by Shapiro. I highly recommend this book. I wish he had used few more examples since his critics have used that to say his data is not representative. I give this one 4 1/2 stars, round it off to 5 for the Ivy League graduates incapable of understanding fractions - haha just kidding. This book is interesting and refreshingly honest. All should enjoy Shapiros wit and his pointed observations. Good work Ben. Highly recommended.

I think there is an epidemic of "reviews" by reviewers who have not read the book they are reviewing. Shapiro does recite a lot of examples that are impossible to explain by the reviewers who still have no idea what this book contains. I have been to several colleges like the several others here. While my initial crticism of Shapiro is his limited sampling of colleges, at least they are representative of his own experiences. There are plenty who le disagree with the author and I commend the "single star" reviewers who took the time to debate the book. It is certainly more then you will every see in one of todays universities. Debate is prohibited or at least tightly controlled. I have seen debate points scripted by the professor and vetted by the administration. I have also seen people "assigned: debating points based on "what we expect you to think". I do have to laugh and wonder how a person that contends that - "they question every belief, every preconceived notion. To openly confront you with a situation you'd never before been face-to-face ..." - can explain campus "speech codes". How does one reconcile - " argue with your conservative beliefs and try to sway you to theirs, it's to help you either better defend and know your position ..." - with the censorship of The Daily Barometer at the University of Oregon and the firing of the columnist David Willimans who dared to "question preconcieved notions." The most interesting thing I have noticed here is the the negative reviewers have not in a single instance attempted to refute or explain a single example cited by Shapiro. I wonder why?

just bad

I found Ben’s perspective and opinions insightful.

'Brainwashed' is young Ben Shapiro's first book, and it shows. We have a sharp kid here, reasonably well read for an undergraduate student of a public school. I've spent so much time in university environments (nearly half my life) that I claim a little more experience than Ben has swimming with the sharks. Shapiro shows an astuteness by identifying the source of the 'brainwashing' as he sees it on the modern college campus: moral relativism. Whether he is right or not depends entirely on the existence of God and the universality of the commandments. If the ten commandments come from a real creator God, then the moral relativism from which all leftist thought flows falls like a house of cards. And vice versa. The challenge from the Right is to prove God does NOT exist, since the challenge from the Left to prove his existence has been out there for a long time. Call books like Shapiro's a counterrevolution. After centuries of breakdown of the old moral regime, a huge proportion of the populace looks around at the new, Left-dominated culture and sees an increase in human suffering and a decrease in love and regard for one's fellow human beings that flows from the thesis that there is nothing but the here and now. They see an increase in thoughtless, rude behavior and dishonesty, a callous disregard for the life of any besides the self (especially if the one being disregarded is a child, born or unborn) and like Shapiro they are alarmed at the coarsening and animalizing of humankind that occurs when he forgets to aim for the transcendent and wallows with the beasts instead. I generally agree with Shapiro. But I'll go further: every place that has embraced the Judeo-Christian morality has seen an increase in human freedom, an increased regard for women and children, greater respect for the property and rights of others, and a less violent way of life. Every place that has discarded the Judeo-Christian way of life has seen increases in poverty, violence, crudeness and corruption. Does this mean Christianity and Judaism are free of corruption? Just the opposite: they acknowledge the existence of (and man's susceptibility to) evil, identify it generally accurately and provide tools to fight it. That is why, when the rise of the printing press allowed more and more general literacy and people began to read the Bible for themselves, a reformation, renaissance and enlightenment followed in rapid succession. As our nation slips back into ignorance of spiritual realities, helpfully pushed into such a sorry state by the education cartel, we will see the most free and prosperous nation in the history of mankind dry up and blow away, to be replaced by another Eurosocialist nightmare. And it's a shame, because Europe is finding out every day that its very premise is a dead end. If we want to follow the rest of the world off the cliff, then I guess we will. But voices like Shapiro's hint that perhaps, as the rebellion spreads, there is hope for our nation as a shining city on a hill for future generations as well as past. I think the worst of the leftists are hitting retirement age. As the baby boom generation ceases to weild decision-making power and becomes just one huge medical and social security nightmare for the rest of us, the revolt will pick up steam. When you realize, twenty years from now, that more of your paycheck is going to support some greedy geezer than is going to feed your own kids, you too will realize the futility of their plans. Large numbers of us will just shrug our shoulders and stop working. Why bust your ass for the government? It's already happened, most notably back in the Left's Camelot of the USSR. The same dynamic is now picking up steam in the EU. When that train wreck is finished, it has a good chance of repeating itself yet again in the United States of America. Why is it that we can't learn from the failures of the Left that Life, Liberty and Property are the foundations of a free society, and pay some respect to our own roots, the most sound on the planet? If Shapiro can stick with the themes sounded in the first chapter of his book, engage in meaningful research to provide perspective, and derive conclusions from such sound scholarship, such a work would be, at least to me, more enlightening than the anthology of outrageous anecdotes he provides in most of this book. But there is definitely a need for the anecdotes to be told to the world. Here's hoping this is only Ben Shapiro's opening shot, with a devastating salvo of research to follow.