Most Popular Books by William J. Bennett

Former secretary of education and New York Times bestselling author William Bennett blends his historical expertise with his gift for storytelling into a heartwarming book about the man who ultimately became known as Santa Claus. Beloved writer and speaker William Bennett brings the legendary Saint Nicholas to life in this fascinating and faith-affirming book that will change the way you think about Santa Claus and the meaning of Christmas. Bennett reflects on Saint Nicholas’s storied life, which has spanned seventeen centuries across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and reveals an inspiring tale of devotion to God and an example of eternal goodness. The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas focuses on three aspects of Saint Nicholas—historical facts from his life, his legacy in the centuries following his death, and the legendary status that transformed his likeness into the present-day jolly, toy-bearing Santa Claus. The book vividly captures the heart and life of someone who lived long ago—and yet whose life remains an inspiration for everyone to aspire to a higher order of generosity, giving, and devotion to others. An instant classic by one of America’s most respected thinkers, The True Saint Nicholas is a memorable keepsake to be shared with family and friends every year to evoke the true spirit of Christmas.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN Raising up men has never been easy, but today is seems particularly tough. The young and old need heroes to embody the eternal qualities of manhood: honor, duty, valor, and integrity. In The Book of Man, William J. Bennett points the way, offering a positive, encouraging, uplifting, realizable idea of manhood, redolent of history and human nature, and practical for contemporary life. Using profiles, stories, letters, poems, essays, historical vignettes, and myths to bring his subject to life, The Book of Man defines what a man should be, how he should live, and to what he should aspire in several key areas of life: war, work, leisure, and more. "Whether we take up the sword, the plow, the ball, the gavel, our children, or our Bibles," says Bennett, "we must always do it like the men we are called to be." The Book of Man shows how.

America, how well do you know your history? Who quelled a coup d''etat by putting on a pair of reading glasses? Which U.S. senator was nearly caned to death on the Senate floor? Which first lady refused to serve alcohol in the White House? What famous inventor was called to find the assassin''s bullet in President Garfield''s back? Which successful candidate for president insisted on telling the truth about his sex scandal? Which beloved ex-president raced with death and poverty to write his best-selling memoirs and which famous humorist came to his rescue? Which president carefully read the trial notes of 303 condemned Sioux warriors and spared all but 38 from the hangman''s noose? Which "four-eyed" future president beat up a drunken bully in a saloon? In his Farewell Address, Ronald Reagan said if we forget what we have done, we will forget who we are. This book, written by one of Reagan''s most loyal lieutenants, responds to Reagan''s heartfelt call for an informed patriotism. We all need to know more about this land we love. In this gripping tale of a nation, our country''s past comes alive. Here is the story of those we chose to lead us and what they did with the awesome power we gave them. Join Bill Bennett for the great adventure. America''s teacher will lead you on a voyage of discovery. What others are saying: "William J. Bennett artfully and subtly makes connections between our past and current events, reminding us ... that we are intimately and immediately connected to the extraordinary Americans who have bestowed upon us our great heritage.... [T]he importance of America: The Last Best Hope probably exceeds anything Dr. Bennett has ever written, and it is more elegantly crafted and eminently readable than any comprehensive work of history I''ve read in a very long time. It''s silly to compare great works of history to great novels, but this book truly is a page-turner.... Prepare to have your faith in, hope for, and love of America renewed." -Brad Miner, American Compass "The Role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett''s wonderfully readable book is so important. He puts our nation''s triumphs, along with its lapses, into the context of a narrative about the progress of freedom. Every now and then it''s useful to be reminded that we are a fortunate people, blessed with generations of leaders who repeatedly renewed the meaning of America." -Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life "For too long Americans have been looking for a history of our country that tells the story of America''s triumphs as well as its tragedies. Now Bill Bennett has come forward with America: The Last Best Hope, which tells the story-fairly and fully-from 1492 to 1914. Americans who have been reading recent biographies of the Founding Fathers will love this book." -Michael Barone, US News & World Report "Bill Bennett''s book will stand as perhaps the most important addition to American scholarship at this, the start of the new century. For the past fifty years American historians have either distorted American history or reduced it to a mess of boring indictments of our cultural and political heritage. With this book Bennett offers to Americans young and old an exciting and enjoyable history of what makes America the greatest nation on earth." -Brian Kennedy, president, The Claremont Institute

Respected scholar William Bennett reacquaints America with its heritage in the second volume of America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II). This engaging narrative slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism. While national test scores reveal that American students know startlingly little about their history, former U.S. Education Secretary William J. Bennett offers one of the most gripping and memorable versions of the American story in print. Bennett brings American history to life with stories such as: when Time magazine named Hitler man of the year Eisenhower''s bold actions documenting the horrors of the Holocaust Nixon''s comic opera uniforms for White House guards Reagan''s most famous example of just saying "No" From upheavals of the Great Depression and WWII to the civil rights reforms of the 1960s, from the high drama of the Space Race to the gut-wrenching tension of the Cold War, Bennett slices through the cobwebs of time, memory, and prevailing cynicism to reinvigorate America with an informed patriotism. Praise for America: The Last Best Hope "This is the American history that Abraham Lincoln has long awaited." -Harry V. Jaffa, Crisis of the House Divided "Bennett has a gift for choosing the pithy, revealing anecdote and for providing fresh character sketches and critical analyses of the leading figures. This is an American history that adults will find refreshing and enlightening and that younger readers will find a darn good read." -Michael Barone, US News & World Report "A worthy and necessary book for our time." -Michael J. Lewis, Commentary "Bennett ... has a strong sense of narrative, a flair for anecdote and a lively style. And the American story really is a remarkable one, filled with its share of brilliant leaders and tragic mistakes. Bennett brings that story to life." -Alan Wolfe, The Washington Post "The role of history is to inform, inspire, and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett''s wonderfully readable book is so important. He puts our nation''s triumphs, along with its lapses, into the context of a narrative about the progress of freedom. Every now and then it''s useful to be reminded that we are a fortunate people, blessed with generations of leaders who repeatedly renewed the meaning of America." -Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life "The importance of America: The Last Best Hope probably exceeds anything Dr. Bennett has ever written, and it is more elegantly crafted and eminently readable than any comprehensive work of history I''ve read in a very long time. It''s silly to compare great works of history to great novels, but this book truly is a page-turner." -Brad Miner, American Compass "This lively book acknowledges mistakes and shortcomings, yet patriotically asserts that the American experiment in democracy is still a success story." -School Library Journal

If you care about the education of a child, you need this book. Comprehensive and easy to use, it will inform, empower, and encourage you. Just as William J. Bennett''s The Book of Virtues has helped millions of Americans teach young people about character, The Educated Child delivers what you need to take control. With coauthors Chester E. Finn, Jr., and John T. E. Cribb, Jr., former Secretary of Education Bennett provides the indispensable guide. Championing a clear "back-to-basics" curriculum that will resonate with parents and teachers tired of fads and jargon, The Educated Child supplies an educational road map from earliest childhood to the threshold of high school. It gives parents hundreds of practical suggestions for helping each child succeed while showing what to look for in a good school and what to watch out for in a weak one. The Educated Child places you squarely at the center of your young one''s academic career and takes a no-nonsense view of your responsibilities. It empowers you as mothers and fathers, enabling you to reclaim what has been appropriated by "experts" and the education establishment. It out-lines questions you will want to ask, then explains the answers -- or non-answers -- you will be given. No longer will you feel powerless before the education "system." The tools and advice in this guide put the power where it belongs -- in the hands of those who know and love their children best. Using excerpts from E. D. Hirsch''s Core Knowledge Sequence, The Educated Child sets forth a state-of-the art curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade that you can use to monitor what is and isn''t being taught in your school. It outlines how you can help teachers ensure that your child masters the most important skills and knowledge. It takes on today''s education controversies from phonics to school choice, from outcomes-based education to teaching values, from the education of gifted children to the needs of the disabled. Because much of a youngster''s education takes place outside the school, The Educated Child also distills the essential information you need to prepare children for kindergarten and explains to the parents of older students how to deal with such challenges as television, drugs, and sex. If you seek high standards and solid, time-tested content for the child you care so much about, if you want the unvarnished truth about what parents and schools must do, The Educated Child is the one book you need on your shelf.

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

Today we see little public outrage about Bill Clinton''s misconduct. With enormous skill, the president and his advisors have constructed a defensive wall built of bricks left over from Watergate: diversion, half-truth, equivocation, and sophistry. It is a wall that has remained unbreached. Until now. In The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals, former cabinet secretary and bestselling author William J. Bennett dismantles the president''s defenses, brick by evasive brick, and analyzes the meaning of the Clinton scandals: why they matter, what the public reaction to them means, and the social and political damage they have already inflicted on America. For, despite Bill Clinton''s position in public opinion polls, the most persuasive public arguments made by the president''s supporters wither under the clear light of moral reason and common sense. The Death of Outrage exposes the fallacious and demeaning logic that argues our economic well-being is the only important measure of presidential performance; torpedoes the deep but wholly unexamined respect for European sophistication about "private matters"; and explains why the president''s troubles are not the result of a "vast, right-wing conspiracy," but are the result of his own doings. The Death of Outrage shows How the president''s actions, far from being irrelevant to the conduct of his affairs, have severely restricted his ability to govern. The unprecedented recklessness of the Clinton administration in everything from influence peddling to sexual misconduct to alarming tactics of intimidation. How the president and his defenders have exploited the natural tolerance of the American people -- and made a mockery of the rule of law. Why the Clinton scandals -- from the Travel Office, to Filegate, to the Rose Law Firm billing records, to the Lewinsky Affair -- are neither a creation of the tabloid press, nor independent of one another. Bill Bennett explains why presidential character matters; why allegations of sexual misconduct need to be taken seriously; why reasoned judgment is the mark of a healthy democracy; and why the ends don''t justify the means. Explosive and hard-hitting, powerful in its logic, carefully reasoned in its conclusions, The Death of Outrage is directed at a shameful chapter of American history. It is an urgent call for American citizens to repudiate the deep corruption of Bill Clinton, and the corrupting arguments made in his defense.

The events of September 11, 2001, were an unforgettable tragedy, but they also revealed that the spirit of America is strong and undiminished. Not since the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor has the nation pulled together with such unity and purpose, resolving to endure whatever hardships may be necessary to win the war on terror. We were united in the defense of and belief in our country. It truly brought out the best in our national character. In clear, compelling, straightforward language, William Bennett takes up and refutes the many myths and misconceptions about America’s character and role in world affairs that have become fashionable among our nation’s elites. The morning of September 12 dawned with a stunning moral clarity that has guided the actions of many Americans, both her leaders and her citizens. Bennett seeks to preserve that clarity in order to ensure that our national resolve does not falter in this difficult and necessary war.

A state of the union address as the twentieth century turned into the twenty-first—from the New York Times–bestselling author of America, the Last Best Hope. In A Century Turns, William J. Bennett explores America''s recent and momentous history—the contentious election of 1988, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of global Communism, the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton, the technological and commercial boom of the 1990s, the war on terror, and the election of America''s first black president. Surveying politics and pop culture, economics and technology, war and religion, Bennett pieces together the players, the personalities, the feats and the failures that transformed key moments in the American story. And he captures it all with piercing insight and unrelenting optimism.

Bestselling author William Bennett addresses the central social issue of our time—the deline of the family—in a book as intellectually provocative and politically controversial as his landmark The Death of Outrage. Our recent economic prosperity has masked the devastation of the American family, which is now under seige as never before. From the dramatic rise in illegitimacy, divorce, and single parenthood to the call for the recognition of gay marriages, the traditional nuclear family is being radically challenged and undermined, along with the moral and legal consensus that once supported it. Now in The Broken Hearth, William Bennett, America''s foremost conservative spokesperson on matters of family values, presents a strong, well-reasoned, and informed defense of the traditional family. Interweaving history, anthropology, law, social science, and the teachings of Western religions, he argues that marriage between a man and a woman and the creation of a permanent, loving, and nurturing environment for children is a great historical achievement, one that should not be lightly abandoned in favor of more "progressive" arrangements. Bennett displays his ability to combine fearless conviction, acute insight, and respect for his adversaries in thorough, balanced, and enlightening discussions of single parenthood, cohabitation, gay marriage, and other trends that are undercuttingthe ideal of the family as the essential foundation of society. Looking closely at the concerns and questions that divide America, Bennett provides a powerful affirmation of family life and the values and benefits it bestows on individuals and on society as a whole.

We live in a culture that often dismisses and ridicules conservative values. By the time liberal professors, the news media, and Hollywood get through with them, many young Americans are convinced "conservative" means extremist and intolerant. It''s a distortion that endangers America''s future. Bill Bennett and coauthor John Cribb explain what conservatism really means, using five fundamental principles summarized by the word FLINT: Free enterprise, Limited government, Individual liberty, National defense, and Traditional values. America the Strong shows the next generation how these principles have made the United States a great nation and why they are worth preserving. It answers more than one hundred questions, from "Do conservatives hate the government?" to "What''s wrong with having an open border?" to "Why can''t rich people pay all the taxes?" Discover a strong, clear conservative vision of America for the next generation.

Is college worth the ever-increasing cost? From the mouths of politicians and parents alike, the notion that "everyone should go to college" is conventional wisdom in America. Yet half of today''s college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. They have little to show for their time in school but a massive amount of student-loan debt and an education that''s left them unprepared for the workplace. For anyone making a decision about their educational and financial future, Is College Worth It? is an indispensable guide. Former United States Secretary of Education William Bennett and humanities graduate student David Wilezol offer clear-eyed analysis and practical advice that goes far beyond glossy admissions brochures and convoluted financial-aid paperwork. You''ll discover: Which colleges offer a good return on your investment?and which ones don''t How student-loan debt impacts your real-world finances What the intellectual climate is really like inside many of today''s universities A wealth of higher education alternatives to a traditional four-year degree Is college worth it isn''t a question to be answered by educators and economists alone. It is also one that students and parents need to answer for themselves in order to secure an education?and a future?that is as responsible as it is rewarding.

A point of departure for future national debate about the proper content of American education from kindergarten through 8th grade. An idea of a sound elementary school core curriculum. Outlines a structure and sequence for knowledge and skills in 7 subjects: English, Social Studies, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, and Physical and Health Education. Includes school profiles of curricular excellence in 7 schools.

Full of larger-than-life characters, stunning acts of bravery, and heart-rending sacrifice, Tried by Fire narrates the rise and expansion of Christianity from an obscure regional sect to the established faith of the world’s greatest empire with influence extending from India to Ireland, Scandinavia to Ethiopia, and all points in between. William J. Bennett explores the riveting lives of saints and sinners, paupers and kings, merchants and monks who together—and against all odds—changed the world forever. To tell their story, Bennett follows them through the controversies and trials of their time. Challenged by official persecution, heresy, and schism, they held steadfast to the truth of Christ. Strengthened by poets, preachers, and theologians, they advanced in devotion and love. In this moving and accessible narrative, Tried by Fire speaks across centuries to offer insight into the people and events that shaped the faith that continues to shape our lives today.

A book of advice from our nation''s founders on how to be a good citizen and a worthy member of civil society.

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