Book Review by Sue Averett also found on Amazon.com

America—imagine a world without her

by Dinesh D'Souza

I first heard about this book because of the movie by the same name which was released on July 4, 2014 (this year).  When I told my brother-in-law I was planning to go see the movie and about Dinesh D'Souza, the author and producer, he had never heard of him even though it is a follow-up to America 2016 which has become a best seller for documentaries (see Dinesh D'Souza's Biography).  I was not surprised as my brother-in-law is a liberal Democrat.

After viewing the movie, I knew I needed to get the book which I did at Costco a couple of weeks later.  I have read it as I have the Bible, devouring every word.  D'Sousa is an immigrant—originally born in Mumbai, India.  His biography states he "came to the U.S. as an exchange student and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983."  After a generation in this country he is a filmmaker par excellence, a New York Times best-selling author, a former policy analyst for President Reagan, and a self-described "part-time Christian apologist" (p. 126). 

In this book he writes about the "Suicide of a Nation" meaning our nation of America.  He methodically lays out the reasons behind his fears.  He believes the "American era is ending in part because a powerful group of Americans wants it to end" (p. 3).  He believes it has become a "policy objective" of the current administration (he calls progressives) in its "foreign and domestic policy."  He states, "it is widely taught in our schools and universities and accepted as valid by the ruling powers in Washington, D.C." (p. 4).  He outlines three primary reasons for our current decline: (1) "The American economy is stagnant and shrinking relative to the growing economies of China, Russia, India, and Brazil" (p. 5); (2) "America is drowning in debt;" and (3) "America is losing its position in the world" (p. 6).  He believes this is all intentional on the part of the progressives who accept as truth that America's "wealth is at best appropriated or at worst stolen rather than earned" (p. 17). 

D'Souza writes that the progressives believe "America's abundance is the product of theft."  If so "then America as a nation is indefensible, inexcusable, and under obligation to undo the crimes she has committed and continues to perpetrate on her own citizens and on the rest of the world." This is the crux of the argument for "Undoing America" (p. 18).

So what are the crimes against America according to the progressives?  D'Souza meticulously enumerates the crimes and guilt blamed on America.  First, Columbus (who never set foot on our land) is accused of stealing the land from the "native Indians;" second, the Founding Fathers permitted slavery and later segregation mostly in the south; and third, by stealing land from the Mexicans—after we won the Mexican war and planted our flag on the soil of Mexico City, the United States only gave back half of the land they had won.  All these claims are silly and can easily be refuted by the facts written in this book. 

But the biggest theft according to the progressives is the theft of capitalists entrepreneurs and innovators who are guilty of "wealth creation" found in America created in part because of our liberty and our freedom.  (Remember Obama saying about your business "you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen?"). If somebody else really did make that happen, then consider— everyone uses the roads and bridges, and there are lots of smart, hard working people in our midst.  Why isn't everyone a rich wealth creator?

Dinesh defines the capitalist system in his chapter called "The Virtue of Prosperity."  He writes, we have led the world in "making things that didn't exist before" (p. 154).  Especially in the fields of "medicine, recreation, work efficiency, home life" and of course technology.  This is NOT theft.  This book explains that progressives are trying "to detach effort from reward" (p. 156).  He states it is "pure stupidity" to  think that achievement is unearned (p. 157).  However, he believes "The premise of the progressive argument is that wealth and profits in today's economy are being appropriated by greedy, selfish people who are taking more than their 'fair share'" (p. 158).  Inequality is a progressives byword.  He writes, "Obama seems to say that some people are getting too much for what they do and others too little. Consequently, the pie must be carved differently not just to equalize outcomes but to give people what they truly deserve" (p. 170). Put it this way: "the people at the top seem to be ripping off the people at the bottom."  The author believes "this is the moral force behind Obama's success" (p. 173).

However, when D'Souza looks at the taxation system in America today, he sees "the top 1 percent of Americans pays more than one-third of all federal income taxes, and the next 9 percent pays another third, the bottom 50 percent of Americans pays no federal income taxes at all.  This is grossly unfair" (p. 226). He states, "the only truly just form of taxation is proportional taxation" where everyone "pays at the same rate."

 He believes "the problem with progressivism has to do with its utter inability to identify who the good guys are." He uses the metaphor of "society as a bandwagon, with working Americans pulling the bandwagon." Through progressive policies, those sitting on the bandwagon are to be praised, while those pulling the bandwagon are accused of being "greedy, selfish, and materialistic" (p. 221).  Those pulling the bandwagon are the thieves and deserve punishment.  If this metaphor is true "our federal government, far from being an instrument of justice, now becomes an instrument of plunder" (p. 222).

This is a book about the history of America.  It shows the morals and motives of the Founders and contrasts it with the motives of the protesters of the 1960's.  It describes the goodness of America in contrast to the "theft critique" put forth by progressives.  It describes how our economic strength has been the source of America's real power in the world although we have never used conquest to gain land or wealth only to establish freedom and liberty.  It explains what is at risk if we choose our decline.  D'Souza describes the rising power and influence of China and other countries in the world and what will happen if they fill the vacuum created by our decline.  In conclusion, he unequivocally states, " Obama is the architect of American decline, and progressivism is the ideology of American suicide." But, he believes we are up to the task of restoration.  In the end, he writes, "Decline is a choice, but so is liberty.  Let us resolve as Americans to make liberty our choice" (p. 257.)