Give Me a Break

By: John Stossel

Narrated by: John Stossel

Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

When he hit the airwaves 30 years ago, John Stossel helped create a whole new category of news, dedicated to protecting and informing consumers. As a crusading reporter, he chased snake-oil peddlers, rip-off artists, and corporate thieves, winning the applause of his peers.

But along the way, he noticed that there was something far more troublesome going on: While the networks screamed about the dangers of exploding BIC lighters and coffeepots, worse risks were ignored. And while reporters were teaming up with lawyers and legislators to stick it to big business, they seldom reported the ways the free market made life better.

In Give Me a Break, Stossel explains how ambitious bureaucrats, intellectually lazy reporters, and greedy lawyers make your life worse even as they claim to protect your interests. Taking on such sacred cows as the FDA, the War on Drugs, and scaremongering environmental activists, and backing up his trademark irreverence with careful reasoning and research, he shows how the problems that government tries and fails to fix can be solved better by the extraordinary power of the free market.

He traces his journey from cub reporter to 20/20 co-anchor, revealing his battles to get his ideas to the public, his struggle to overcome stuttering, and his eventual realization that, for years, much of his reporting missed the point.

Stossel concludes the book with a provocative blueprint for change: a simple plan in the spirit of the Founding Fathers to ensure that America remains a place "where free minds, and free markets, make good things happen."

©2003 John Stossel (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"It's a powerful, well-argued, and immensely thought-provoking book, and with Stossel's visibility, not to mention the incendiary subject matter, it's sure to be a hot one, too." (Publishers Weekly)

Could be the original No Spin Zone

John Stossel brilliantly captures ignorance and incompetence on both sides of the political aisle when dealing with a variety of subjects.
His background in consumer affairs reporting gives him the balance that comes from a no-nonsense approach to the issues of today.

Cynical, but true

I have always enjoyed John Stosell's reports on "Give me a break" on 20/20. This book is just a longer version. Very easy read and entertaining.

good take on the government

love the way Stossel explains and deliberates. definitely worth a read. recommend this book to any one wanting to avoid communist america

Absolutely incredible!

I have been an Audible subscriber for 3 years and this is the best book I have listened to yet. Everything from the subjects and info Stossel covers to way he reads his book is top-notch. This is somewhat of a starter book for libertarians, but knowledgeable freedom-lovers will appreciate the new facts that he uses to back up his assertions. Liberals and others who believe in government control over our wallets should open their minds to the arguments he makes for personal freedom.

great information and we'll presented

John Stossel is a breath of fresh air in a world obsessed with the importance of government. Freedom from government presented in an interesting and engaging way. I enjoyed this book and John Stossel has another libertarian convert.

A Good listen

Great! Read well by Stossel. Stossell is passionate about his point of view and he tells us exactly how he came to believe them.

Best Thing I've downloaded so far

Excellent, easy to listen to , very interesting!

Thought provoking

The Erin Brokovich movie theme seems to be much less an accomplishment than a manipulation.

Great discussion by Stossel

Great discussion about why limited government would be better for the country. No crackpot ideas- just good argument. The narrator (Stossel) talks a bit too quickly in the beginning but the pace is better after the first couple of chapters.

Refreshing and clear!

I love to listen to both sides of any debate and make my own judgement . Stossell delivers. He explains his point of view and backs it up with well built arguments coupled with published scientific research. His views are compelling. Would love to hear counter arguments (left and right) delivered with such clarity as to make my own conclusions. It's troubling to hear that many people attempt to defeat his arguments by suppression and censorship. I don't totally agree with all his views but very glad he makes them with clarity.