The Overton Window

By: Glenn Beck

Narrated by: James Daniels

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

A plan to destroy America, a hundred years in the making, is about to be unleashed...can it be stopped?

There is a powerful technique called the Overton Window that can shape our lives, our laws, and our future. It works by manipulating public perception so that ideas previously thought of as radical begin to seem acceptable over time. Move the Window and you change the debate. Change the debate and you change the country.

For Noah Gardner, a 20-something public relations executive, it's safe to say that political theory is the furthest thing from his mind. Smart, single, handsome, and insulated from the world's problems by the wealth and power of his father, Noah is far more concerned about the future of his social life than the future of his country.

But all of that changes when Noah meets Molly Ross, a woman who is consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever. She and her group of patriots have vowed to remember the past and fight for the future - but Noah, convinced they're just misguided conspiracy-theorists, isn't interested in lending his considerable skills to their cause.

And then the world changes.

An unprecedented attack on U.S. soil shakes the country to the core and puts into motion a frightening plan, decades in the making, to transform America and demonize all those who stand in the way. Amidst the chaos, many don't know the difference between conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact - or, more important, which side to fight for.

But for Noah, the choice is clear: Exposing the plan, and revealing the conspirators behind it, is the only way to save both the woman he loves and the individual freedoms he once took for granted.

After five back-to-back number-one New York Times best sellers, national radio and Fox News television host Glenn Beck has delivered a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that seamlessly weaves together American history, frightening facts about our present condition, and a heart-stopping plot. The Overton Window will educate, enlighten, and, most important, entertain - with twists and revelations no one will see coming.

©2010 Glenn Beck (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

It Could Happen Soon

If you could sum up The Overton Window in three words, what would they be?

Even though this is a work of Fiction, Glen spells out a story that is, and even likley, to happen in the not so distant future.

I'm not a Glen Beck Fan, but the Audio Book is very good. It will keep you on the edge of your virtual chair, and stimulate your thoughts and beliefs as well. Rcommend it.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Fine

The book was not terrible but it was not great. I was taken in by all the hype. I do enjoy Glenn's radio show, the tv program and I have read a couple of the Glenn's non-fiction books. This book, while current and believable, was just a so-so listen.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

A Riveting Story written by a master story teller

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This book combines a conspiracy, with a mystery, and news headlines to create a book that will rivet you to your seat. There is no doubt that Glenn Beck is a master story teller, but in this book he believably lays out how the United States has been slowly changed, the constitution has been chipped away and this may be the last call American get before we actually lose everything that we have taken for granted for way too long.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the story is told quickly transforms the listener from a passive listener into an engaged listener. It is almost as if the narrator and characters are speaking directly to the listener over dinner.

Which character – as performed by James Daniels – was your favorite?

James did such a splendid job I cannot pick one

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and that was a real issues. This audio book is so well done that I was listening to it at work between clients, during breaks, and to and from my home. When I got home I wanted to listen to it so badly that my wife actually got mad at me because it was cutting into family time. This is a GREAT book.

Any additional comments?

I love audio books but this one should be reserved for a weekend, or a long road trip because you really won't want to stop listening to it.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great Book

What made the experience of listening to The Overton Window the most enjoyable?

Well writen. Good book. Looking forward for the next book in the series.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Lackluster

Unfortunately there was not enough intrigue to qualify as a thriller. This book only works well if a series is in the making. The part of Noah started well but fell off at the end. It was an ok first try, however if Glenn intends to continue in the political thriller genre,his characters need to stand out from the rest of the book. ie: Mitch Rapp This genre needs to read like a legal or medical thriller. Glenn has the less violence part down but he needs to bring in a more Mission Impossible feel to it.

13 of 16 people found this review helpful

Thrilling and Chilling

Noah Gardner is a lackluster son of a highly powerful, political puppet master, Arthur Gardner. Noah is lured in by Molly Ross who intrigues him with her disdain as well as her passion for the cause of American freedom. She is part of a group known as the Founder’s Keepers, who seek to peaceably preserve American freedoms as set out in the Constitution.

Noah is embroiled in Molly’s schemes to gain access and information from his father’s computers. They learn that Arthur Gardner is part of a group of elite power brokers who are seeking to bring about a one world government. These men will use money, power, manipulation, bribery, coercion, and whatever other means necessary to achieve their goal. Molly (and the reader) learn of a tool known as “the Overton Window” which measures public opinion. This tool allows the monied powers to manipulate public opinion by setting up events that slowly push the boundaries of public acceptance closer and closer to the desired controls sought by the puppet masters.

Noah is kidnapped and it becomes clear that Molly used him from the outset. Yet he thinks there was more between them than the obvious lies. Noah again seeks to help Molly as a nefarious terrorist plot slowly unfolds -- a horrible act of violence that is being arranged by the puppet masters but will be blamed on Molly’s group.

The beginning was a bit slow as I wondered at the detailed descriptions of Noah’s obsessive interest in Molly. However that is understandable as the plot progresses. After an hour or two in I was glued to listening to this story until it finished. I was impressed with the writing skills as well as the characterization and plot. All of the elements reveal the extreme intelligence of the author – regardless of what one might think of his political and religious views. Does it contain a message on politics and religion? Yes - clearly on politics and subtly on religion. Is it a good thriller? Absolutely.

Beck starts the book with a preface that declares the work to be in the nature of “faction” – a fictional story woven around facts. The story presents a present day situation that should open eyes and make each of us look at the circumstances around us to see if we can really discern truth from intentionally manipulated PR. I loved the story and am anxious to begin the next book, The Eye of Molech, which I am reviewing for Simon and Schuster through Audiobook Jukebox.

Audio Notes: This story was good on its own but the narration enhanced my enjoyment and made it move much more quickly than if I had read a print or ebook version. James Daniels does a really good job keying into the character personalities. I will look for other works narrated by Mr. Daniels.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wow!

I loved this book. I can't wait for the next one, if there is one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fascinating.

You are going to wish this was an epic tale, just the first chapter in a life's work. It has all the potential to be sold as a series of 20 editions 20 times the length and depth. Rich characters. A crazy surely impossible story line... right? You only wish reality would allow you to completely suspend belief and swim in the safety of fiction. Not with this book. You find out what the "Overton Window" is and how it is used. So close to fiction and yet a haunting prediction? A close cousin to Atlas Shrugged and yet more literal and contemporary. A snapshot of fiction catching a transition to fact.

Is there more to this story?

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

It was okay...

First let me say that I am a fan of Glenn Beck, so don't assume the not-so-great rating is because of who the author is. I listen to him on the radio daily and was very excited to get this book. I liked the plot idea and it really does give a scary perspective on where the world could potentially be headed. As a regular listener to the radio show, the fact that he incorporated the chicken waffles into this book totally cracked me up. If you don't understand that comment, don't ask. You had to be listening to the show that day.

Now, with that said - my favorite books include things like Atlas Shrugged and numerous Stephen King novels. When it comes to my more mindless entertainment, I tend to be a fan of Laurell Hamilton and Sherilynn Kenyon. Ayn Rand and King really get in depth with the stories. I adore downloading a book that is at least 30 hours and sometimes over 60. I want to know everything there is to know about the characters. That's why I love those authors. And I definitely didn't get that with this book. We had barely even gotten to know who these people were before the book was over. I felt like I had stepped into something moderately deeper than a puddle. On the other hand, my interests in Hamilton and Kenyon revolve largely around the sense of humor. The stories keep you on the edge of your seat with all the action and my co-workers constantly give me odd looks because I bust out laughing for no apparent reason. I expected more of that from Beck and it was just missing. Nothing light in here to alleviate some of the tension. And I never truly got to that "can't put it down" point.

My biggest complaint is that I had been really waiting for the end with all the boring geek stuff about what was true. It wasn't included on this version. It told one specific thing and then suggested that I go look up keywords on the internet. Talk about a letdown.

19 of 25 people found this review helpful

GREAT FICTION AND GREAT TRUTHS

Beck highlights how conspirators are trying to overthrow our freedom step by step over many years. Although it's a work of fiction it's an excellent example of how real life conspirators are actually working to overthrow the freedom of all nations.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful