1 out of 4 stars
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America is in trouble. Whether you're a republican, democrat, independent or couldn't care less about politics it's clear. America IS God's Chosen Republic by Thomas Davis illuminated this by taking me on a trip from God creating the universe to the middle of last year's presidential battle (June 2016) when the book was written.
Kicking off with the creation of the universe, Thomas briefly touches on events leading up to Noah and the great flood, spending a bit more time perhaps as a warning of what God can do when people become irredeemable as a whole. The speed picks back up until the resurrection of Jesus and the birth of the Christian/Catholic religion. Finally, the book speeds forward again to the birth of America, and it's here where the book really started to get interesting for me. There were some terrific quotes and solid points made (I had no idea how much the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson in particular, and early presidents hated a party system!). It's also interesting to see just how much of the early days of America were steeped in religion, something that's absolutely dwindled in present-day. Specific presidents, especially from the 1920s and on, are also covered in some good depth. While it's clear the author is very unhappy with several of them, it's just as clear he isn't biased by party affiliation.
This book is the culmination of a 90 year old life, and Thomas really shows that with the knowledge he has of our past presidents. It's clear he's passionate about our country and really wants to see it become something great again. I also learned a lot about the constitution, the rise of the two-party system and the presidents through the ages, especially the last several. It's also hilarious and very telling that this 90+ year old retired colonel was visited not once but TWICE by the secret service regarding his letters, yet he never received an actual written reply from those he wrote to.
However, it was clear the book was rushed. At one point the author mentions the date (June 21, 2016) and says he'll attempt to finish the book "by tomorrow". While this gives the book an even more genuine feel, it also explains why the book is in desperate need of editing. With that much-needed editing, this short and sweet read could have been something really fantastic. As it is, it abounds with issues that would easily have been fixed on a single pass from an editor. In just under 150 pages I counted dozens of errors, the worst of which were the missing periods that made me reread lines repeatedly. If these were the only issues I wouldn't be so upset, but there was one absolutely unforgivable mistake. After chapter nine the book has an Addenda section that includes numerous letters the author wrote to various politicians. However, after several of these there's a new Chapter 8 (which should be Chapter 10) and then the Addenda section once again. This second Addenda section is identical (aside from perhaps a couple minor edits) and then includes an additional four letters. Even the most casual of editors would have noticed this mistake and fixed it. It's a shame that it's such a blemish on what could have been a short and sweet read, especially since removing the duplicate letters would shorten the book to 125-130 pages.
Finally, the book utilizes dozens of links. These are often great, linking to additional relevant information without weighing the book down. However, there were at least a few that were broken. There was one to a Bing search and another to a Google search that simply led to their respective search engines instead of a specific search. There was also one odd link that was supposed to give more information about Obama but was instead a link to a Yahoo Answer question asking whether JFK was a good president or not. Also, there's an image used at one point to show which states use E-Verify (employment verification that shows whether an employee is legally authorized to work in the US). It would have been an excellent tool except that the map relies entirely on color and it's in black and white. It should have been a little telling to begin with as well; the preface mentions the book's title as "Let's Take Back America: is America Not God's Chosen Republic?". However, as you'll notice from this review, the book is actually called America IS God's Chosen Republic.
This is a rare exception in which I like a book but absolutely can't rate it well. Without errors I could have given this book 2 or 3 stars, but in its current state I have to give it 1 out of 4 stars. I pray that America IS God's Chosen Republic gets some editing and becomes the book Thomas wanted it to be. While the election is over and the candidate he rooted for did in fact win the election, there's still a lot of good stuff in here for Americans who want to learn more about our nation's history. Despite the 1 star rating, I do still recommend it to those who can get past the editing mistakes, just keep in mind that the first Addenda section should be skipped entirely and the second "Chapter 8" is actually "Chapter 10".
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America IS God's Chosen Republic
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