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Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compasionate Conservatism Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters
enlarge	Author: Arthur C. Brooks Publisher: Basic Books Category: Book List Price: ~~$26.00~~ Buy Used: $1.92 You Save: $24.08 (93%) New (28) Used (42) from $1.92 Media: Hardcover Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 272 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9 Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 ISBN: 0465008216 Dewey Decimal Number: 361.740973 EAN: 9780465008216 ASIN: 0465008216 Publication Date: November 27, 2006 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping: Expedited shipping available Shipping: International shipping available Condition: Used Condition - GOOD can be a well cared for Book (including Audio) that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books may be marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. Possible marking on cover. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. Delivery is 7-14 days for standard mail.

Editorial Reviews: Product Description Surprising proof that conservatives really are more compassionate--and more generous--than liberals. P We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers? P Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In IWho Really Cares/I, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give. P Charity matters--not just to the givers and to the recipients, but to the nation as a whole. It is crucial to our prosperity, happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people. In IWho Really Cares/I, Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.

Customer Reviews: Read 43 more reviews... Not convinced... January 5, 2009 The Author negates most of his premise by starting off saying that Danes are the happiest people on earth. Denmark is very socialist, has incredibly high taxes, and is also very secular. Only 5% of Danes regularly attend Church compared to 43% of Americans.br /br /The author's conclusion based on his statistical analysis is that religion and conservatism are the means to a happier nation. br /br /It seems like he cherry picks his data to support his conclusion. His analysis is often speculative and surprise surprise, his speculation always supports conservatism and religiosity.br /br /It's an interesting read non the less, which is why I gave it two stars. If you are conservative, you'll love how he backs up your beliefs. If you're liberal, you'll leave unconvinced and questioning his methodology.br /br /br / Marianismo versus masculinisation October 19, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful Arthur Brooks' book "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth about Compassionate Conservatism" is a most revealing work that should certainly be read by those wishing to understand the cultural divides that have developed over the OECD nations since the Cold War ended - though they have roots going back before World War I.br /br /What Brooks shows is that, in essence, there is a divide between a gentle, relatively feeling-oriented ("feminine" or "marianismo") religious conservatism characteristic of Red America and a tough, radically thinking-oriented ("machisma") secular liberalism characteristic of Europe, Canada and Blue America. Brooks shows that the extreme secularism and devaluation of traditionally feminine traits like compassion and passive acceptance has created many social and economic problems for Europe, Canada, East Asia and Blue America. He shows very clearly how the decline of religion is related first and foremost to the decline of volunteering and charitable giving, illustrating that the most socially progressive countries (like those of Scandinavia) have the lowest rates of charitable giving and volunteering in the world. This is because the general belief is that everything should be publicly regulated and that people who cannot take care of themselves should be supported by taking money via high taxes from those who can. He also shows that Europeans, Canadians and Blue Americans are unusually pessimistic and unhappy, which some on the Right attribute to their lack of belief in an afterlife related to the disappearance of religion. The better-known decline to lowest-low fertility in much of Europe, East Asia and Canada can be seen in the same way.br /br /Brookes also shows how the influence of religion and conservatism on the level of compassion in a society is independent of factors like gender, income and location. His point that welfare receivers are extremely selfish whereas the working poor are extremely generous is extremely revealing, and he also shows the economic benefits of a more charitable and less regulated society where people are more tolerant of wealth being made in large quantities without taxation. He shows that those states of America with the stingiest unemployment benefits have the most job growth and attract migrants from states where wealth is taxed to pay for welfare.br /br /I do have some genuine criticisms of the book. Many social and ecological indicators clearly reveal that there are benefits to a tough, fully masculinised society (e.g. much higher environmental standards) yet Brooks does not consider this or assumes it to be too well known. In reality, the very fact that Europeans are much more assertive, selfish and materialistic than Red Americans is contrary to common perceptions of the US as a materialistic culture.br /br /Also, the key OECD nations of Australia and New Zealand are not discussed at all. Australia, being culturally conservative and akin to Red America, is a particularly grievous omission. (My calculations suggest Australia's charitable giving level is higher than Europe but not nearly as high as Red America, which I think now reflects Australia's relatively high proportion of "secular conservatives"). East Asia could also have been studied better: I imagine its charitable giving levels will show conservative praise for Hong Kong as counterproductive.br /br /All in all, even if flawed at times badly, "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth about Compassionate Conservatism" will reveal the battle between conservatives and liberals to be quite different from what people think: instead of a battle between manly conservatives and feminine liberals, the culture war is (and I imagine always was) precisely and emphatically the reverse. Even if you do not buy this book, it will alter your prespectives on how cultures function. Some interesting ideas along with spin July 16, 2008 0 out of 3 found this review helpful This is a worthwhile book that did a lot to break the stereotyped image of tightwad conservatives. However, some of the statistical support is a bit thin, and it seems to be overwhelmed by the conservative and religious viewpoints of the author. WEAK! March 17, 2008 5 out of 69 found this review helpful First of all I like how you can buy this book for $1.95. But instead of wasting that money you should do what I did and support your local library and get it there. (that is if you want to read a really crappy book). br /br /Maybe the author is right about how conservatives give more. But maybe they also feel so guilty about their president running this country into the ground that they HAVE to give. br /br /Or maybe they cheat on their taxes! :o br /br /I feel he stated "facts" over and over again (religious people give more, conservatives give more), that in the end when he restates these "facts" you are supposed to believe them. br /br /I feel if he is trying to cause a movement to give, he blew it. He is just going to piss off us non-giving, greedy, tree hugging, common sense thinking, hippie liberals, while patting the backs of the generous, caring, terrorist fearing, quick to fight, blind conservatives. br /br /I have to finish planting my trees now. (GIVING back to the planet) Should be REQUIRED reading in Congress and ALL schools February 27, 2008 8 out of 8 found this review helpful This is a well-researched, respectful, compassionate book that reveals the TRUE American character: one of remarkable charity at home and abroad, with money, time, and talents. My hat is off to Brooks for gathering the difficult to locate information and carefully documenting the facts about American culture and spirit. We are a giving people. THIS is exactly the trait we must not lose--not from a consistently overbearing nanny state mentality or from a lack of compassion that is springing up as a reaction to governmental interference in every aspect of our lives. God, family, and country are sound principles that form the basis for our compassion and have made this country the envy of the world. There are many problems in the world, but the SOLUTION is voluntary cooperation by individuals in virtually all circumstances.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
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