Dreamers and Deceivers: True and Untold Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Made America

Glenn Beck, the media mogul, just wrote his latest non-fiction/fiction book called Dreamers and Deceivers. Published (October 2014) on the heels of his previous successful book of stories about the making of America called Miracles and Massacres (2013), this book delves into accounts of some well-known and not-so-well-known individuals who had enormous influence on our society and culture and how we view the world--both positively and negatively.Beck profiles 10 major individuals in the book. Once you read it, you will be able to answer the following questions among others about them:Edwin Howard Armstrong: Who is he? What was his relationship with David Sarnoff and Lee de Forest, the early pioneers of radio?Desi Arnaz: What did he invent that changed the nature of television by establishing a precedent that enabled, for example, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld to earn 400 million dollars?Grover Cleveland: What medical condition did this president have that forced him to slander and try to professionally discredit journalist E.J. Edwards?Walt Disney: What project did he consider at age 63 to be the most important thing he would ever do?Alger Hiss: What role did the infamous mobster Frank Costello play in connection with this notorious Cold War spy?Steve Jobs: After owning Pixar for less than 10 years, how much money had Jobs lost investing in the company?Carlo Ponzi: What was the scheme that Ponzi foisted on investors (hint: it involves the post office), and how much money in today's dollars did he bilk investors out of?Upton Sinclair: What did this muckraking author hide about the 1921 Sacco and Vanzetti criminal trial and subsequent conviction, the subject of his novel and roman à clef Boston in which he claimed that they were innocent of murder and prosecuted for their political beliefs?Alan Turing: What did this Cambridge-educated mathematician invent that saved civilization and changed the world?Woodrow Wilson: What did Wilson and his wife Edith's actions have to do with the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was adopted on February 25, 1967?The stories are short, fascinating, and tough to leave to do other things, like sleep. Though this is a work of historical fiction and scenes and dialogue are recreated yet based on rigorous research, I didn't have an issue with that technique because the conversations and thoughts and scenes rang true about the people involved. Bottom line: This is another historical winner from one of the giants of broadcasting and media.

Gift

I like Glenn Beck. I like the way he speaks, most of his political views, and the stories in this book I found fascinating. However, Glenn's style in this book, and I can not compare to any of his other books because I haven't read any of his others, was to start each segment with a date and location, sometimes jumping back and forth in time, and it really confused me at times. I had to keep going back to the previous one to see how much time had lapsed, or if he went backwards on me without warning. If he had added and additional "Three days later..." or "Two years earlier" or anything like that it would have made reading this book much more enjoyable. My only other complaint is that I would have liked for him to go a LOT deeper into some of the stories. The chapters on Walt Disney, Desi Arnaz, and John Lasseter were of particular interest to me and could have been longer. The other stories were all very good and eye opening, but as I said, could have been a bit longer and more in depth. Well worth the read.

I like Glenn Beck and I have read most of his books. This one is unique in the way that it leverages his ability to tell a story while keeping true to historical facts. It's a bit like reading a fiction novel spun completely of truth. It makes it far more easy to read as it doesn't come across as being a history book.The stories for the most part are rather captivating. Each chapter is its own short story about a relevant historical figure. Not all of them are interesting but that's to be expected. I skipped past those historical subjects that I didn't find to be a great deal of interest to me.You will find yourself learning some things that you didn't know prior to cracking the book. I found that in many cases I didn't know the whole story or the stories I knew were not based entirely in fact. This is an enlightening read and I'd highly recommend it if you have any interest in history.

Dreamers and Deceivers is a compilation of fascinating stories over the past century. It profiles innovators like Steve Jobs and big thinkers like Walt Disney. It also delves into the darker side of human deception by profiling conman Carlo Ponzi. The stories are all approximately the same length. I personally enjoyed most of the stories. Mr. Beck writes in what he calls “historical fiction,” meaning historical facts are present but some elements are fabricated to enhance readability and enjoyment factors. I like this style of writing but found myself wondering if certain scenes did in fact take place, or not. To the author’s credit, he does give ample notes at the end of the book and informs the reader of his approach. I gave the book 4 stars because although the stories are interesting I wasn’t fully absorbed in the book, which for me is a telltale sign of a books appeal. I found my self ready to move onto the next book.

I highly recommend this book along with "miracles and massacres" (the first of this series) to anyone and everyone. Both books are about people who have help shaped American history and written as if you were sitting around a camp fire with a storyteller who can captivate you with the facts of history instead of just throwing information at you. I think it would be great to turn these chapters into movies, cartoons, or short story series to watch so people who hate reading can enjoy them too. History needs to be told like this instead of facts being told by a robot. Some people may know Glenn from Fox or by political discussions and should know whether you agree with him or not these books aren't political and made for everyone to enjoy. Sometimes history is more fascinating than the stories that are made up for entertainment. I hope he keeps the series going so when my kids get older I have tons of stories to tell them around the campfire.

Glenn Beck es un personaje muy controvertido en Estados Unidos, unos lo adoran y otros lo odian y la izquierda norteamericana lo trata de loco. Pero lo cierto es que basa sus opiniones en hechos y sus libros se devoran en nada de tiempo.“Dreamers and Deceivers” se centra en personajes históricos, algunos de los cuales son héroes y otros auténticos villanos. Los protagonistas son los presidentes norteamericanos Grover Cleveland y Woodrow Wilson; el inventor Edwing Howard Armstrong, quien hizo posible la fabricación en serie de receptores de radio e inventó la Frecuencia Modulada; el estafador Carlo Ponzy, quien en ocho meses realizó una de las mayores estafas de la historia; el actor y cantante cubano Desi Arnaz (y su esposa, la actriz Lucille Ball); el caso de Saco y Vanzetti a través del hombre que falseó la historia: Upton Sinclair; Alan Turing quien descifró el código “Enigma” del ejército Nazi e hizo posible la victoria aliada, además de ser quien diseñó el esquema del primer ordenador; Alger Hiss, espía comunista norteamericano que consiguió en las conversaciones de Yalta que la U.R.S.S. se apoderara de toda Europa oriental tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial; Walt Disney y su sueño inacabado, Epcot, y, finalmente, Steve Jobs y John Lasseter y como, tras la expulsión de Jobs de su propia empresa, Apple, compra Pixar y junto a John Lasseter la ponen en las nubes.El libro está estructurado en forma de historias cortas con lo que su lectura es muy ágil. Glenn Beck pone a los hechos históricos un envoltorio en forma de novela lo que hace que te enganchen y no puedas dejarlos a medias.Todas las historias son destacables pero me ha llamado la atención la de Saco y Vanzetti. Estos dos anarquistas italoamericanos, fueron a la silla eléctrica por un robo con dos asesinatos cometido en una fábrica de zapatos para conseguir fondos para comprar armas y bombas. La Izquierda los ha tenido siempre como dos mártires inocentes que fueron condenados injustamente. Upton Sinclair, un escritor comunista que había conseguido un enorme éxito con su libro “La Jungla” investigó la historia y publicó otro best seller: “Boston”, en el que contaba la condena injusta de Sacco y Vanzzeti. Gracias a este libro sobre todo, los dos anarquista italianos han sido considerados mártires hasta que en 2005, en una subasta, aparece una carta de Upton Sinclair, fechada el 29 de agosto de 1929, en la que cuenta a su amigo John Beardlsey la verdad sobre Sacco y Vanzetti. Cómo los testigos aportados por la defensa eran falsos, cómo las coartadas eran inventadas y cómo, además del crimen cometido en la fábrica de zapatos, Sacco y Vanzetti habían sido responsables de otros ataques terroristas y robos en la ciudad de Boston.El libro tiene al final un apéndice en el aparece el texto íntegro de la carta de Upton Sinclair y que también cuenta el proceso como se han escrito todas las historias incluidas en él. Las fuentes, los hechos, los recortes de prensa, todo lo necesario para configurar la historia basada en hechos y no en opiniones.“Dreamers and Deceivers”, es un libro que se lee como curiosidad histórica, se devora a toda velocidad y te deja con ganas de más.

Glenn Beck is always a good read.

Glenn beck is a nut case, I only purchased this as a birthday gift for someone just as crazy as him.They loved it.