James Bovard author page

"A lively attack on politicians, voters and government. Bovard's indictment of an ineffective but ever-expanding federal government would make any libertarian proud." Ari Melber, New York Post

"Bovard is a partisan of neither major party, only of liberty... Bovard has done his research and nailed the case against the administration, whose officials, all the way to the top, clearly authorized... torture... The American people must start paying attention, and thus start being more outraged. Reading Attention Deficit Democracy is a perfect place to start." Anthony Gregory, Freedom Daily

"Our modern-day Thomas Paine has done it again. In Attention Deficit Democracy, Bovard bombards us with the same high level of unfettered ‘Common Sense' perspective on freedom that we've come to expect from him." Joe Fondren, WRJM, Alabama radio

"Bovard explains how supposedly free citizens have bought into the lies and frauds offered by the political class.... Bovard offers wise counsel and sage advice. But if he is right, the voters will be sure to ignore it." Steve Greenhut, Orange County Register

"It is fantastic. I could not stop thinking about it. It is the unheard truth behind whatis happening in the United States." Liz Skrobiszewski, WRIR Richmond, Virginia.

"It‘s a wonderful book. It is really thought provoking. Anyone who wants to think out there is in for a treat with this book." Bill Borst, WGNU Radio St. Louis

"Bovard is an an iconoclast's iconoclast. While much of the western world unquestioningly accepts democracy's pretense... Bovard not only questions those pretenses, he proves them false.... Bovard yanks the curtain off the voting booth." Becky Akers, Counterpunch

"Playing fast and loose.... Bombthrower... A grating tone... Overheated.... Shopworn dissident rhetoric... Character assassinations... Such smearing is all in a day's work for Mr. Bovard...." Washington Times

"Attention Deficit Democracy is Bovard's best book. You can open up this book anywhere, start reading, and every paragraph will smack you upside the head. For those concerned about the future of our Republic, ADD is as compelling as the most intruiging novel. Unfortuntely, it is not fiction." Brian Wilson, WSPD Toledo

"Spectacular... Attention Deficit Democracy displays Bovard's emergence as a formidable prose stylist. Relentlessly incisive and epigrammatic, Bovard at his best reminds me of Nock and Mencken. And in the course of nearly 300 pages, he very rarely - if ever - descends from that exalted level." Will Grigg, Editor in Chief, New American

"In his latest book, Bovard has put his literary finger on one of the critical factors that will determine not just how, but if America is to survive as a nation bearing a semblance of similarity to that envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Attention Deficit Democracy warns us in no uncertain terms that unless we reverse the accelerating trend toward a country populated by a people largely ignorant of history, civics, and politics, we will wake up one day - soon- and find we have no freedom left; because we didn't even recognize it when we had it." Former Rep. Bob Barr

"Bovard is one of my favorite authors... Attention Deficit Democracy is kind of a painful read." Jan Mickelson, WHO Iowa radio

"Bovard... is one of very few journalists who are both pro-freedom and willing to dig... The dry wit is vintage Bovard, and is plentiful throughout Attention Deficit Democracy. Such Menckenesque touches are much appreciated... " Sunni Marvillosa

"Attention Deficit Democracy not only diagnoses our national malady, it provides a remedy as well. If you care about the loss of our liberty, have people read this book. Once Bovard gets their blood boiling, they start paying attention!" Charles Goyette, Air America

"Government, can only be as crooked as the public and media allow it to be, Bovard argues, decrying voters who vote for a candidate because he 'wears a cowboy hat'and the media for not being vigilant enough in calling out wayward politicians.... Readers looking for a rousing refresher on the merits of skepticism will find it here in spades." Publishers Weekly

"This is an amazing book... A fantastic job... Bovard is one of the best writers for freedom in the world today." Gardner Goldsmith, WNTK New Hampshire radio

"Bovard takes no prisoners in his argument that we, as a nation, have lost sight of the very tenants of freedom and democracy that the Founding Fathers wanted to establish." Tampa Tribune Online

"It is a great book. People should not read this book unless they are willing to have their arms twisted to think for themselves." Ron Smith, WBAL, Baltimore

"A fascinating read. I encourage you to get it" Peter McCandless, Radio Missouri

"Attention Deficit Democracy is a wake-up call to the American people. As Bovard reveals one ridiculous lie after another, you won't know whether to laugh or cry." Laissez Faire Books

"James Bovard has hit another one out of the park... Americans may suffer from an attention deficit when it comes to their government, but your attention will be riveted on this book. By the time I reached the final page, my copy bristled with Post-It notes marking Jim's brilliant observations, startling facts, and wickedly witty statements." Claire Wolfe, author and renowned hell-raiser

A Portuguese language review (translation of Counterpunch essay review)

For Review Copies & Interviews - contact Joseph Rinaldi, St Martin's Press 212 674 5151

January 21, 2006- Bovard at the Manhattan Libertarian Convention - NYC

PAPERBACK - SEPTEMBER 2005:

#2 Bestseller in India - October 2004

TOP TEN FARCES OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

Bush's Betrayal of American Conservatives

PALGRAVE BOVARD BLOG

Spinoffs, Excerpts, et al.:

The Millennium Challenge Foreign Aid Fraud Barron's February 21, 2005

The Pentagon's Growing Threat to Homeland Liberties Alternet December 10, 2004

TSA's Nationwide Looting Epidemic New York Times August 18, 2004

Ashcroft's Antiterrorism Antics -American Conservative October 11, 2004

Bush Lies & Thrives Alternet September 17, 2004

The Bush Administration's Wrecking Ball Benevolence Barron's August 23, 2004

Bipartisan Repression of Freedom of Speech Baltimore Sun, August 6, 2004

Thwarting Terrorists with a Kosher Meal Registry Boston Globe, August 16, 2004

The Latest Farm Policy Fraud Washington Times, August 15, 2004

Saddam as the Twentieth Hijacker Freedom Daily October 2004

The No-Fault No-Fly List October 13, 2004

For publicity, contact Emily Gewitz at St. Martin's Press/Palgrave MacMillan - 800 221 7945 ext 267

COMMENTS AND REVIEWS ON THE BUSH BETRAYAL:

"All in all The Bush Betrayal is a devastating indictment of a failed presidency, thoroughly documented, easy to read, and laced with Bovard's trademark humor. Anyone who is inclined to be even a little charitable toward a president obviously in over his head would do well to read it.
Orange County Register senior columnist Alan Bock

"With The Bush Betrayal, Bovard cements his claim as America's journalistic superman -- fighting for truth, justice, and the American way of freedom and limited government. We may have been stuck with George W. Bush for four years, but at least we have Bovard on our side.
And that evens the odds just a bit."
Bill Winter, LP News

"The importance of Bovard's book goes far beyond an analysis of the Iraqi War or even the response by this administration to the terrorist attacks of 9/11... With the thoroughly researched and footnoted style that has become his forte, and with the heavy doses of relevant anecdotes and dry humor that have become his trademarks, the author has compiled a virtual almanac of American political abuse... We ignore Jim Bovard's work at the risk of being repeatedly seduced - 'betrayed' by the siren songs of presidential candidates of both parties." Former congressman Bob Barr, American Conservative

"In his new book, James Bovard presents a succinct, cogent, and compelling analysis of how Bush has betrayed America's founding principles of liberty and limited government in ways that impact all areas of our lives. ... Bovard provides us with a pleasantly readable and detailed account of the Bush administration's collectivism and dishonesty on every policy issue... Bovard stays on target throughout the book, laying out the details of Bush's follies, but he sneaks in important lessons for the reader how the answer is liberty, and the general problem is government power." Anthony Gregory, Liberty magazine

"The Heroic Bovard....Jim Bovard is a one-man policy think tank.... The Bush Betrayal is the handbook of our revolution."--Lew Rockwell, www.lewrockwell.com

"Jim Bovard is an awesome author. If you have a great need to feel exasperated in your life, read the Bush Betrayal - it is as funny as it is disturbing. I thought I knew how well I had been betrayed until I had read this book." Scott Horton, Republic Broadcasting Network

"Bovard is sort of a cross between James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Michael Moore..... A really surly book."
Jan Mickelson, WHO Radio Iowa

This is a very hard hitting book... a pretty mighty tome.
Gardner Goldsmith, New Hampshire radio

"It's a great read. It ought to be required reading for those of us inside the Republican Party. "
Jeff Katz, Liberty Radio Network

"This book is bound to be banned. It obviously violates several federal statutes. It's rapid-fire, high-capacity, equipped with bayonet-sharp wit, and loaded with politician-piercing ammo... If you already believed the Bush administration was a bit scary, perhaps even a bit mad, you'll have more evidence than you ever imagined after finishing The Bush Betrayal... Bovard's wit... is at its sharpest here." Author & Columnist Claire Wolfe

"Bush Betrayal is terrific, another blockbuster... Bovard is the finest muckraker working today in American journalism." Ron Smith, WBAL Baltimore

"James Bovard, the great libertarian champion of our freedom and civil liberties..."
Syndicated columnist Paul Craig Roberts

"Bovard packs a lot of stuff into a book - his recall is encyclopedic. I really recommend the Bush Betrayal." Charles Goyette, KFNX Phoenix

The book's greatest strength lies in the juxtapositions of Bush's policy and rhetoric with the corresponding facts. Much like his previous book Terrorism and Tyranny, such an approach leaves thereader infuriated and sometimes laughing out loud in disgust." Michael Ewens, Antiwar.com

"Pitiless dismantling of the Bush era." Jeffrey St. Clair, Counterpunch

"A finely crafted and thought-provoking book"
Greg Berg, Wisconsin Public Radio

"Writing from a libertarian perspective, Bovard (Terrorism and Tyranny, etc.) offers a fierce critique of the presidency of George W. Bush , focusing on restrictions on liberty and expansion of government... It is notable as a comprehensive attack on the administration from a less-often-heard place on the political spectrum." Publishers Weekly

"This is a terrific book about how George Bush said one thing and did another."
Sam Greenfield, WWRL New York radio

"It is a fascinating book. I encourage people to get a copy."
Geoff Metcalf, Liberty Broadcasting Network

"It is a quite provocative and well-written look at the misdeeds of the Bush administration."
Peter B. Collins, All American Radio (Sirius Network)

"This is required reading. There is a lot of truth in here and it is something you have to face head-on."
David Gold, KMSR Dallas radio

"Books keep pouring off the presses on the subject of why George W. Bush should not be reelected... The best of the bunch by far is The Bush Betrayal, by one of my favorite writers, James Bovard... Bovard, in addition to being a fine writer... can still see the humor in much of the mayhem, goofiness and outright stupidity that characterizes so much of government bureaucracy." Charley Reese, Syndicated Columnist

"One American - a true patriot in my opinion -who has not been hoodwinked or bamboozled by Bush Administration propaganda is James Bovard.... The Bush Betrayal is the best book for an introductory course on what patriotism really means, and it will certainly help awake a comatose public before all its rights are trampled by future Bushes."
Former CIA analyst Jim Grichar, www.lewrockwell.com

NOW AVAILABLE - SPANISH EDITION OF TERRORISM & TYRANNY

NOW IN PAPERBACK!

Winner of the first Annual Lysander Spooner Award - "The Best Book on Liberty in 2003"

PURCHASE THE BOOK AT

Table of Contents of TERRORISM & TYRANNY

BOVARD INTERVIEW ON C-SPAN BRIAN LAMB'S BOOKNOTES - NOVEMBER 2, 2003

Reviews & Comments on Terrorism & Tyranny:

American Lawyer: "Bovard's take is ... a far more detailed and wide-ranging assault on the Patriot Act and the Bush administration, dense with example after example of governmental oppression, folly, and ineptitude in the wake of 9/11... Bovard is a superb reporter... He has apparently read just about everything published, in both the traditional and alternative media, about the egregious conduct of government officials, investigators, airport screeners, and bureaucrats everywhere in the last two years... Bovard offers far more than an infuriating record of government misconduct. His is a libertarian critique of any government's-including ours-inherent tendency to aggrandize and abuse its power."

Boston Globe: "Terrorism and Tyranny is a scathing account of the war on terrorism... Bovard is a bipartisan scourge... His lively fury at government incompetence keeps the pages turning quickly... Most riveting." (Edmund Carlevale, February 1, 2004)

Karen De Coster, Mises Institute: "Jim Bovard is, without a doubt, the best political researcher-writer in politics today.... He provides an encyclopedia's worth of timely quotes laid out in chronological fashion, to funnel the reader through an extensive framework of US government double-dealing, coercion, corruption, and propaganda milling... Bovard has mastered the art of uncovering deception and spin when and where it is buried beneath a stack of establishment posturing, legally binding decrees, and walls of near-impenetrable propaganda."

Washington Times: "Bovard, one of the most trenchant and effective critics of the runaway growth and abuse of big government during the Clinton-Gore years, has now turned his heavy guns on the even greater expansion of government power after 2001... Bovard's new book comes as an important counterweight to the cult of secrecy and big-government empowerment that has run amok over the past two years... The author has synthesized and organized a vast amount of information, yet he presents it in an accessible, reader-friendly way. It is rare to read such a well-documented study that flows so smoothly.... Terrorism and Tyranny" is a timely, troubling book, exhaustively and impeccably researched and documented." Martin Sieff (chief political correspondent for United Press International)

Washington Post: "Bovard has the virtue of ideological consistency.... Government - whether in the form of the tax man, the G-man or the OSHA inspector - is a Leviathan to be feared and restrained.... He ties his libertarian critique of the domestic war on terror with a critique of the Bush administration's foreign policy.... To Bovard, our problems stem from our foreign policy. To stop terrorism, he advises, we ‘should cease meddling in the affairs of almost every foreign nation on earth.'" (September 28, 2003)

American Conservative: "No one is spared in Bovard's merciless review... Bovard's chronicle of the whole sad history of the war on terrorism, from Reagan to Bush I and through the Clinton years, is a tale of appalling incompetence." (Justin Raimondo, September 22, 2003).

LP NEWS: " Terrorism and Tyranny is not just the best book you'll ever read about the War on Terrorism. It's not just the best Libertarian book of the year. It's one of the most important books of the decade. Whether you support or oppose the War on Terrorism, you owe it to yourself to read it." (Bill Winter, December 2003).

"Bovard takes on the Ashcroft-Ridge-Bush 'security'apparatus, rips into it, and rips it apart. His weapon is facts, not mere rhetoric and opinion... If the world has any sense, Terrorism and Tyranny should reach the millions who've supported Bush while closing their eyes to what this holy crusader for the police state is actually doing to their country." Claire Wolfe, author of The State vs. The People

Antiwar.com: ""The most important book since 9/11... Anyone interested in the War on Terrorism must read James Bovard's newest book... He has constructed with precision and scholarly excellence a narrative of all that Bush has done since 9/11 in the name of fighting terror." (Anthony Gregory)

Syndicated Columnist Charley Reese: "If you want to know what is really going on in President Bush's War on Terror, read "Terrorism and Tyranny: Trampling Freedom, Justice, and Peace to Rid the World of Evil," by James Bovard. What is so valuable about Bovard's work is that it is just plain, fact-based, footnoted reporting. He is not a polemicist, and you will find no shrill arguments, no straw men, no rants, no name-calling such as you find in most of the quickie political books that people grind out these days. Instead, you get a sober recitation of the facts set within a philosophical framework that exactly matches that of the Founding Fathers." (September 8, 2003)

"Invaluable....the best one-stop source I've seen for what various officials actually said at various times, suffused with intelligent analysis." Alan Bock, Orange County Register

Publishers Weekly: "Bovard... looks at the post-September 11 policies and actions of the government and finds them sorely lacking.... Meticulously documented... May well leave readers as angry as its author." (August 25, 2003)

"Bovard's new book, Terrorism and Tyranny, is like his many other exposés of government power and corruption: clear, dispassionate, factual, and heavily documented. He is the Joe Friday of political analysis: Just the facts, ma’am. And the facts will make your blood boil." Richard Ebeling, The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, November 2003

Bookreporter.com: "The gallows humor of James Bovard, a bright fellow with a sharp wit, helps to underscore the more outrageous blunders and miscalculations that have been committed by the several intelligence communities and law-enforcement agencies, the opportunistic power grabs by high-ranking bureaucrats, and the heavy damage inflicted on the Bill of Rights not by terrorists, but by friendly fire from both the Justice Department and the White House, all under the banner of defending freedom. Bovard finds much that he considers ridiculous and he does not shrink from ridiculing it.... The chief value of this book rests on the author's reporting, not on argument or interpretation..." His sources are credible and his presentation, except for an occasional sarcastic comment, is objective and straightforward. Every item of information is properly declared and accounted for in 68 pages of endnotes." (Prof. Harold Cordry)

"The book is so provocative, in so many ways, and so right on target.... It is a wonderful book... I think this is Bovard's best by far."
David Brudnoy, WBZ Boston

"A treasure trove of information." Laura Flanders, KALW Public Radio San Francisco

"Bovard is an investigative journalist nonpareil. You won't find speculative flights into unsupported conspiracy theories, only hard reporting of documented facts gained through indefatigable legwork.... Bovard's got the goods... The only thing to be said is: Read the book!" Sheldon Richman, Foundation for Economic Education

"Never content to follow the mass media and focus solely on the minutiae of an important question, Bovard explores and analyzes the bigger picture... namely how Americans let themselves get dragged into what appears to be a never-ending war on terror, how politicians have used fear of terrorism to dangerously expand the power of the federal government, and the extremely serious threat to life, liberty, and property that the exercise of this power poses to citizens of the United States and to those of other countries." Former CIA analyst Jim Grichar, LewRockwell.com

"This is an awesome book.... There is no filler - every page is ‘need to know information.'" Doug Basham, KLAV Radio, Las Vegas

"I really like [Terrorism & Tyranny] because it describes how utterly inept the U.S. is in sustaining a war on terrorism." Jan Mickelson, WHO Radio, Des Moines

Denver Post: "Claiming allegiance to no political party, the author has taken on big government, former Presiden Clinton and now is after President Bush, the war on Iraq, homeland security and what he calls the end of liberty. He asserts the government is exploiting the terrorist
threat to deprive us of our personal liberties." (November 30, 2003)

"It is a good read. It leaves you scratching your head. It puts you between a rock and a hard place." Nationally-syndicated talk show host Ken Hamblin

Terrorism & Tyranny Spinoffs/Excerpts:

San Francisco Chronicle: Quarantining Dissent - Protecting Bush from Free Speech, Jan. 4, 2004

Reason Magazine: Cover story defaming the Transportation Security Administration - February 2004

The Freeman: COINTELPRO: The Model for the FBI's New Crackdown? - Jan. 04

American Conservative: Bush's War on Freedom of Speech December 15, 2003

USA Today: Bush's Biggest Lie on Iraq August 14, 2003

American Conservative: The New Post 9/11 Surveillance State May 19, 2003

Baltimore Sun: America Fights for Freedom to Read August 18, 2003 (also in Newark Star-Ledger, Hartford Courant, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and other papers across the U.S.)

Washington Times: Bombing Sudan - Deja Vu Five Years Before Iraq August 31, 2003

Washington Times: FBI Incompetence the Key to Moussaoui Case September 7, 2003

Washington Times: Concrete Lessons of the Sniper Case October 3, 2003

Investors Business Daily: Patriot Act vs Financial Freedom October 8, 2003

Counterpuch: The Reagan Roadmap to Antiterrorism Disaster October 8, 2003

FFF: The Folly of Invading Iraq October 18, 2003

Washington Times: The TSA Keystone Kops October 23, 2003

LRC: 20 Years after the Beirut Bombing: More Soldiers Will Die for Empire October 23, 2003

Freedom Daily: President Wilson's Crusade and President Bush's Crusade November 2003

Playboy: Terrorizing the Bill of Rights April 2002

Articles mentioning the book:

Claire Wolfe, Backwoods Home Magazine: Ashcroft v. Bovard (January 2004)

Laura Flanders article on the Frum-Bovard clash on How to Fight Terror

Debate between Bovard & David Frum, co-author(with Richard Perle) of End of Evil: How to Win the War on Terror on KLIW Public Radio - (audio link)

SPEECHES, FORUMS, ETC.

Libertarian Party National Convention, May 28, 2004

FreedomFest, Las Vegas, May 13-15, 2004

Speech at New York City Junto, February 5, 2004

Cato Institue: War on Terrorism vs. Civil Libeties (with Harvard Law Professor Philip Heymann), December 10, 2003 (click here for taped web broadcast)

University of Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany, November 25, 2003

Western Book Tour November 2003:

San Francisco area, November 12, 2003 Speech for the Pacific Research Institutes

Oakland, Cal. - November 13, 2003 - at the Independent Institute for panel discussion on the Patriot Act I and II. [Oakland Tribune column on Independent Institute forum ]

Portland, Oregon, November 14, 2003 - Luncheon Debate with Federal antiterrorism prosecutor Charles Gorder (Cascade Policy Institute)

Portland, Oregon, November 14, 2003 - Speech at Portland State University (sponsored by Portland Spectator magazine)

Portland Oregonian - David Sarasohn Column

Denver, November 18, 2003 - KOA Mike Rosen Show

Portland, Oregon, November 14, 2003 - Speech at Portland State University (sponsored by Portland Spectator magazine)

Denver, November 18, 2003 Fiery debate with US Attorney John Suthers on the Patriot Act, Independent Thinking, Colorado Public Television (broadcast on November 21) (Independence Institute)

Book Tour Report #1 (American Spectator Online)

Book Tour Report #2 (American Spectator Online)

Foundation for Economic Education, New York, August 14, 2003

Institute for Humane Studies, lecture to current interns and recovering ex-interns, Washington, DC, July 2002

Mises Institute, Mises Scholars Conference, Auburn, Alabama, March 2002 (audio tape on the web)

assorted blurbs:

"Bovard is... a one-man truth squad who is more than a match for legions of protectionists in American government and industry." Washington Post Columnist George Will

On the Other Hand: Anti-Bovard Denunciations & Assorted Denials, From the FBI to the DEA to EEOC to HUD and other bastions of public service

Information & Sales Links for Earlier Books:

Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion And Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years (St. Martin's Press, 2000)

Introduction

Reviews

PURCHASE

Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen (St. Martin's Press, 1999)

Introduction

Reviews

PURCHASE!@!

Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty (St. Martin's Press, 1994)

Introduction

Reviews

PURCHASE!

Shakedown (Viking Penguin, 1995; paperback, 1996)[For bulk purchases, contact author]

The Fair Trade Fraud (St. Martin's Press, 1991)

Introduction Reviews PURCHASE

The Farm Fiasco (ICS Press, 1989) Reviews [out of print ]]

Other writings:

Playboy, Wall Street Journal, New York Times articles

Policy Review: The Great Hunger Hoax (1983)

American Spectator articles

Freedom Daily// Future of Freedom Foundation articles

Satirical Pieces

Think Tank Pieces

Contact Bovard

"Sic Semper Tyrannis"