OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Silent Thought" by Charlie Wurz.]

The results of the 2016 presidential election prompted Charlie Wurz to write The Silent Thought: America in Transition and Crisis, with the hope that Americans will reevaluate their thought processes and how they act upon them. Wurz defines silent thought and explains how it intersects with spontaneous thought, targeted thought, and stubborn thought. Rather than writing from the point of view of a specific political party, or as a conservative or liberal, Wurz shares his thoughts as a concerned American. He explains why he believes America has been in transition since the 9/11 attacks and addresses the crises the country is facing including leadership, political correctness, race relations, politics, and open borders and immigration. Wurz purposely doesn't cite pages of statistics or quote others' comments; he hopes the examples and alternative solutions he shares will prompt readers to research for themselves, draw their own conclusions, and ultimately, take action to end the silence.

With 115 pages, this well-written book is a quick read. Wurz's insights on the thought process as it relates to taking action or remaining silent is particularly thought-provoking. I also found his perspective regarding politics reported by the media interesting and agreed with several of his points.

I most liked Wurz's intent to share his concerns from a nonpartisan point of view. "I want to stress that I have not written this book from any specific political perspective, such as any political party--Democrat, Republican, liberal, libertarian, conservative, or any other affiliation. Rather, I have written this book from an American perspective..." For the most part, I agree with Wurz's assertion; he objectively provides examples of presidential leadership, dating back from the Kennedy administration to the present. For example, Wurz recalled the optimism he felt when he voted for Obama, then gave specific examples of why he was disappointed in some aspects of the president's leadership. While I don't agree with all of Wurz's political views, I can confirm that he critiques the good and the bad regardless of political affiliation.

Unfortunately, Wurz seemed to stray from objectivity when he discussed open borders and immigration. I realize it's a very controversial topic, and I am not critiquing his beliefs. However, Wurz's opinion on the subject read like a long-winded sermon, and I found his manner of addressing the controversy inconsistent with the rest of the book.

As a result, I struggled with rating it. If I had the option, I would rate the book 3.5 stars. However, as it was exceptionally edited, and I found no other issues, I'm rating the thought-provoking book 4 out of 4 stars. Readers who enjoy books of a political nature will appreciate it, but it may also appeal to those who don't usually gravitate toward political content. I would recommend the book to any reader who is concerned about the future of America.

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The Silent Thought
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Like Cecilia_L's review? Post a comment saying so!

Great way to understand more about politics. Good review

Long winded sermon? Pass for me. The book does seem interesting though, thanks for the review.

IamShing wrote: ↑19 Mar 2019, 10:44 Great way to understand more about politics. Good review

Thank you.

spencermack wrote: ↑19 Mar 2019, 11:31 Long winded sermon? Pass for me. The book does seem interesting though, thanks for the review.

I understand. Thanks for your comment.

I don't mind a book such as this. I do believe it needs to be discussed. What I have difficulty with is when the author loses his or her objectivity as seems to happen here. The book then loses its credibility in my mind. For that reason, I probably won't pick this one up. Thanks, though.

I salute your honesty

kandscreeley wrote: ↑20 Mar 2019, 08:18 I don't mind a book such as this. I do believe it needs to be discussed. What I have difficulty with is when the author loses his or her objectivity as seems to happen here. The book then loses its credibility in my mind. For that reason, I probably won't pick this one up. Thanks, though.

I agree. Thanks for your comment.

I do appreciate when an author tries to remain impartial but I'm now unsure if I'll read the book because of the deviation of the author from neutrality that you addressed. Wonderful review, I may decide to read it to gain a new perspective.

It looks like the author accomplished objectivity with the exception of the immigration topic. While I certainly understand your concern about going astray, it sounds like this book fairly portrays a concerned American. I am not into political books, but I absolutely love your well articulated review!

Sounds like a book I would definitely enjoy! I find politics very interesting especially in the current situation. It is also good to hear that the author isn't writing with a certain political party in mind, I enjoy those kind of books more and they tend to come across as more reliable.

jburrelli wrote: ↑20 Mar 2019, 16:47 I do appreciate when an author tries to remain impartial but I'm now unsure if I'll read the book because of the deviation of the author from neutrality that you addressed. Wonderful review, I may decide to read it to gain a new perspective.

Thanks for your comment.

SusanBoulos wrote: ↑22 Mar 2019, 14:06 It looks like the author accomplished objectivity with the exception of the immigration topic. While I certainly understand your concern about going astray, it sounds like this book fairly portrays a concerned American. I am not into political books, but I absolutely love your well articulated review!

Thank you for your kind comment.

ShannonHBC wrote: ↑24 Mar 2019, 05:45 Sounds like a book I would definitely enjoy! I find politics very interesting especially in the current situation. It is also good to hear that the author isn't writing with a certain political party in mind, I enjoy those kind of books more and they tend to come across as more reliable.

I agree. Thanks for your comment.

This sounds like an interesting read. I'm curious about what type of audience will gravitate towards this book.