Soulless: Ann Coulter and the Right-Wing Church of Hate

By Susan Estrich

"A word to those of you out there who have yet to be offended by something I have written or said: Please be patient. I am working as fast as I can." -Ann Coulter, 2006 Is she ever Ever since the publication of her Clinton-bashing debut, High Crimes and Misdemeanors , right-wing fire-brand Ann Coulter has made herself one of the most talked-about figures in contemporary American life--and has done so by issuing a near-continuous barrage of insult and invective, which has been described as "shameless," "cruel," "shrill, bombastic, and mean-spirited," "grossly inappropriate," "hate speech." She has called the 9/11 widows "witches" and "harpies," referred to Muslims as "ragheads," called Al Gore a "total fag," and said that both New York Times editor Bill Keller and antiwar congressman Jack Murtha deserved to die. Yet with each new statement--and each new book launch--Coulter somehow manages to co-opt the media as a megaphone for her attacks, while emerging from the backlash miraculously unscathed. Until now. With Soulless , political commentator Susan Estrich takes on Ann and the "Coulter culture" she has created, exposing how the pundit provocatrice has downgraded our political discourse with her irresponsible rhetoric, personal attacks, and slanderous asides. Trawling through Coulter's history of often-violent public statements, Estrich asks which are more cynical: the pundit and her headline-grabbing drive-by character assassinations, or the networks who happily bring her back for more. Soulless also casts a light on "the Anns," wannabes like Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck, whose imitation Coulterisms coarsen our culture with every passing news cycle. And, most important, she challenges us--the readers, the voters--to remember that behind the huckster's rhetoric lurks a dangerous reactionary whose real agenda is wildly out of step with the American public. As Estrich says, "She knows exactly what she is doing. And she is scary as hell because of it."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061246492
• ISBN13: 9780061246494
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Very Interesting Book

This is a very good book. Susan Estrich does a great job of defining who Ann Coulter is and the tactics she uses to get attention and sell books. She destroys Ann's argument about Willie Horton (which is the subject Ann opens with in Godless) she also takes on Ann's favorite subjects: gays, abortion, death penalty, and others. One great point that Susan Esrtich makes is the Ann Coulter's book Slander is about how liberals use slander to demonize conservative, which is so hypocritical because Ann has no original arguments and only uses slander to demonize liberals so she can sell books. Most of the negative comments I am sure are from people how have not read the book. That's why their review is only a attack on the writer with no point to make about the books content. These review are for people who have read the book, but it seems the majority would rather use it to fight with conservative and liberals.

God knows this was long overdue!

Estrich has finally dared to take on whom Al Franken once called the "reigning diva of the hysterical right", and really nails it, exposing her innacuracies, hypocrisy, and general hatefulness...notice how the 1-star reviews on this page do little more than attack the author's physical appearance, deride her for making the title a parody of Coulter's latest attack piece (um, didn't you neo-cons do the same 10 years ago w/"Al Franken is a Buck-Toothed Moron"?), and regurgitate conservative talking points (the book's an attack on GOPers, Christianity, etc.)..if you actually READ the book, you'd see it's actually a debunking of someone who's distorting these values you supposedly hold dear and making your party look bad by assocation. And if you do read the book, I'm sure you'll find it to be a real eye-opener.

WITTY AND INSIGHTFUL LOOK AT THE PARTY OF HATE

Susan Estrich disembowels the wretched stinky monster that is the republicans who seem to of cornered the market on hate for the last 10 years . Corporate scandals, election rigging, child molesting, war mongering all coated in a slimy layer of lies and corruption is all that's left of Reagans monster. Not content with creating al Qaeda and wasting billions of taxpayers dollars (dollars they seem to whine about paying 24 hours a day) on a phony war in Iraq. Now hate mongers like Hannity and Limbaugh polute the American airwaves with vitriolic hatespeech that only Hitler could love. Coulter being the beast in the cellar people like Hannity wheel out every couple of days when the stench has started to die down. I guess losing to Clinton twice drove what was once a fairly respectable political party in fits of despair and rage and they can't seem to let go of it. Estrich, in a wonderfully mocking cover, exposes these monsters for the soulless pitiful fools they are. Sure the rabid will infest this place with their brainwashed rants about liberals this, liberals that but true Americans will reach past the hatemongers and see these animals for what they are.

A fair look at rhetoric and invective! A good read from both sides of the isle!

While some may argue Ann deserves no response, she is a major player on the right's political landscape who influences popular thought and debate. It's fair time that someone provide a thoughtful response to Ann's ideas -- which influence many -- rather than focus on the outrageousness of her words. Estrich systematically addresses Ann's arguments, provides solutions when Ann offers none, and urges us to raise the quality of political debate. A quick, witty, and compelling read.

Love the cover!

Don't you hate it when people review a book they haven't read? Me too.