One Thought Scares Me...

We Teach Our Children What We Wish Them to Know; We Don't Teach Our Children What We Don't Wish Them to Know

By: Richard Dreyfuss

Narrated by: Richard Dreyfuss

We’ve let the meaning of America be reduced to guesswork. It might not be too late.

Our democratic republic is failing, and it shouldn’t be a surprise. We can’t fly a plane without training; we can’t practice medicine without attending medical school. And yet we expect the American people to wield the full power of their citizenship, the product of the most revolutionary governmental thinking in human history, without any education.

We no longer teach our children the Bill of Rights or Constitution. We don’t teach the Enlightenment values that underpin them. We don’t teach the critical thinking skills and mental agility necessary for our own sovereignty. We’ve stopped teaching civics, and now we can’t have a civil political discussion. The American experiment may fail if we don’t act.

Richard Dreyfuss is a forceful advocate for civic education. His latest work, One Thought Scares Me…, explains how the lack of civics education in American education for the last fifty years has led to the deterioration of all aspects of the lives of us, the people. And it shows us the path to reclaiming our American ideals.

©2022 Richard Dreyfuss (P)2023 Skyhorse Audio

This is Civics

I love the fact that the author carefully explained the problem with not knowing about civics not being taught in schools I think we as Americans lost something I remember being taught economics and civics in high school and now it’s needed everyone needs to get this book or audio book now or forever become ignorant and foolish at your own peril

The Awakening

I learned of this book when Richard appeared on The View and it answered the question of what the hell has happened to America. I’m certain it is more effective to listen to the book than by just reading it. We must pickup the torch and help save our Republic.

Required reading.

This book should be required reading and the gift you give to every teacher and parent you know!

Best Book Ever

This book needs to be required reading for all Americans. We must teach our history before we destroy our country. Without the knowledge in this book we are doomed.

Scary, But Hopeful

For those of us above a certain age, we can remember the course of courses in civics and history as taught back in Junior High and High School. Just as we can remember having courses in art and music, and having gym every day. And, if we were able to attend a good school, with engaged teachers, their enthusiasm and lessons may still be with us.

While I believe all of these offerings are missed, and missed deeply, I share Mr. Dreyfuss' concern over the first two most of all. Because we are seeing less and less of this education in schools, and, as a whole, it seems we read a good deal less than ever before - Hang in there and keep up the good fight, Audible - "the people" are uninformed when it comes to governance, our response-ability to our country and to one another.

I do not know what it will take to get more people engaged in the idea that civics and history are critical disciplines. Critical in their importance and critical in terms of their teaching us to think and discern critically. To see difference between fact and opinion. That as we lean more, "warts and all", to steal from Cromwell, we do not see our nation as diminished. While we may not be perfect, there is no nation in the history of the world that ever was, nor ever shall be. We can admit to past mistakes and work to correct them, if not to simply accept them as a place to start.

There have been so many excellent histories of America, as a whole and in focused timeframes, I have listened to through Audible this year that I KNOW we have great material to mine. I hope people who are out there developing curricula might consider how you can take some of them and get them in the hands and ears, hearts and minds of students - and us adult-types, too.

I do not know if it ever will, or can, happen, but I think that if Audible could present the complete and unabridged "A People's History of the United States" by Page Smith you would have a wonderful place to start. Mr. Smith has shared so much from so many - people we would never have heard about - who were "in the room where it happened."

Like we are.

Listen to what Mr. Dreyfuss has said. Take your own love of learning and of country and make something of it. Share recommendations. Advocate for causes that matter to you. VOTE! Listen to divergent options. Prepare to change minds, and be open to having your mind changed in turn.

Opening my eyes to what American is meant to be!

This book made me realize how little I know about this country and the purpose and meaning of America. This book is not a political drama but a very American message to wake up the people to our passiveness and remind us that we are kings over ourselves if we only remember. Let’s stay awake so we don’t fall back to the captivity of mind and soul. Let’s stay kings over ourselves!

Revolutionary Rebuttal

Dreyfuss clearly outlines how we have failed in America to educate our citizens in order to manage the perfect union our founding documents described. We should all be outraged at the way our media has been hijacked by a tiny minority of billionaires set on squeezing more money from our spongy brains while we hand over the power to destroy ourselves. This should be required reading and watching Mr. Smith goes to Washington required viewing in all 8th grade level classrooms so our children have a chance to learn how to think critically so they can govern wisely.

Spot On!

While maybe a bit over dramatic in delivery and presentation, the analysis and conclusions are spot on. We need this kind of curriculum again. Hopefully, it's not too late.

A collection of well thought out, passionate ideas loosely bound for a noble purpose.

Due to the topic, the narrative seems to be one long ramble of deep thoughts, reflections, and ruinations. On the other hand, the passion, and weight of the novel demand that ideas be laid out simply and earnestly to reach the reader with honest sincerity and conviction. This is more than a fireside chat, it’s a wake-up call that things aren’t what they were meant to be and could be made right again. If you’re curious you won’t be disappointed , and if you’re not then you should be.

Sucks!!

I deleted it from my library and Audible has twice just started playing it when I’m done with another book! Beyond annoying! Thinking about another app that doesn’t shove their books up your binders!!