Republican Like Me

How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right

By: Ken Stern

Narrated by: Ken Stern

The former CEO of NPR set out for conservative America to find out why these people are so wrong about everything. It turns out they weren't.

Ken Stern watched the increasing polarization of our country with growing concern. As a longtime partisan Democrat himself, he felt forced to acknowledge that his own views were too parochial, too absent of any exposure to the "other side". In fact, his urban neighborhood is so liberal, he couldn't find a single Republican - even by asking around.

So, for one year, he crossed the aisle to spend time listening, talking, and praying with Republicans of all stripes. With his mind open and his dial tuned to the right, he went to evangelical churches, shot a hog in Texas, stood in pit row at a NASCAR race, hung out at Tea Party meetings, and sat in on Steve Bannon's radio show. He also read up on conservative wonkery and consulted with the smartest people the right has to offer.

What happens when a liberal sets out to look at issues from a conservative perspective? Some of his dearly cherished assumptions about the right slipped away. Republican Like Me reveals what led him to change his mind and his view of an increasingly polarized America.

©2017 Ken Stern (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

A must Read for America right now.

this book greatly illustrates wall America has more in common with each other than the political parties would like us to know. Using statistics and personal experiences Ken Stern explains why Americans actually agree with each other more than they think they do.

A must read book for all.

The journey of the author from bubble to bubble and the insights it brings can not be understated. The fact checking that I would expect from an NPR man really helps put into context a lot of left and right notions while seeking to end the dehumanizing divide we have found ourselves in.

A lot of stats, not enough empathy

I thought this guy was going out there to talk to the people and give an understanding of why and how, but instead it was a lot of stats and websites and talking to famous republicans. Totally missed the mark for me. Sooooo many stats I became easily distracted. I’m disappointed.

Every Republican and Democrat should read this.

The author listened to both sides and found we are all human and we must realize that we don't know any thing we haven't learned from others. We must always keep our ears, minds and hearts open to the views of others.

surprisingly good

it was surprisingly good. worth while for people on both sides. twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen

Great info, poor audio experience

Mr Stern writes insightfully and with humor. His delivery as the reader made completion tough.

Not a read for a conservative

The book is an account of a personal journey to understand the people and their views on the other side of the political divide. The conclusion is not surprising at all. Keep revising your views, use credible sources of information, talk to people with dramatically different views and life experiences, and you'll find out that your views are much closer to each other than you'd think.

I liked the personal angle and that the author took time to immerse himself into conservative political environment. I imagine it took a lot of effort and time spent out of the comfort zone. The tagline is, of course, a bit misleading. It is not like the author abandons his views in the end, but he gets a better and deeper understanding of the problems. Not that much for the solutions.

In any case, this is not a book for a conservative because the author assumes that his reader is a liberal. He hardly spends any time on conveying the liberal points of view and goes straight for the incomplete, wrong, or ideological parts of them.

A few times while listening to the book I had to stop and google up some statistics or information about people and places to get some more context. Actually there is quite a bit of statistical in the book, which is relevant and interesting. If you are into that kind of thing, I would recommend "One Nation Undecided" by Peter H. Schuck, which is all about data-driven and non-partisan approach to divisive problems.

All in all I liked the book and would recommend it to anyone who feels like he is a victim of the confirmation bias and wants a push to break out. Unfortunately the author is not the best performer. The reading is monotonous and is just that, reading. You don't get a feeling of a narrative coming from his own experience, which is a pity. I personally don't mind that as long as the content is good, but it definitely may be a poor experience for many.

Great book and message, but title is misnomer

Should be required reading in every school. Title should say "not hate" instead of "love"

Not sure he learned to love the right

The title and cover illustration are a little bit misleading & possibly condescending but they did get me to listen to the book. Maybe that was the author's goal. He spent a good amount of time reinforcing the leftist views on climate change and abortion. I applaud him for getting out of the bubble though and agree that would be good for everyone to do on occasion. I can't believe the disdain his family & friends had for him at his suggestion that he wanted to "talk to Republicans" but I'm glad he did.

Maybe Republican, But Not Like Me

Marvelous titling hooked me. I appreciate any Hobart Street liberal who would exert Stern’s effort to understand his socio-Politico-spiritual others. That is an act of love. But finally the title misleads: Stern nowhere self-identifies as a Republican and seems to own “the muddy middle” as his political home. I learned from listening and am most grateful to experience him as an Other with whom I can find a lot of common affections, desires, and fears. But he is hardly Republican like me or like most conservatives I know. Brilliant marketing, nonetheless.