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    A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
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    A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
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    A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
    Audiobook7 hours

    A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The year was 1957, the month September, and I had just turned eight years old. Dwight Eisenhower was President, but in my life it was the diminutive, intense Sister Mary Lurana who ruled, at least in the third-grade class where I was held captive. For reasons you will soon understand, my parents had remanded me to the penal institution of St. Brigid's School in Westbury, New York, a cruel and unusual punishment if there ever was one.

    Already, I had barely survived my first two years at St. Brigid's because I was, well, a little nitwit. Not satisfied with memorizing the Baltimore Catechism's fine prose, which featured passages like "God made me to show his goodness and to make me happy with him in heaven," I was constantly annoying my classmates and, of course, the no-nonsense Sister Lurana. With sixty overactive students in her class, she was understandably short on patience. For survival, she had also become quick on the draw.

    Then it happened. One day I blurted out some dumb remark, and Sister Lurana was on me like a panther. Her black habit blocked out all distractions as she leaned down, looked me in the eye, and uttered words I have never forgotten: "William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity."

    And she was dead-on.

    One day in 1957, in the third-grade classroom of St. Brigid's parochial school, an exasperated Sister Mary Lurana bent over a restless young William O'Reilly and said, "William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity." Little did she know that she was, early in his career as a troublemaker, defining the essence of Bill O'Reilly and providing him with the title of his brash and entertaining issues-based memoir.

    And this time it's personal. In his most intimate book yet, O'Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from working-class kid to immensely influential television personality and bestselling author. Readers will learn how his traditional outlook was formed in the crucible of his family, his neighborhood, his church, and his schools, and how his views on America's proper role in the world emerged from covering four wars on five continents over three-plus decades as a news correspondent. What will delight his numerous fans and surprise many others is the humor and self-deprecation with which he handles one of his core subjects: himself, and just how O'Reilly became O'Reilly.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 23, 2008
    ISBN9780739369470
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

    4/5

    114 ratings12 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Notable for his dismissing comments about Tucker Carlson, who ironically would replace him 10 years later.
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed immensely!
    • 5/5
      I love O'reilly. He's kinda cocky but usually spot on
    • 4/5
      I read this book in 2020, it was published in 2008 and would have been more relevant had I read it then when his O’Reilly Factor was still one of the hottest shows on TV. It’s an easy read, you won’t be deciphering convoluted sentences trying to figure out what he means. The writing is straight forward. He claims the book was written to explain himself and how his upbringing along with society at the time helped form his thinking and opinions. In between the lines of funny stories is an instruction manual of sorts of what to and not do in life. It was an enjoyable read for me, my early years were similar and I could directly relate; the Nuns – indelible.
    • 5/5
      i know nothing of bill reilly. i listened to the life of christ for some reason and all his books are available on cd.
    • 4/5
      To understand Bill O’Reilly and his opinions on various subjects, you need to understand the forces that shaped him in his early years. Bill has written a memoir on growing up in Levittown, New York (in a single family home with a yard); attending Catholic schools in the area and Marist College in Poughkeepsie; and his early years as a teacher and a newsman. Some of the stories are funny, especially his description of his classes and some of the, as he puts it, “thugs” who were his friends and classmates. His 3rd grade teacher called him “a bold fresh piece of humanity” and it stuck. The section of food and what was served for dinner was hilarious but accurate. (I do know what sloppy joes were since our weekly diet at home for the same time period was similar. We just had buns dunked in coffee instead of cold cereal for breakfast.) The movies were terrible – read the description of Attack of the crab monsters - but the kids attended. And much of the book is serious. He describes his parents and growing up in post World War II America where he was oblivious to the financial struggles around him. In summer, he was expected to go out and play, returning for meals, No such thing as sitting in front of a computer or the TV set for hours on end. He describes the defining moment of our generation – the day Kennedy was killed. His book is a record of living in those turbulent, innocent times.Out of the experiences of the past is the Bill O’Reilly of today. He is intolerant of abuse of children, including the Catholic Church’s ignoring of priests who abused children, as well as those who bully other children, and judges who release child offenders with a slap on the wrist. He investigates organizations who are supposed to help others with donated money and holds them accountable. And he is rude, sometimes to the point of obnoxious, with some guests. Like him or hate him, A bold fresh piece of humanity will help you understand him and the rest of the Boomer generation.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the funny stories about growing up in the 50's and the Catholic school experience. I found his constant praise for himself and all of his traits that he considers so admirable to be a bit tedious.
    • 3/5
      I picked this up from a used book sale because I was curious how he formed his social and political opinions. It's a surprisingly readable look at his psyche. His ego, paranoia, and persecution complex are on pretty good display, and his periodic comments on race and ethnicity can be cringe-inducing even when he's trying to be inclusive, yet I actually found myself liking the guy a bit more. The book helps the reader see him as a person instead of just a personality. Worth the time if you're curious about how commentators become who they are.
    • 3/5
      I don't generally read autobiographies, but O'Reilly's was pretty good. His writing style almost exactly matches the phrasing and cadence of his on-air speech, but I suppose that's to be expected of a reporter. He gives a slew of stories, ranging from light-hearted to downright sad, all aimed at giving the reader a clearer picture of how O'Reilly has come to see his mission as a reporter. Basically, because of his working-class, Catholic background, he has established well-founded principles of right and wrong, and he uses his position of political power to root out the bad guys and expose them as scum. No surprise for anyone who has watched his show.
    • 2/5
      A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. Bill O’Reilly. 2008. Don’t bother reading this unless you really, really like Bill O’Reilly and don’t mind his smugness and false humility. I like show most of the time, but I was very disappointed in this book. His description of growing up in Levittown, going to Catholic schools, and his relationship with his parents was interesting, but the rest you can learn from watching his TV program if you care. I cannot understand how this book could stay on the best seller list for so long, but I cannot understand why Dan Brown’s books are so popular either.
    • 4/5
      One of the great things about O'Reilly's books is that they're written like he talks so you can read them a rapid clip and not miss anything.This book is certainly the most personal one he's written, and I saw a lot of myself in his story. Unless you're a committed hater, you will sympathize with how O'Reilly arrived at his world view. He's from a once typical middle-class background where friendship is more important than who you know. Where your parents aren't there to be your friend, but rather to teach you how you should behave in a civil society. Where schools were for education AND character formation, not a place where children go to receive undue adulation. Where hard work is more important than breeding.I think these ideas were once accepted by nearly all Americans. That is most certainly not the case today, and O'Reilly is doing his part to try and change that. Agree or disagree with his tactics, or his aims, but the man is honest. He's upfront with what he believes and why thinks you should believe it to. "Relativism" is not in his vocabulary. It shouldn't be in ours either. All of this just reinforces the fact that he is not an ideologue. He's just a traditionalist. The idea that he's a shill for the GOP or even conservative movement is ridiculous. If you only read one of his books, read this one.
    • 2/5
      ok book, am not sure why this is on the best seller list