The Overton Window
Encyclopedia
The Overton Window is a political thriller
by political commentator Glenn Beck
. The book, written with the assistance of contributing writers, was first released on June 15, 2010.
concept in political theory, in which at any given moment there is a range of policies related to any particular issue that are considered politically acceptable ("in the window"), and other policies that politicians seeking to gain or hold public office do not feel they can recommend without being considered too far outside the mainstream ("outside the window"). Moving the window would make previously radical ideas seem reasonable. Beck has referred to the book as "faction" – fiction based on facts.
The plot revolves around a man named Noah Gardner, a public relations
executive who has no interest in politics. He changes his mind when he meets a woman, Molly Ross, who is "consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever," an idea Gardner dismisses as a conspiracy theory
. After America comes under attack, however, he works to expose the conspirators behind the attack.
" assemblies, then Beck will have achieved his goal."
The Time magazine review by Alex Altman was mostly critical, complimenting aspects of the book's likely ability to satisfy its audience as either a dime-store romance or an ideological message vehicle, while faulting its insufficient suspense as a thriller, terming the book "plodding" with a "half-baked plot" over-burdened with its "sermonizing."
The novel reached number one in its first week on the New York Times Best Seller List
.
Writer Chris Kelly has suggested that ghostwriter
Jack Henderson repurposed the plot for Overton Window from one of Henderson's previous novels, Circumference of Darkness.
In an article published on radio host Alex Jones' website infowars.com, Paul Joseph Watson has drawn attention to similarities between Jones and the book's character of patriot movement leader Daniel Baily.
Political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. They usually involve various extra-legal plots, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him. They can involve national or international political scenarios....
by political commentator Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
. The book, written with the assistance of contributing writers, was first released on June 15, 2010.
Plot
The novel is based on the Overton windowOverton window
The Overton window, in political theory, describes a "window" in the range of public reactions to ideas in public discourse, in a spectrum of all possible options on a particular issue. It is named after its originator, Joseph P...
concept in political theory, in which at any given moment there is a range of policies related to any particular issue that are considered politically acceptable ("in the window"), and other policies that politicians seeking to gain or hold public office do not feel they can recommend without being considered too far outside the mainstream ("outside the window"). Moving the window would make previously radical ideas seem reasonable. Beck has referred to the book as "faction" – fiction based on facts.
The plot revolves around a man named Noah Gardner, a public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
executive who has no interest in politics. He changes his mind when he meets a woman, Molly Ross, who is "consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever," an idea Gardner dismisses as a conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
. After America comes under attack, however, he works to expose the conspirators behind the attack.
Reception
The Washington Posts review criticised the book's "laughable prose", and concluded that the book's success would be measured "not by its literary value (none), or its contribution to the thriller genre (small), or the money it rakes in (considerable), but rather by the rebelliousness it incites among anti-government extremists. If the book is found tucked into the ammo boxes of self-proclaimed patriots and recited at "tea partyTea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
" assemblies, then Beck will have achieved his goal."
The Time magazine review by Alex Altman was mostly critical, complimenting aspects of the book's likely ability to satisfy its audience as either a dime-store romance or an ideological message vehicle, while faulting its insufficient suspense as a thriller, terming the book "plodding" with a "half-baked plot" over-burdened with its "sermonizing."
The novel reached number one in its first week on the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
Writer Chris Kelly has suggested that ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
Jack Henderson repurposed the plot for Overton Window from one of Henderson's previous novels, Circumference of Darkness.
In an article published on radio host Alex Jones' website infowars.com, Paul Joseph Watson has drawn attention to similarities between Jones and the book's character of patriot movement leader Daniel Baily.
Reviews
- "The Overton Window: A Review" at The Fiction CircusThe Fiction CircusThe Fiction Circus is a Brooklyn-based online literary magazine that currently publishes short fiction and essays on the arts. The group also holds staged multimedia fiction readings accompanied by electronic music and incorporating visual art and theater as a frame narrative...
- "Glenn Beck's paranoid thriller, 'The Overton Window'" at The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
- "Book Review: 'The Overton Window' by Glenn Beck" at The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
- "Glenn Beck's Novel: Liberty and Romance for All" at Time
- "Glenn Beck's New Novel About Liberals Staging 9/11 Is a Lot Like a 2005 Novel About Conservatives Staging 9/11" at The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
- "The Overton Window, 100-Part Review" at MediaiteMediaiteMediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
External links
- Official Book Trailer - featuring Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's "The Gods of the Copybook HeadingsThe Gods of the Copybook HeadingsThe Gods of the Copybook Headings is a poem published by Rudyard Kipling in 1919 that foresaw the decline of his country's empire and attributed it to a loss of the old virtues, and to a general complacency entailing that "all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins"...
" - "Glenn Beck: 'If I Could Do Things Over Again I Would Be More Temperate On Everything That I Said'" - Interview of author by MediaiteMediaiteMediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
- "Glenn Beck’s Thriller: The Overton Window is a bona-fide thriller, but it’s also a book of ideas: like why the American experiment matters and why some people hate it" - Keith Korman, National Review Online
- "Glenn Beck novel revels in conspiracies" - Saint Louis Post-Dispatch
- "Live From New York, It's The Overton Window" – Meredith Blake, NewYorker.comThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
- "Glen Beck's The Overton Window" – Sulome Anderson, Time Square Chronicles
- "Fiction grounded in unsettling fact" – Wes Vernon, Washington Times
- "Glenn Beck's The Overton Window" – Scott McKay, Family Security Matters
- "The Beck of Revelation" – Mark LillaMark LillaMark Lilla is an essayist and historian of ideas at Columbia University in New York City.A frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, the New Republic, and the New York Times, he is best known for his books The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics and The Stillborn God: Religion,...
, The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...