The author defends the country for what it really is, not the idealistic view many people believe and expect it should be. He goes so far as to say that America is the best country and that he would not want to live or raise his children in any other.

The first chapter in the book is entitled “Why They Hate Us.” In this D’Souza explains what it is that other countries hate about western civilization. This is where he introduces three ideologies, the “Islamic school” of thought, the “Asian school,” and the “European school.”

The Islamic school of thought is that it is impossible to take anything good from American society, meaning it is impossible to accept the good parts of the society without having to accept some of the bad parts too. Their entire culture is religion based and their religion sets the laws in their society. This makes it impossible for them to accept only a part of western culture without going against their religion. Almost every part of their lives are different from that of westerners. The caste system has been engraved in their society for far too long for them to accept anything else, like a democracy, free trade, and social rights.

Sayyid Qutb was an Islamist who became a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization which is one of the oldest of radical Islam. He heavily opposed the spread of American influence and believed that the west had separated the realm of God from the realm of society, the west being a society of freedom while Islam a society based on virtue.

Instead of completely dismissing the western culture’s view, the Asian school of thought is this, “America and the West have solved the economic problem but they have not solved the cultural problem” (16). They look to model their economy after the west, allowing citizens of some areas free commerce, while not allowing the western cultural influences in. They have strict laws against vandalism and even forbid chewing gum in public. The goal behind this is attempting to build the country up to have the same prosperity as the west without the heinous crimes, corruption, and vulgarity.

D’Souza, an immigrant himself, also discusses how America is one of the only countries in which an immigrant can become a full citizen in terms of legality and culture. If a person moved to India, France, or Africa, lived there for 30 years, and even became a legal citizen of the country, they would still not be considered Indian, French, or African. For the most part, people come to America, assimilate after time, and can be considered Americans. D’Souza believes being an American is not so much birth place and nationality, but accepting and withholding a set of ideas, the American Ideology. (34)

D’Souza discussed many domestic reasons for Anti-Americanism. It is common for Americans to abuse or take advantage of their freedom, using freedom of speech to insult or disrespect people around them, along with popular culture. People flaunt premarital sex, pornography, and drug culture just because they can and this especially angers others from different countries. The beauty about America though is that you can do whatever you want within the law, even if it is seen as inappropriate by others.

French Anti-Americanism is based on their cultural superiority combined with the fear that their culture is losing its uniqueness in the rest of the world. The French feel that no single country should enjoy global domination and that the spread of the English language is going to jeopardize the future of the French language and culture. The actions of Osama Bin Laden with his numerous terrorist attacks earned him followers who believed in Anti-Americanism, mostly from the Islamic world, and in the Islamic school of thought it is believed that the Islamic culture is being taken over by American Culture.

D’Souza sees the political right, conservatism, as being generally the more patriotic party. Many conservatives are unhappy with current American Society and its “cultural breakdown.” In recent years however, patriotism has diminished in conjunction with morality and popular culture. Pat Buchanan goes as far as to say that the country he grew up in has been replaced by “a cultural wasteland and a moral sewer that are not worth living in and not worth fighting for” (25).

On the political left, Anti-Americanism has been prevalent and fashionable since the Vietnam War. Some believe that we had it coming, referring to terrorist attacks. Jennie Traschen insults the country that has given her freedom and safety by calling the United States “a symbol of terrorism and death and fear and destruction and oppression” (26). Overall, as someone who can think for themselves, and who holds a unique point of view, being an immigrant, D’Souza tends to agree with the political right in thinking that they are correct.

The author believes that America should not be criticized and attacked for slavery. History proves that slavery has been a part of every great civilization, from Jewish people in Egypt to prisoners of war. The fact is that Americans did not sail to Africa and simply capture people to enslave them at home; they went to Africa and bought people from their own tribal leaders who were selling them at a great profit. America is never acknowledged for being the first country to actually abolish slavery either. “It is a little known fact that African chiefs, who profited from the slave trade, sent delegates to the west to protest the abolition of slavery” (55). At least part of the blame should be directed on the people who were willing to sell their own to make money.

Western colonization was also a beneficial thing according to D’Souza. Although not beneficial for the local people during the actual time of colonialism, years later the benefits became clear, as the influences of the mother country appeared in the form of free trade, better technology, and more opportunity. The same can be said for slavery. Although their ancestors had to endure much hardship and pain, in the long run, it could be argued that slavery was beneficial for some. The descendants of the slaves are now living in America, possessing freedoms, technologies, and opportunities they probably would not have gotten in Africa.

D’Souza’s arguments against the belief that America is decadent are this. We are a self indulgent country and are in some kind of moral dwindling. Even though however, we are still the best country out there and still attempt to leave no one behind. Standards of living are so high that even poor people have cars, television’s, and are fat. America has worked to a point where we can be these things.

The final chapter of the book is called “America the Beautiful” and it is all about what we are fighting for when defending America. Our freedoms and democracy are at the top of the list followed by our commerce and ideals. We live a way of live envied by many. Even people who hate us wish they could live like us. Not defending our way of life could realistically send us into a change of cultures where Muslim ideas could take hold and we could lose simple freedoms we take for granted everyday.

D’Souza believes there are many things that are great about America. He believes that Americans are special, the country has been blessed by God, the American system of government and living is unique, and that Americans are not like people anywhere else. He believes there is plenty to fight for.