Breakthrough
Our Guerilla War to Expose Fraud and Save Democracy
Published on 18. June 2013
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-4767-0617-7 (ISBN)
Description
New York Times Bestseller!
Hailed by David Weigel in Slate as having "had more of an impact on the 2012 election than any journalist," James O'Keefe is young, brash, and provocative: a new breed of guerrilla reporter for the twenty-first century. He and his associates have famously infiltrated some of America's most protected organizations and institutions. They have challenged politicians, bureaucrats, media moguls, union bosses, and election officials, all with the goal of exposing the lies and malfeasance heretofore hidden from the public. Now, O'Keefe chronicles the harrowing undercover investigation that opened America's eyes to the chicanery of its state houses and the duplicity of the White House during one of the most compromised election campaigns in our nation's history: the 2012 presidential race.
Of all his controversial sting operations, this was the one that his late mentor, Andrew Breitbart, called "his most consequential." While still on federal probation, O'Keefe organized an army of citizen journalists, planned a series of video stings to reveal the American system's vulnerability to voter fraud, and went nose to nose with the most powerful political machine in the world. Along the way, O'Keefe found disheartening evidence that Americans are not nearly as free a people as we may believe, but he also showed just how much real change ordinary citizens can bring about when they are willing to risk the wrath of the powerful. In just a few years, O'Keefe and his citizen journalism corps, Project Veritas, uncovered systemic corruption at ACORN, leading to its defunding by Congress; exposed the contemptuous biases of NPR executives leading to the resignation of two of their top people and a vote to freeze NPR funding by the House of Representatives; showed the callous indifference of New Jersey Educational Association officials to taxpayers and students; and revealed the easy tolerance of fraud at Planned Parenthood, Medicaid, HUD, and other government agencies. Perhaps most important, their work inspired several states to reform their election laws. Free of ideology, Breakthrough is at its core a clarion call for a more ethical society. Despite being vilified and libeled by an establishment media dedicated to suppressing the truth, James O'Keefe has dared to break through the firewall and reshape public opinion by showing things as they really are.
Hailed by David Weigel in Slate as having "had more of an impact on the 2012 election than any journalist," James O'Keefe is young, brash, and provocative: a new breed of guerrilla reporter for the twenty-first century. He and his associates have famously infiltrated some of America's most protected organizations and institutions. They have challenged politicians, bureaucrats, media moguls, union bosses, and election officials, all with the goal of exposing the lies and malfeasance heretofore hidden from the public. Now, O'Keefe chronicles the harrowing undercover investigation that opened America's eyes to the chicanery of its state houses and the duplicity of the White House during one of the most compromised election campaigns in our nation's history: the 2012 presidential race.
Of all his controversial sting operations, this was the one that his late mentor, Andrew Breitbart, called "his most consequential." While still on federal probation, O'Keefe organized an army of citizen journalists, planned a series of video stings to reveal the American system's vulnerability to voter fraud, and went nose to nose with the most powerful political machine in the world. Along the way, O'Keefe found disheartening evidence that Americans are not nearly as free a people as we may believe, but he also showed just how much real change ordinary citizens can bring about when they are willing to risk the wrath of the powerful. In just a few years, O'Keefe and his citizen journalism corps, Project Veritas, uncovered systemic corruption at ACORN, leading to its defunding by Congress; exposed the contemptuous biases of NPR executives leading to the resignation of two of their top people and a vote to freeze NPR funding by the House of Representatives; showed the callous indifference of New Jersey Educational Association officials to taxpayers and students; and revealed the easy tolerance of fraud at Planned Parenthood, Medicaid, HUD, and other government agencies. Perhaps most important, their work inspired several states to reform their election laws. Free of ideology, Breakthrough is at its core a clarion call for a more ethical society. Despite being vilified and libeled by an establishment media dedicated to suppressing the truth, James O'Keefe has dared to break through the firewall and reshape public opinion by showing things as they really are.
Reviews / Votes
"Breakthrough should be read by every aspiring journalist...If you are concerned with media freedom, this `breakthrough' will shock and inspire you." -- The Washington Times "O'Keefe's new book Breakthrough is a spine-tingling, true crime thriller about the quest for truth in the age of media obfuscation... his book reads more like Gulliver's Travels than a story about political journalism." -- Gavin McInnes, Fox News Red Eye Contributor "O'Keefe and his colleagues provide an example of what's right about the craft of journalism." -- Christopher Harper, Washington Times op-ed "The new book by James O'Keefe, makes clear this problem to armchair patriots who think someone else is better qualified to engage in direct action. It is a how-to guide for a modern activist craving a blueprint for action." -- J. Christian Adams, publisher of PJ Media "Code Veritas: James O'Keefe is back...This intellectual heir to Andrew Breitbart has produced a devastating attack on the smeary leftist establishment." -- Roger Kimball, editor-in-chief of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books "In 320 gripping pages, 28-year-old O'Keefe describes being thrust under the national microscope...O'Keefe's book-which serves simultaneously as a memoir, a manifesto, a tell-all and an activist handbook-the reader watches a young man grow up, wise up and toughen up." -- Chris Moody, Yahoo News "Fast-paced enough to be a summer beach read, yet substantial enough to stand as a serious criticism of government and media, O'Keefe's tale of his whirlwind past four years will have your stomach churning and your blood boiling, but in the end will make you want to stand up and cheer. A splendid change of pace from the standard format political books follow. [His] raw, genuine, and tightly focused rage is the beating heart of Breakthrough, and sets it apart within its genre...Breakthrough is a call-to-action and a playbook for aspiring citizen journalists." -- Watchdog Wire "Upstart James O'Keefe has dealt a major blow to the establishment." (George Stephanopoulos) . . . "Go watch this video. It's enlightening, it's enraging." (Governor Chris Christie, on the NJEA video) . . . "What I know is that what I saw on those videos was certainly inappropriate."--(President Obama on the ACORN videos) . . ."I'd say this is a grand slam home run." (Rush Limbaugh, on the NPR investigation) . . . "James O'Keefe is dismissed as a `conservative activist,' but he's doing something much worse-journalism." (The New York Post) . . . "O'Keefe aims to discredit us." (Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times) . . . "O'Keefe is courageous." (Glenn Beck) . . . "A latter-day Mike Wallace." (Dennis Miller) . . . "The Ashton Kutcher of the Conservative Movement." (Jon Stewart) . . . "He is already well on his way to being one of the great journalists and deserves a Pulitzer." (Andrew Breitbart) -- What the Right and the Left are saying about James O'KeefeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
438 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4767-0617-7 (9781476706177)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2013
1st Edition
Threshold Editions
€11.86
Available for download
Person
James E. O'Keefe III gained major national attention for his release of video recordings of workers at ACORN offices in 2009, his arrest in early 2010 at the office of Senator Mary Landrieu, and his release of videos of NPR executives in 2011. In June 2010, O'Keefe formed Project Veritas, an organization with the stated mission to "investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct."