Age of Tolerance, A Novel of Alternate History from Al to Allah

by Glen Reinsford

In the aftermath of September 11th, 2001, President Al Gore courageously leads the nation into a new Age of Tolerance following the devastating attacks on America, and into a future that we avoided…... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977216403
• ISBN13: 9780977216406
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: The Yukon Group
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Story Deferred

I read and enjoyed this book when it first came out but with President Bush in the White House, it was most assuredly a work of fiction. I'm not sure anymore. Now we have President Obama, who is engaged in far worse domestic and foreign policy than either Al Gore in the book or his successor. I am re-reading the book in that light and now feel it is more non-fiction than fiction, and I don't think I will enjoy it like I did the first time. But this book is certainly worth a read today, even more than when it first was released.

Satire and Sermon

Here's a couple of news items for people who don't get this book... First, it's called SATIRE! This isn't Dickens, because it isn't meant to be. He forces his subplots and characters to make political and social points. Sure the transitions are awkward at times, but that's to be expected when you try and fit 50-years into 500 pages. Second, Glen Reinsford can't predict the future. This may sound obvious, but people are taking this story way too seriously. Just because he bases his situations on actual events and quotes doesn't mean that he is claiming a deadly disease will hit America in 2046, for example, or that there will be another 9-11 in 2051. This guy obviously had fun when he wrote the book, and the more a person has kept up with current events in America over the last decade or so, then the more fun they'll have when they read it. I didn't recognize some of the things that are in it myself, but I could tell when he was basing a scene around a real-life event. Sure, he takes more than a few crotch kicks at liberals. You know what - they do the same thing to us, so it's about time someone turned the tables on those who control our media and pop culture. The only genuine complaint that I've heard so far is that the proof-reading wasn't perfect, but I get the impression that it was rushed to print and (for me) it's hardly a big deal. If you're a Gore supporter, then DON'T buy the book. If you're expecting Hemingway, then buy Hemingway. Otherwise, know that you're getting a deeply partisan novel that is unique, preachy and morbidly intriguing.

Terrifyingly Important

First of all, Reinsford's book is very readable. The story is engaging and appealing. Some of the characters are a little one-dimensional, but that is sort of the point of satire. It doesn't significantly detract from the novel. Second, this book has an extremely important message. Islamists will use our values and freedom against us, if we let them. The goal of Islam is, and always has been, world domination. The Islamic world doesn't have the means to subjugate the US by force, so they will (and do already) try other tactics. Terrorism apologist group CAIR is a prime example of this. Third, I would like to address some of the other comments/criticisms of the novel. "The book is clearly dangerous because it implies that certain cultures or religion can be inferior to others, even if Reinsford doesn't come out and say it." The idea of moral and cultural relativism, which justifies female circumcision, honor killings, and genocide, is far more dangerous than the denial of said relativism. "Indeed, the whole book is an exercise in schizophrenia. It develops early in the story when Al Gore is presented as a robotic moron ("Not a single one of the Arab hijackers had been racially profiled at the airport. Now that's something to feel good about!") while certain other Democrats appear patriotic and level-headed. What are we supposed to believe - that Democrats are OK or not OK?" Perhaps this commentator is simply confused because he is used to reading unproductive partisan rhetoric, but the fact that Reinsford does not pigeonhole people based on their political parties is a good thing. "He is anti-racial throughout...but then argues forcefully against Affirmative Action and even appears to support racial profiling...Bizarre..." Perhaps Reinsford (rightly) belives that Affirmative Action is a racist policy, and that racial profiling is, in fact, not. "Either Glen Reinsford has multiple-personality disorder, or he is some sort of enlightened sage that thinks way outside the box. I suspect the former." I suspect the latter. Reinsford takes an honest look at Islam and its "Unholy Alliance" with the left-wing. He values factual correctness over political correctness - exactly the kind of person I like to listen to. I would recommend this book to anyone. Determined left-wingers and Muslims will probably manage not to like this book, but that doesn't make them right.

Not perfect, but a pretty cool book that is highly entertaining and informative!

This is a broad story about a hypothetical moral and social collapse in the future United States, as well as the consequences of isolationism and appeasement. It is the only work of fiction I know of that mocks political correctness and reduces liberals to naïve caricatures that sound very much like their real-life counterparts. The story begins with a Gore/Lieberman presidency on 9/11. Gore's response to the attacks is textbook American Leftism, a combination of compassion and the pursuit of "international respect." He also takes a liberal approach to immigration and border security ("there are no 'illegal' people") and actually seeks to curry world opinion by making the country 'look' more like the world... think pro-diversity. Flash-forward 25 years into the future, where the consequences of such policy begin to take shape. The border is a mess, business is saddled with unions and government regulations, Islamists have penetrated the intelligence agencies, and dictators are consolidating power across the globe. All the while, liberals (who slowly inherit America from fleeing conservatives) are celebrating their country's "progress" - completely clueless of the fact that they've "accommodated those who have no intention of accommodating them." There are several dimensions to the story: America through the eyes of a Black conservative, the alternate history speculation about Al Gore, cultural critique of a "Hollywood Nation," and the demise of patriotism and individual responsibility. The author bites off quite a bit. Radical environmentalism, progressive taxation, government encroachment in industry, affirmative action, Islam, and even animal rights are among other issues strung together like a series of Flannery O'Conner stories across a vast timeline. The characters are fun, particularly the liberal ones, who come in wide variety. There are the Manhattan socialites, narrow-minded college professors and plenty of left-of-center politicians that blame every social failure on phantom reactionaries and racists. Parts of the book are obviously satirical (in one scene, a woman responds to a foreign military threat by closing her eyes and Visualizing World Peace). Other parts are inspiring, such as the massive American bombardment of Alberta. Meanwhile, political correctness runs amok. Pearl Harbor is renamed Peace Harbor, for example, to protect the sensibilities of Japanese-Americans. It is later decommissioned altogether as liberal politicians see little need for maintaining a military in a gilded age of peace and tolerance ("nothing is worth war"). It might have been better if the author hadn't tried so hard to make it realistic (ie. tying it to a timeline and basing it around real-life events). For example, Ward Churchill and OJ Simpson will certainly be recognized by most readers, but that may not be true in the case in which Sybil Shepherd's "alar scare" performance in front of Congress is mocked (even if it is hilarious

Fun Book with a Serious Message

Conservative fiction has certainly changed from the post-nuclear, "Deathlands" genre. This is an intelligent book that is humorous in places, but told in a realistic way. The story begins with a prelude that is forty years in the future, where it appears that 9/11 is happening all over again. It is there that we meet Pat Ridley and Robert Danforth, two men whose differences are a lot deeper than race. How could 9/11 happen again? Well, it turns out that Al Gore was elected President in 2000 and he steered the country in a different path after the WTC attacks, including an immigration drive to attract Muslims in order to bring the country's diversity into balance with the rest of the world. Though the consequences aren't immediately evident, they play out logically in the future as the story progresses from 2001 to 2067. Much of it centers around eight students who are born around 9/11 and come of age in a shared classroom on the campus of Berkeley. The well-indoctrinated graduates go on to positions of power in politics, law, journalism and television, where they promote the far Leftist agenda that ivory-towered academics promised would yield success in the real world. For military buffs, there is a West Bank evacuation near the beginning (when Hillary is President) and a "Doolittle-like" raid further along that are both quite imaginative. The story picks up a lot of speed in the last half and is a real page-turner. Real life characters in the book range from Michael Moore to O.J. Simpson. Other characters seem to be based heavily on familiar people, like a Susan Sarandon/Cybil Shepherd-type actress. There are even actual quotes used to justify various decisions in the storyline. Certain events are recognizable, such as the Beslan hostage tragedy - although this Beslan is in South Carolina!). Reinsford tackles a lot in this book, from illegal immigration to racial preferences and academic indoctrination. He integrates all of this into a story that is told in snatches from various viewpoints over the years. Although it is a fun book, it was clearly meant to be educational, and this makes it different from the average novel. I think it is as important in the fight against multicultural "political correctness" as any non-fiction book you will find.