Having gone from a weekly stint on a major Memphis radio program at age 13 to 120 stations and counting for the Ben Ferguson Show
at 22, the syndicated conservative wunderkind takes a stab in print at being the voice of conservative youth. On a host of political issues (gun control, school prayer, etc.), Ferguson's approach is "telling it like it is." His positions are to the right of center (for school prayer, against gun control), but Ferguson presents himself as a contrarian. As proof of his independence, he criticizes Republicans for their complacency and lack of concern for average Americans and even urges them to learn from Bill Clinton's "I feel your pain" populism. A light polemic, Ferguson's book is not closely argued; the writing is unsophisticated and the ideas are simplistic. But the book—dedicated in part to "those who hope I fail"—is just as much about pointed revelation ("Some people laugh when I tell them I am twenty-two and have never had sex," begins the chapter "Why I'm a Virgin") and Ferguson's stocktaking of his career so far, which will be of just as much interest to fans. Agent, Lisa Queen at IMG.
(Sept.)
