Book Review: "Rediscovering American Values" by Dick DeVos

This book, written over a decade ago by the man who lost last year's gubernatorial election here in Michigan, is a series of essays on twenty-four "values" which DeVos believes are important to a better America. He is right. Many of us could probably think of a few more to add to the list (he makes no claim that his twenty-four are a complete, all-inclusive set).

Each essay includes good reasoning about why he believes the "value" is important in our American society, and includes at least one real-life example of a person or people who lived out that value and bettered their community. There is a certain "feel-good" element to the writing, also. Each essay could almost be a stand-alone speech on the virtues of that value.

It is interesting that DeVos references his religion frequently. Although he is not Baptist, as I am, there is much in common with what he believes is healthy for society and what we Baptists believe is healthy for society. Although we may have doctrinal differences (and although I would have been a little bit more forward with inserting Biblical teaching/doctrine/references than he was), there is a lot of wisdom in this book. And that's no surprise, when you consider that he did get a lot of that wisdom from The Book.