Confronting America: What Has to Change by O'Reilly, Bill

What has to change in America--and why.

The new book in the #1 bestselling series.

America remains the world's greatest land of opportunity, but too many Americans have lost sight of the values that made it work. Patriotism and civic responsibility have weakened. Families and schools too often fail to teach discipline, character, and personal responsibility. Hard work and self-reliance are losing ground to entitlement and dependency. Drugs, destructive popular culture, and social media are doing real damage.

In Confronting America, Bill O'Reilly argues that the answer is not nostalgia or another government program. It is a return to informed citizenship, strong families, honest education, meaningful work, generosity, self-respect, and a willingness to put country and community ahead of self. His central challenge is straightforward: "Americans need to wise up."

How do we do that?

Education: Our system--once the envy of the world--now ranks below many countries. Restore higher standards of performance so that grade, middle, and high schools prepare our young people for work and life...not unemployment or jail.

Family: The collapse of stable family structures is disastrous for young people--especially boys, who need fathers to be present in their lives. Let's honor, rather than denigrate, the values that support two parent households.

Drugs: For misguided reasons, we've legalized and enabled drug use through so-called "harm reduction"--with predictable results. The law must help--and require--drug addicts to get clean and be productive members of society.

Work: It used to be normal and expected that people would work for a living. Now, not so much. We need to revive the importance of labor, of all kinds, at all levels, and honor the skills of all who show up and do their jobs.

Religion: America is becoming increasingly godless, and the decline of spirituality has weakened shared concepts of right and wrong. Americans don't have to join the "God Squad," but religion can reinforce social order--and everyone should respect the law and practice decent behavior.

Ultimately, Confronting America is both a warning and a challenge: America will improve when Americans do.

Author: Bill O'Reilly,Josh Hammer
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 09/15/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.38h x 6.15w x 1.19d
ISBN: 9781250374073

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2026

About the Author

BILL O'REILLY is a trailblazing television journalist and the author of twenty #1 New York Times bestsellers, including the twelve books in the Killing series of narrative histories, as well as Confronting the Presidents and Confronting Evil. He lives on Long Island, New York.

JOSH HAMMER studied political theory at The George Washington University and international politics at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He writes and produces some of the most successful programs in America, including The O'Reilly Update with Bill O'Reilly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.