Blurbs

Branyon’s challenge to the basis and practice of ethics may prove revelatory. When the author exercises his acerbic wit, he’s as funny as a army of meercats marauding in a Catholic High Mass.
Cecil Bothwell, Asheville City Councilor and author of Whale Falls: an explanation of beliefs and its consequences.


Liberating Liberals is an entertaining and subversively therapeutic opus for all wayward liberals. Branyon gently – and sometimes not so gently – reminds us that even freethinkers need to  be constantly set free.
Howard Hanger, ordained Methodist Minister; pastor of Jubilee! Church 

Bill is a delightful speaker, well-read and erudite about history, philosophy, contemporary culture, and other topics – without ever being pompous. His humor leavens the seriousness of his subject matter and offers the audience a door into philosophical realms where deep thought doesn’t demand a solemn spirit.

A. D. Reed, actor, director, writer, editor (and occasional guest speaker)

Smokey Mountain News

Wednesday, 13 July 2011 07:25

Liberals: Demonic or Liberating

Written by Jeff Minick

In Liberating Liberals: A Political Synthesis of Nietzsche & Jesus, Vonnegut & Marx (Groucho, not Karl), Gandhi & Machiavelli (ISBN 978-0-557-68680-3), Bill Branyon has issued a call to liberals to become “free-thinkers” rather than doctrinaire politicos and to live with more joy in their lives.  

The spirit behind Branyon’s book is enthusiastic and joyful. He is clearly a man who enjoys laughter, and his sense of humor carries onto the pages of Liberating Liberals. The book’s chief asset is it exhortation to liberals embrace this sense of joy and spontaneity. Branyon writes:

“Our efforts will be greatly enhanced by simply becoming more loyal to our freethinking ideals, by becoming more comfortable and happy with the current facts of political and personal life, and by insulating our imaginations and goals against the constant assaults of conservatives.”

BILL, YOU HIT SO MANY NAILS ON THE HEAD IN THIS ELECTRIFYING BOOK, I FEEL LIKE A MILLED PIECE OF WALNUT!

SANDY VERRILL, SPRUCE PINE

There are books that one merely wanders through, and these can be a reader’s delight.  More delightful is wandering through such a book and discovering a glimpse of treasure.  Just such a glimpse inspired my imagination recently, while wandering through Asheville author Bill Branyon’s recent book, Liberating Liberals.  I glimpsed an idea that is a free-thinking rift off the American economic paradigm, and I suggest it will trigger the imagination of readers trapped in what Branyon describes as one of fundamentalism’s “brain prisons.”
       His chapter X, the brief tenth, is a marvelous discourse on the advantages of a “mixed economy,” presented in a rational, layman-friendly manner. His notion that nearly 80% of our economy is an expression of ego, may not resonate with Milton Friedman’s Chicago Boys – but it is a clever analysis and a refreshing example of organic intellectualism.  
Dal Raiford, PGA golf pro.

       The self imposed task of Bill Branyon’s Liberating Liberals is all but impossible…. Illuminate, from every angle, everything mentally achieved so far…… and the shadows that those achievements cast. Highly tantalizing, Branyon encourages us to glory in the eclectic knowledge racked up through years of reading and ruminating. This is especially delightful when they include indications of an optimistic bent for Nietzsche.                     

       It’s been great fun to be reminded of the long list of movers and shakers. Touching on miracles, the author reminds us of those few times when free thinking was nourished. The only negative for this slim volume is the insistent, ever present presentation of opposites and alternatives for our free-range! intellects. But yes, it is a worthy read, enjoyable and intellectually stimulating — and — honestly optimistic!
Jane White.

       This is intriguing. Seems to me that most idealistic points-of-view are self-righteous, antagonistic, and myopic. With them, you're either right or you're wrong. It takes an open mind to see and hear the truths among the lies. And, since the most believable, and therefore dangerous, lies have at least a grain of truth in them, this is a very serious matter. So, it is heartening to hear of someone who is willing to attempt to synthesize a greater truth from opposing sides. To top it all off, the author is from Asheville, one of my very favorite places. 
James David Redstock.

       Bill, let me tell you. I really enjoyed your talk. I mean it. You were terrific! You were so personable, and came across very genuine. You "had" your audience, dude. You gave them what they came for.
Steve Livingston, actor, activist and reclamation expert of broken media machines.

       Branyon serves up a rich stew of political philosophy. Instead of picking out our favorite pieces, liberals are encouraged to create new recipes for a changing world, to switch off the Myth America pageant and unplug from the Matrix. Bill seems to ask: Where do we place ourselves in a “Bleeding Heart – Bled To Death” spectrum of liberal activism?
Larry Abbot B.A. Political Science, Indiana University. Musician, mechanic and Green Party activist.


       You were great on Sunday! You certainly portrayed yourself as intelligent, humorous, philosophical, adorable, etc, etc, etc.
Tasha Mitchell, UNCA Literature medalist and new mother.

       Other exciting author appearances, including local Socrates, Bill Branyon, with his new book, Liberating Liberals.
Rob Neufeld: book reviewer for the Asheville Citizen Times.

Bill Branyon is a young liberal who has done his homework. Read his "Liberating Liberals" and find a cogent philosopher who cares, caught between idealism for a better world and the realism of human frailty. In his bitingly witty style dotted with clever cliches, Freethinkers can find pointers to wisdom, common sense and sincere hope. A thoughtful read.It is proof of how much study Branyon put into it and how brilliant he is.
Peg Rhodes ( author of A slender Volume of Poetry and Short Stories.

While fascinating and full of thought-provoking concepts, the book and its message was boosted tremendously by your presentation and readings. 
Lorraine Plaxico

Bill Branyon, author of "Liberating Liberals," will be at Accent on Books Friday, March 4, at 6:00 PM.  Bill's book has the subtitle, "A Political synthesis of: Nietzsche & Jesus, Vonnegut and Marx (Groucho, not Karl), Gandhi & Machiavelli." Meet this famous Asheville raconteur and rabble-rouser and get a copy of his new and unique take on progressivism! 
Lewis at Accent on Books.

       Pitting Nietzsche against Jesus in terms of meaninglessness and meaning, self-interest and self sacrifice, and reality and the supernatural, Branyon artfully clarifies religion/spirituality/philosophy for the liberal freethinker. Contrasting Kurt Vonnegut and Groucho Marx, he gives the reader comic distance on today's most painful problems. And juxtaposing the nonviolent morality of Gandhi with the violent, moral relativity of Machiavelli, he steers liberals towards the most effective political choices. And it's all done with often hilarious, often breathtaking, concrete examples that leave the reader feeling that their freethinking universe has suddenly grown exponentially larger and telescopically more clear.       
Dav Charlton

In his book Liberating Liberals  Asheville author and journalist Bill Branyon, offers a means for his readers to regain philosophical confidence by considering issues of morality and politics from both a religious perspective and through  the unsentimental eyes of an atheist. But Nietzsche's greatest contribution to the continuing human conversation was the light he shone on our tendency to shelter hidden assumptions. He called them the "shadows of God". Branyon points out that for liberals, they function much like mental prisons, effectively stifling the generation of the fresh approaches  vital to creating the better world we envision.        

He challenges us as liberals to consider, creatively, playfully and with compassionate fearlessness, an iconoclasm which might just make life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a peaceful world more likely.
Sherrill Knight – preschool teacher and mother of four.

"Having long considered myself a bleeding heart, tree-hugging, bed-wetting liberal, I thought I was in for a squirmy sit-down in the choir loft when I picked up Liberating Liberals. Not at all. Bill's not a preacher, thank... well, Whoever. He's written a practical guide to the most impractical of all pursuits: contemplating why we are here and what to do about it. With a wink and a finger simultaneously directed at intellectualism, Branyon admonishes us to become free thinkers, and makes some thoughtful suggestions as to where that might lead us. I also liked the tone of the book, the playfulness without which it would be hard to concentrate on such weighty matters. I must be a free thinker, and your book might serve me well as I hone my free thinking skills -- if I ever do "
Jerry Stubblefield – author of the acclaimed novel Homoculus

How can Jesus, Vonnegut, Nietzsche, Gandhi and Machiavelli help unlock the passion and wisdom of liberal thinking today? This is one of the questions tackled in this philosophical romp (did I mention Marx, as in Groucho?) by Bill Branyon in “Liberating Liberals." A long time observer of the Asheville political and cultural scene, Branyon navigates the tumultuous crosscurrents of right-left politics via historical and philosophical soundings and charts a way forward for all who aspire to free-thinking.
Wally Bowen, CEO of MAIN, Mountain Area Information Network (radio station, independent internet provider, and media literacy center.