Bio
O’Reilly is best known for his time as a host on The O’Reilly Factor, a show aired on Fox News from 1996 until 2017. He has a background in journalism and history. He first majored in history and graduated as a historian in 1971. After teaching English and History for a few years, he decided to go back to school and get his degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University.
Career
He used his university years to write articles and columns for several papers and interned at a TV channel. His career quickly moved to TV, but he seems to have regained his early love for the written word.
Best Bill O’Reilly Books
Writing
The Bill O’Reilly’s Killing series he is now acclaimed for mixed both of his passions: history and journalism. The result is a long string of books that are factual, researched, and entertaining, focusing each time on different personalities or historic events, and have been acclaimed and raved about in Bill O’Reilly book reviews.
We have compiled the 10 top Bill O’Reilly books so you can peruse through this review and decide where you would like to start, and end, your Killing readings.
Killing the Rising Sun
The Nips Won’t Quit
The Nips Won’t QuitThis is one of the best Bill O’Reilly novels for readers who can’t get enough of the world’s biggest armed conflict. World War II was a bloody and horrifically violent affair that ravaged large swathes of the Earth for more than five years. Which is why, decades later, it is still possible for O’Reilly to write a book about the battle between America and Japan, and shed new light on the matter.
In 1944, although the war on the European battlefield was drawing to an end because Berlin was set to fall in the spring of 1945, the Pacific area was still caught up in the throes of war. America was up against a tough enemy because Japanese war traditions considered surrendering a dishonor, which meant the Nippon army was prepared for a fight to the death.
To Bomb or Not To Bomb
To make matters worse, the American president Roosevelt dies, and Truman is catapulted into one of the most powerful positions in the world at the worst possible time in history. He is called upon to make tough decisions – such as whether or not to utilize the new mass destruction weapon that scientists have just discovered.
Killing the Rising Sun gives history-loving readers an insight into a moment that completely changed the existing world order. It’s the end of the Japanese Empire, the Rising Sun that finally did set.
Killing Kennedy
The Elvis of Presidents
The Elvis of PresidentsIf presidents could be rated on a celebrity scale, John Fitzgerald Kennedy would be an A-lister. Charming, charismatic, and catholic… and on top of that, young and handsome. He had everything he needed to become a media sensation, including a beautiful and stylish wife on his arm.
The assassination of JFK is one of those turning-points in history, forever etched into the memory of those that lived through it. Conspiracy theories have sprung up around it, like mushrooms after a rainy day, because the facts were never really all too clear. Why was President Kennedy killed, exactly?
Drama, Drama, Drama
In addition to everything else, Kennedy’s life has always attracted interest. The Cold War tensions running rampant in the early 1960s, the fact that he handled what could have easily turned into World War III with the Cuban Missile crisis… and then, the glamour and glitz of Hollywood, of Marilyn Monroe, America’s sweet-heart…
This is one of the best Bill O’Reilly books for those who want to read history but feel like they are reading a novel because the sheer drama of Kennedy’s life makes facts feel like fiction.
Killing England
Fighting for Freedom
Fighting for FreedomIn 1776, a series of events would give birth to a new nation: the United States of America, a country destined to become a giant superpower. But first, it needed to exist as an independent entity, and to do that it had to cut the umbilical cord keeping it attached to England.
In Killing England, O’Reilly and Dugard partner up once again to tell the story of the American strife for independence. The battles, the politics, the diplomacy, and all the gruesome details that any story on war includes. The authors delve into the dark side of events and don’t sugar-coat the torture and barbaric acts that both sides committed in order to vanquish the adversary.
The Human Side of Things
One of the more interesting parts of this book is how it portrays the characters. It is told from the points of view of some of the major actors during the time: George Washing, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and King George III. Killing England does a fantastic job at showing them as they were, warts and all, such as King George’s mental breakdown or Ben Franklin’s gallivanting ways.
Highlighting that history is made by men and women, not too different from the readers themselves, making decisions that, at times, can have a profound impact. This is one of the most popular Bill O’Reilly books and the best books written by Bill O’Reilly for readers obsessed with the American War of Independence, and life in colonial times.
The United States of Trump
Agree to Disagree
Agree to DisagreeDonald Trump’s candidacy to the Presidency of the United States surprised many back in 2015 (except perhaps the creators of The Simpsons), and his rise to the Oval Office left many agape. Because if Trump can do one thing, it’s divided opinions. He is renowned for his aggressive twitter style and his controversial statements. It is one of the latest books by Bill O’Reilly published in 2019.
In The United States of Trump, O’Reilly digs into Trump’s past – his childhood experiences, his upbringing, his education – to understand the particular view of America that colors the President’s view on international and domestic affairs.
Observer’s Point of View
His many years as a journalist have trained O’Reilly to look at the facts, first and foremost, and this is what he does in this work of non-fiction. The views stated are neither staunchly pro-Trump, nor are they anti-Trump.
The reader will be gifted with a non-partisan insight into the mind of the man holding one of the most powerful positions, in order to truly understand the motivations behind his decision-making process in the Executive branch. Taking a detour from his Killing series, O’Reilly focuses on a living, breathing, current-day politician, and tries to present to the reader Trump’s very own vision of the “great” America.
Killing Paton
War Hero Is Born
War Hero Is BornGeorge Smith Patton is a controversial figure – his strengths may have also been his weaknesses. However, it is undeniable that this general who commanded the Mediterranean theatre of World War II left a lasting imprint on the US Army. His tactics and strategies helped, and he was well-known for his ability to breathe some life into the troops when they were feeling downtrodden and defeated.
War Hero Is Dead
The events surrounding his death, however, have stirred up even more controversy, as many consider that the “accidental” death may not have been an accident after all. He was a powerful man during a troubling time in history, and anyone fighting a war with General Patton’s complete lack of political finesse was likely to rack up a long list of enemies.
O’Reilly and Dugard give a detailed account of the last year of World War II, including the events leading up to the death of General Patton in December 1945. The present facts and findings to support the idea that, perhaps, opening up an investigation into the death (or killing) of Paton is warranted…
Killing Reagan
When It Gets Tough…
…The tough get going. And yes, some readers may be confused and thinking, “but wait, Reagan wasn’t killed, was he?” In one of the best books by Bill O’Reilly, the author/journalist breaks character a little and includes a near assassination in his list of facts-that-read-like-fiction books.
Ronald Reagan was shot and almost killed a few months into his term in office as President of the United States. The most powerful man on Earth at the time fought a battle between life and death and ultimately survived. Killing Reagan tells the story of a president’s transformation after facing death, and how he fought to deal with the trauma and continue leading the world’s most powerful nation.
From Hollywood to the White House
Billy O’Reilly takes the reader back to Reagan’s beginnings. His journey as a young actor in Hollywood, his encounters with many famous faces of the golden age of cinema, his stay in the governor’s mansion in California, and finally, his term in office during a decade in which the world order that has lasted almost forty years was about to fall.
A personal and intimate look into the challenges of doing politics in a rapidly changing environment, the author manages to humanize. An amazing publication on our list of Bill O’Reilly books.
Killing Lincoln
Exit the Stage
Exit the StageApril 15, 1865. Almost an entire week after the Civil War – an armed conflict that has divided the young United States of America for four years – Abraham Lincoln dies hours after receiving a shot to the head when he is at the theatre.
The murder’s timing is calculated. The Confederate surrender means that a new country is about to be re-built, where freed slaves and the generals that fought against their liberation will all have to co-exist. Lincoln is set to orchestrate the new era that he is ushering in, but his life and projects are cut short with a single bullet.
Domino Effect
Killing Lincoln takes readers on an epic journey, with an all too well-known fatal ending. Any historical event is triggered by many, often overlapping, wheels that are set into motion by a horde of actors. In one of O’Reilly’s best-rated books, the fateful death of a president at a pivotal point in American history is painted vividly thanks to the authors’ entertaining narrative style.
If you consider yourself an eclectic mix of history-buff and suspense-lover, this is the best Bill O’Reilly book for you. It combines history and a fast-paced narrative to ensure the kind of gripping interest your history teacher wished you’d displayed in class.
Killing the SS
Uncovering Evil
Uncovering EvilAnother entry on our list of books written by O’Reilly and one of O’Reilly’s best books is Killing the SS. World War II has finally ended. As everyone is coming to terms with the meaning behind the end of the armed conflict and the topple of Nazi rule in Germany, the extent of the brutal war crimes and genocide orchestrated by the Third Reich is uncovered.
The world is understandably shocked. And shock turns to anger when the same men responsible for such horrors manage to flee prosecution, living in freedom in other parts of the world.
Team of Vigilantes
For many, especially those who suffered directly at their hands, letting these criminals walk unpunished is not an option. A group of intrepid and determine “Nazi-hunters” does their best to track them down and bring them to justice.
Chilling, thrilling, and filled with page-turning suspense, Killing the SS reads like an Epilogue of World War II. The final chapter in a horror story where the villains are relentlessly chased to ensure they pay for their sins. One of O’Reilly’s best-selling books ready to sweep its readers into the thrilling story of real-life events. Who says you need fiction?
Killing Jesus
Fresh Perspective
Fresh PerspectiveAnyone who grew up going to mass or Sunday school knows about the life of Jesus – through the words of the Bible. In one of the top Bill O’Reilly history books and one of the best Bill O’Reilly books in his Killing series.
The authors tell the life of one of the most influential prophets on Earth from an entirely new set of eyes. Killing Jesus is less about turning water into wine and multiplying fish and bread, and more about the socio-political context of an Empire, and how Jesus lived and died in it.
When in Rome
Much of this book is centered around giving historical context. The political situation and unrest in Rome. The role religion played in state politics. How Judea fit into the mix – its ties to Rome, their religious freedom, the taxes, etc.
Giving a macroscopic view of the time the Christian religion was born will give readers, religious or not, a much deeper insight into how Jesus lived, and more importantly, how he died and why.
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
Intimate Memoir
Intimate MemoirThis best Bill O’Reilly novel does not belong to O’Reilly’s Killing books, and for good reason: the author and object of the book is still very much alive. A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity is an intimate and personal memoir that tells the tale of how O’Reilly, the famous news anchor and well-known TV personality, came to be.
It was actually one of his teachers, Sister Mary Lurana, who gave him the idea for the title when she blurted it out to him during class. An eight-year-old rambunctious William had just made a silly remark in class. The remark has since been forgotten, but the words uttered by the habit-wearing teacher were not: even in his youth, O’Reilly felt the nun’s comment perfectly described his very essence.
Private Tour
O’Reilly gives his readers and fans a private tour of his life’s journey and the making of himself. In his memoir, he lays out the events that led him to where he is now – from history teacher to TV sensation and best-selling author.
We’re not listing O’Reilly’s books ranked, this is not the worst just because it’s the last. If you love a good and inspiring story and like to get the background facts, you’ll love A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. The most personal book the author has written to date. If this review wasn’t long enough and you are looking for more recommendations, we suggest one of the new books by Bill O’Reilly titled Killing Crazy Horse.
Michael Englert
Michael is a graduate of cultural studies and history. He enjoys a good bottle of wine and (surprise, surprise) reading. As a small-town librarian, he is currently relishing the silence and peaceful atmosphere that is prevailing.
