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Letters to a Young Conservative
Dinesh D'Souza rose to national prominence as one of the founders of the Dartmouth Review, a leading voice in the rebirth of conservative politics on college campuses in the 1980s.He fired the first popular shot against political correctness with his best-selling expos Illiberal Education. Now, after serving as a Reagan White House staffer, the managing editor of Policy Re...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
April 13th 2005
by Basic Books
(first published October 1st 2002)
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In 30 short chapters (the book is 220 pages) D'Souza takes us on a whirlwind tour of the worldview of the conservative. Because of the brief treatment each subject receives, he cannot approach a thorough defense of any of them. Nevertheless, by the end a coherent picture emerges and he concludes by offering a reading list that should more fully satisfy the appetite he was only able to whet.
In an historical overview we learn that both conservatism and modern liberalism have their roots i...more
In an historical overview we learn that both conservatism and modern liberalism have their roots i...more
Zack
added it
In a style that is as witty as it is articulate, Dinesh D'Souza takes aim against liberal policy in Letters to a Young Conservative. The book is written in the form of a correspondence between D'Souza and a college student. It serves as a platform for most of his conservative political views. He addresses a wide range of topics; everything from abortion, feminism, and homosexuality to foreign policy, big government, and postmodernism. If you are at all knowledgable of the political realm, I sugg...more
I never knew Dinesh D'Souza had such a marvelous sense of humor, but Letters to a Young Conservative really highlights how funny he can be. I really respect D'Souza's veiws on how much opportunity there exists in America for anyone who tries, because he immigrated to America from India in 1973.
Letters to a Young Conservative is a small book packed with some great topics. D'Souza touches on subjects from affirmative action to feminism to the self-esteem hoax that actually causes peop...more
Letters to a Young Conservative is a small book packed with some great topics. D'Souza touches on subjects from affirmative action to feminism to the self-esteem hoax that actually causes peop...more
This book helped answer all my questions about current as past issues. Well written and easy to read. Not a long book, but another great book to reference back to.
I greatly value Mr. D'Souza's logical arguments against liberalism (and agree with most of those arguments), but he often lets his religious beliefs taint his thinking (gay marriage). Here were some memorable pieces that I thought either humorous or thought provoking:
"There is some overlap in the moral vocabulary that liberals and conservatives use. Both speak of 'equality,' although they mean different things by the term. Conservatives emphasize the equality of rights and the...more
"There is some overlap in the moral vocabulary that liberals and conservatives use. Both speak of 'equality,' although they mean different things by the term. Conservatives emphasize the equality of rights and the...more
Funny and entertaining advice on how to remain a conservative in the looney left indoctrination camps we call colleges. D'Souza is a bright guy who adds a touch of humor to what it means to be a conservative.
He suggests that conservatives fight against "political correctness", which is actually an attempt at thought control. Certain supposedly elite schools actually made it a punishable offense to laugh at someone. They called it "inappropriately directed laughter"...more
He suggests that conservatives fight against "political correctness", which is actually an attempt at thought control. Certain supposedly elite schools actually made it a punishable offense to laugh at someone. They called it "inappropriately directed laughter"...more
This was a good book, written at an easy-to-understand level, covering a great many 'hot topics' of the day. It is a lamentable fact that many people do not think issues through to a logical conclusion, but D'Souza helps in that pursuit. While I did not agree with him on every point, it was interesting to hear his position on things such as Abraham Lincoln, immigration, abortion, etc. I would recommend this book to readers of any political persuasion, as a spur to clearer thinking.
Got this for free, decided to see what this D'souza guy had to say. Glad I read it. It's interesting, and most often he makes generalizations that make me shake my head with concern, but it is only one person's take on "conservatism" and not representative of a group. For instance, how to bolster your argument for "conservativism"? Well, take ann issue, then fashion a straw-man made of "libertarian" views and your opinion sounds extraordinarily plausible in comp...more
If you're looking for an intellectually rigorous articulation of conservative ideals, this is not your book. I just kept thinking that if the young recipient of D'Souza's letters actually assumed the same glib, arrogant posture, he probably got his clock cleaned by the first quick-thinking liberal he met. D'Souza certainly makes a number of strong points, but too many times he falls into a pattern of setting up straw men and then demolishing them for easy applause.
I picked this up thinking it might be something along the lines of Burkean/Kirkian conservative thought, parsed through the lens of modernity and (necessarily) more succinct and abbreviated than the principal output of either of D'Souza's ideological forebears. It didn't take me long to realize it was more of a primer in that delightful culture war trademark tactic of How to Annoy the Other Side. Presumably, D'Souza felt he could crank out a barbed and amusing epistolary volume that would be lig...more
I wasn't familiar with D'Sousa when I read this, but I think I'm glad that was the case after doing so. Quite the self-important streak he has there.
This book was a truly frightening window into contemporary conservative thought. There are basically no ideas here, except that liberals are stupid and ugly, and that Reagan was a great man. Whether you agree or disagree, it would be nice to see some actual attention paid to supporting these arguments with something resembling rational analysis.
The jokes are about what you'd expect from a 12-year-old boy... who's not very funny. But, like Anaconda, Kazaam, and other similar movies,...more
The jokes are about what you'd expect from a 12-year-old boy... who's not very funny. But, like Anaconda, Kazaam, and other similar movies,...more
I've seen this book described as a series of rational arguments against the liberal agenda. Unfortunately, that is not what you will find. This "rational" book with its "logical" conclusions is rife with straw man arguments. Inflammatory statements are tossed about to mask weak points, anecdotal stories are presented as hard data, unnecessary distasteful jokes are sprinkled in, all removing the credibility of his sparse solid uses of logic. This is yet another political b...more
really brilliant! I would recommend this book to liberals and conservatives alike!
I learned that being a conservative is not necessarily a choice, but a life style.
Excellent! Priceless tool to help young people understand conservatism.
Politics is always tough to discuss because there's less room for middle ground out there today. D'Souza emigrated to the US from India (if I remember correctly), and slowly made the transition from ultra-liberal to conservative. His book uses correspondence between he and a young college student to explain how and why he came to his political orientation. He does an adequate job of rebutting many of the common liberal attacks on the conservative agenda. It's a quick read, and worth it for anyon...more
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Doug Cannon
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An interesting book. D'Souza writes some interesting philosophies, and I like his ideas for the most part. He seems to be truly conservative, although he does have some anti-liberal tendencies. Being anti-liberal is not the same as conservative (i.e. Sean Hannity is anti-liberal, not conservative). D'Souza has some good principles to learn from.
One of my favorite political books because for the most part, (not entirely) he avoids ugly rants and just explains the views of conservatives. It's very simple, and at times simplistic, but straightforward. I'd like to find a similar book for liberals, if anyone has any suggestions?
Illiberal Education and What's So Great About America were excellent. Here, however, D'Souza mostly jabbers irrationally. Mnay of the arguments are critically flawed. Is this his attempt at humor? Epic fail.
Renee
rated it
Recommends it for:
conservatives, conservative-curious
Shelves:
politics-current-events-history,
nonfiction
This book was essentially a warm fuzzy for the politically conservative and a primer for those youngsters who want to know what conservativism is all about. I found it engaging, well-presented and very positive.
The impression I got from this book was that, basically, if you are a liberal, you are an awful person, doomed to an eternity of immoral thoughts and a lack of competence, no matter who you are.
A range of essays aimed defending some volatile topics that comprise the basis of the conservative position. Good arguments, easy to understand, funny, short chapters... I loved it.
Robert
added it
Good book about conservative thought but as is common with a lot of political thought too much time is spent demonizing the other side.
Excellent! So comprehensive and foundational and told with the truth and insight that only an American immigrant can give.
I learned that I would rather gouge my own eyes out than have to read this book again. Not very academic, but true.
This is my third time reading this book. Excellent foundational principles of conservatism.
Deep, witty, humorous and true. An everyday good read!
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Catholic Indian conservative writer and speaker.
A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D'Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.
D'souza writes primarily about Christianity, ...more
More about Dinesh D'Souza...
A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D'Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.
D'souza writes primarily about Christianity, ...more
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“There is a legitimate argument over whether the death penalty effectively deters violent crime, although my personal observation is that not one of the criminals who have been executed over the years has ever killed again.”
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