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Book Reviews

Is the Lack of ‘Friction’ in Our Virtual World Leading to Liberalism’s Decline?
Our rapid-fire communication technologies may be overwhelming our capacity to deliberate and empathize, two new books suggest
 • 
J. L. Wall
3
'Abundance’ Offers a Sounder Way Forward for the Left than Degrowth or Redistributive Progressivism
But the authors of this important book might have been more effective had they chosen a less confrontational strategy with their own side
 • 
Samantha Hancox-Li
19
Free Trade Has Stronger Intellectual Roots in the Left than the Right
Before the Cold War, free market liberals and Marxists both saw commerce as a force for global peace and equitable prosperity, a historian shows
 • 
Matthew McManus
1
William F. Buckley Cemented the Conservative Movement’s Preoccupation with the Liberal Enemy
He couldn’t define what conservatism was, just what it wasn’t
 • 
Joshua Tait
12
We Need to Restore a Healthy Protestantism to Save American Liberalism
An incisive book by an atheist convincingly shows how both major strands of this faith tradition lost their way
 • 
Berny Belvedere
9
We Could Use Some Real “Wokeness”
Musa al-Gharbi’s important book offers an honest critique of progressive elites that is free of right-wing diatribes
 • 
Matthew McManus
14
Moses Can Lead Israelis and Palestinians Out of Their Bloody Conflict
The prophet revered by Jews and Muslims can help them overcome their ‘darkest hour,’ Mustafa Akyol's historical account shows
 • 
J. L. Wall
5
The Censorship-Industrial Complex: The Right’s New Boogeywoman
Renée DiResta describes how a loose coalition of influencers mobilized on social media and targeted her for the crime of flagging lies and…
 • 
Jonathan Rauch
16
Responsible Conservatism Really Was a Thing for a While
David Austin Walsh’s intellectual history of the American right is excellent but overstates Trumpism's continuity with the conservatism that preceded it
 • 
Joseph Stieb
16
The Right's Infatuation With Fascist Strongmen Is Nothing New
Jacob Heilbrunn's book excavates the authoritarian intellectual roots of Trump's MAGA movement
 • 
Steve Chapman
22
The New Right's Attack on Markets Is as Ignorant as the Old Left's
State capitalism that both sides are pushing will lead to economic ruin and corruption
 • 
Brent Orrell
 and 
David Veldran
1
Liz Cheney’s Stand Against Trump: Too Late, But Not Too Little
In her new book, she should have held herself accountable for enabling him for so long
 • 
Steve Chapman
7
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