"Big structural change" is back in vogue. The 2010s saw the return of the left’s boldest claim: that history’s wheel would finally turn and capitalism would at long last end. From the fervor surrounding Occupy Wall Street emerged a flurry of books arguing capitalism had exhausted itself (like David Wallerstein’s Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism) or rewriting basic economic principles (like Thomas Piketty’s much-publicized Capital in the Twenty-First Century). Not since the 19th century have expectations of broad and rapid change been so popular.
What do people mean when they talk about stuff being full of “chemicals”? Isn’t all matter made of chemicals from one part of the periodic table or another? What do they mean by “unnatural” chemicals? Synthetic goos of various sorts?
During crises, it can be important to look to the past for reminders of normalcy. Linda Sarsour's new memoir, We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders, offers such an escape, reminding readers of the pre-pandemic era when people still talked about things like "white privilege" and the "liberation of Palestine." Published shortly before the coronavirus outbreak evolved into a pandemic and much of the United States shut down to confront a global health emergency, Sarsour's book offers a message that is now alien to the current moment.
New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat may be America's most widely read conservative. It is a testament to his singular skill and wisdom, then, that he has written so thoughtful and compelling a book that bemoans the end of progress. The Decadent Society, his fifth full-length offering, is Douthat at his best—clever, considered, counterintuitive, and shot through with insight about modern America.
Since President Donald Trump took office, the media have spilled oceans of ink on the conflicts coming from inside his White House. While his first year had notable ideological splits among staffers and a high turnover, such internecine conflict is far from new, as shown in Tevi Troy's latest book Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump.
If there is one word to describe The Manipulators, the excellent new book from Daily Caller editor Peter J. Hasson, it must be "outrageous." That is not to say that Hasson's work—staid and thoroughly researched—is outrageous, but that the story he tells should leave any sensible reader, conservative or otherwise, outraged.
No one wanted Mark Halperin to write a book. Shunned from public life in 2017 after numerous (ex-)colleagues at ABC News accused him of sexual misconduct, the disgraced pundit's analysis of the upcoming presidential election was not in particularly high demand. Nevertheless, he persisted, even as the market withheld its consent.
In Defense of Elitism: Why I'm Better Than You and You're Better Than Someone Who Didn't Buy This Book is one hell of a title, albeit a bit misleading. Sure, author Joel Stein makes a case for elitism over populism, but, contra what you might expect based on the subtitle, he does so without being condescending, without being smug, without being, well, what that title suggests he’d be. Instead, Stein’s book is one part earnest attempt to get to know and understand those outside of his liberal bubble and one part explaining, rather civilly, the flaws with their worldview and why we actually have it pretty great right now.
The 2020 Democratic primary has been such an underwhelming affair that few would be surprised to see another candidate throw her hat into the ring at this late stage in the race. Unfortunately for Susan Rice fans, if they exist, the Obama administration's former United Nations ambassador and national security adviser does not appear to be interested in running for higher office, at least not as a Democrat.
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"Big structural change" is back in vogue. The 2010s saw the return of the left’s boldest claim: that history’s wheel would finally turn and capitalism would at long last end. From the fervor surrounding Occupy Wall Street emerged a flurry of books arguing capitalism had exhausted itself (like David Wallerstein’s Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism) or rewriting basic economic principles (like Thomas Piketty’s much-publicized Capital in the Twenty-First Century). Not since the 19th century have expectations of broad and rapid change been so popular. 
