[I’m swamped this week, so in lieu of a blog post I’m going to post some advanced praise for The Reactionary Mind, which comes out at the end of this month. Forgive the shameless self-promotion, and see you next week!]
Rod Dreher, author of Live Not By Lies:
The word “reactionary” suffers from bad press, but as Michael Warren Davis writes, “a reactionary is born every time a Westerner recognizes how entrenched the dogma of progress has become in our civilization.” If that's true—and I think it is—then quite a few Americans who have lost patience with movement conservatism and technocratic liberalism will be surprised to find that Davis has written a book about them.
Every reader will find in these pages something to cheer for, something to argue against, something to laugh with, and something to greet with a smile of delight that says, “Wow, I never thought of it that way.” The Reactionary Mind is a book about politics, religion, history, and culture—but above all, it's a witty and cheerful invitation to a living a more enchanted life.
Bill Kaufmann, author of Look Homeward, America:
Michael Warren Davis is an anarcho-monarchist, a Catholic Luddite, a New England medievalist—and he’s written a book that any American who cares about localism, liberty, and community should read.
Daniel McCarthy, editor of Modern Age
The reactionary right has never been more talked about, or less understood. Now Michael Warren Davis rescues the reactionary sensibility from the illiberal caricatures painted by liberals. But do they dare to read him?
Charles Coulombe, historian and raconteur:
To say that we live in a world of insanity, where most proffered nostra are worse than the disease, would be a hideous understatement. Buffeted by often incomprehensible powers beyond our control, temptations to anger and despair are innumerable. In the midst of all of this comes Michael Warren Davis in this book, with a sure and witty voice that can be cutting but never cruel. Davis us how and why we got here. He diagnoses our personal and public modern ills, and prescribes remedies that are not only effective, but start where one can change things—in oneself. An essential read for those who want either or both understanding and sanity.
[If you’re convinced, you can preorder The Reactionary Mind and by this time next month it will be yours. Peace and the Good!]