Letters to a Young Conservative

Rating:
Summary: For any conservative, young or old
Review: No, these are not full-length essays...but in a series of 30 concise letters, Dinesh D'Souza does an excellent job of summarizing the core beliefs held by conservatives and liberals, and explaining several of the fallacies in current left-wing ideology. Why did D'Souza's book appeal to me so much? Because like the addressee of his letters, I am a young conservative on an ultra-left campus (and a "person of color" attending a women's college, no less!).

I did not entirely agree with everything D'Souza wrote, possibly because my leanings tend to be more libertarian (the author addresses this topic in his second letter, "The Libertarian Temptation"). Still, he provides compelling food for thought, and Letters to a Young Conservative is a quick, refreshing read that I will be sure to reference many times in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Delves into most of the tough subjects of America
Review: Of all the political books I have read thus far, I find this one the most poignant. Dinesh D'Souza conveys to us, through letters to a friend named Chris who is in college, why the conservative movement makes sense. He talks about everything from racial/immigrant issues (he is from India) to abortion to economics. This book discusses every topic in a short succinct letter which often includes humorous examples of things he has experienced. Normally, I shy away from books of letters, but this is one that should not be passed up. Dinesh D'Souza has a way of making things plainly obvious, while not going to the extremes that some political writers go to to make points.

Rating:
Summary: Succinct Harpooning of Liberalism
Review: ...--these are letters, composed as letters! They weren't meant to be in-depth essays, but rather responses to letters written Dinesh by a college student. I'm sure he didn't make them 15-page compositions for that reason. But he still gets to the point, makes good arguments, and keeps it entertaining. ... and reading some of his actual articles on these topics to get a more in-depth treatment of the subject matter.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but lacking something...
Review: I was expecting a bit more from Dinesh D'Souza, while the book touches several themes at the core of American Conservatism it was dissapointing in that it somewhat pandered to a style of writing similar to Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter. Basically, it could have had more depth.

Rating:
Summary: A Rather Lazy Victory Lap
Review: Dinesh D'Souza did as much as anyone to get the racial debate in this country moving again, with his massive _The End of Racism_. Liberals howled, but they can no longer shout down criticism of affirmative action with accusations of "racism."

D'Souza also gave higher education the sunray treatment, with _Illiberal Education_, which in its turn drew as many squawks as a firecracker in a chicken coop. With that book he proved that the question "When is a racial quota not a racial quota?" has no non-nonsensical answer.

So he's entitled to sit back and preen a little, and take a curtain call. But this book feels like it was composed on cocktail napkins during slow moments on airline flights. It's little more than a sheaf of his talking points, "war" stories from his lectures, and assorted zingers, done up as letters to a young conservative.

Even that would be okay, if he didn't make lazy errors of fact. For example, in one bit on the Soviet Union, he poo-poos the idea that any empire could dismantle itself solely for economical reasons-apparently forgetting that the British Empire did exactly that.

The book is a throwaway, and D'Souza probably knows it. It could have been a small gem, with a little more work.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Aspiring Political Junkies
Review: Some of the reviews I've seen for this book appear to be looking at it from the wrong perspective. D'Souza writes to a fictional college student, Chris, and councils him on how to cope in a atmosphere of political intolerance. Along the way D'Souza perfectly manages to capture, eloquently and succinctly, the philosopy of modern day conservatism. This book is not meant to be some all encompasing study of gun control or abortion, but rather a foundation for a young conservative. This would make a perfect gift to a curious young teen or someone who just wanted to know the difference between republicans and democrats. A very important read that'll likely be admired by those who want to raise awareness of politics for out future.

Rating:
Summary: Great primer on conservatism
Review: Take the title to heart - this is geared toward "young" conservatives. You don't need to be under 40 to enjoy this book, you just need to be new to the intellectual side of conservatism. For those who have spent time with the words of Buckley, Kristol, or even Gerson, this book will provide little new insight.

The book is set up as a series of letters, each addressing a different hot topic in the political world. Mr. D'Souza does a great job, at times, of illuminating the "traditional" conservative view, and hammering away at the liberal agenda. From defense spending to feminism, Mr. D'Souza doesn't hold back.

My primary criticism of this work is that Mr. D'Souza sometimes falls into the childish name-calling that is not uncommon in politically minded works. There is little to be learned from the generic "liberals are idiots just because" line of argumentation. When Mr. avoids the partisan taunts, this work is very readable.

Overall, this is a quick and interesting read. If you're looking for a good reaffirmation of what conservatism is all about, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a new angle on the age-old political debates, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: if you like this read...
Review: the screwtape letters...another collection of epistles between two demons.

Rating:
Summary: the arsenal of conservatism
Review: This easy read by Dinesh D'Souza covers the gamut of issues: abortion, feminism, post-modernism, affirmative action, immigration, environmentalism, great books, multiculturalism, the war on terror, Ronald Reagan, among others. Conservatism is not an easily definable philosophy, since so many different groups of people call themselves conservative (just look at Pat Buchanan versus, say, the good folks at National Review), but D'Souza does an admirable job offering a general definition, rooting it in the recognition of moral standards and of the "warped timber of humanity." Conservatism, he says, is a framework through which we can view the world. There's much, much more to conservatism, but that is a solid foundation.

If you follow D'Souza at all, or any conservative speaker for that matter, you're probably quite familiar with what he has to say, and to that extent, you might find the book a bit repetetive. But D'Souza argues cogently, clearly, and with common sense. By far the most enjoyable part for me was D'Souza's stories from his Dartmouth years. The tales of the Dartmouth Review were humorous and, some of them, inspiring. But his recollections about Prof. Jeffrey Hart were quite hilarious, indeed. Admittedly, I am something of a fan of Hart's, but the stories about him were priceless--how he wore raccoon coats and buttons saying "Soak the Poor," how he had a contraption he claimed was for pinching certain individuals.

I do have one quibble with D'Souza--namely, his advice that a conservative on campus should be philosophically conservative but temperamentally radical. Ignoring the fact that he later advises Republicans to be philosophically conservative but temperamentally genial (can one be radical and genial?), I can't bring myself to accept that a conservative--any time or any place--should be radical in temperament, even in the face of liberal onslaught.

And he concludes with an excellent reading list--just a starting point, but still quite good--for conservatives, even though it leaves off William F. Buckley, Robert Nisbet, and T.S. Eliot. All things considered, this is a wonderful little book that should provide ample ammunition for any conservative, especially those engaged in debates with campus liberals.

Rating:
Summary: Redundant maybe, but entertaining
Review: i found this book to be a quick read. the format, or style of delivery was somewhat unique. although the lessons are intended for a youthful audience, anyone with a desire to view the "dark side" of American liberalism can learn something here. as somewhat a middle of the roader, i enjoy the near neutral vantage point when reading work such as this. more than likely, i absorb more since "my shields aren't up". before purchasing this book, i read all of the reviews here (as i often do) and must admit, the sheer amount of negativity expressed by a substantial portion of reviewers intrigued me. i figured this must be good to generate such passion, albeit acidic. this is not my first venture into "anti-left" literature and, as mentioned above, i found the book entertaining and educational, if for no other reason due to the author's gift for story telling. after all, if new, accurate and impactful content were the litmus test for the attractiveness for a piece of non-fiction, Michael Moore couldn't get published. my advice......buy it and examine it with an open mind. don't be dissuaded by the critics' repetitive complaint that the material is not new. this complaint, in itself, should not remove a book from consideration.