Review of Letters to a Young Conservative by Dinesh D'Souza

July 2, 2004. Saw Farenheit 911 this week and needed an antidote. I had received Letters to a Young Conservative as a gift two years ago and had it in my "to read" pile. I came of political age under Reagan. He was the first president I could vote for. He was the first politician I ever volunteered for. He provided a very positive and affirming vision of what it means to be an American and how to participate in our democracy and the world. Up until the 60's it was pretty clear what it meant to be an American. Most people agreed on a large number of core values. Somehow in that drug/sex haze that begat me (born 1964), our parents decided to try and throw everything before out and start over. D'Souza does a very good job of reminding us why that was a silly idea and how the legacy of free everything still haunts us today.

This is the kind of book you can pick up anytime and open to any chapter and find thought provoking prose. Each chapter has a specific topic or theme. If you want to understand the falacy of the Anti-Globalists argument, turn to chapter 26 (particularly relevant given current events). Want to understand why the Catholics, once the party of Kennedy, are now up for grabs? Want to know how and why the heartland of America, once working class Democrats, are now all Republicans? Turn to chapter 29. My favorite is probably chapter 18, “How to Harpoon a Liberal”. Full of juicy tidbits from his many campus visits and the direct confontations with tenured liberal professors and brainwashed freshmen students. When you are young and still rebelling against your parents, it is fashionable to take up any cause identified on the “fringe”. When you are older and hopefully have your own family, you usually come to realize the value of law, society, family, values, and why “traditions” work. When I was young, I was also incredibly fearless, egotistical and selfish. I thought nothing could hurt me, I knew most of the answers and whatever I liked was right. In the end, much of the liberal agenda is selfish kids not growing up, not accepting responsibility and learning to trust others.

The young liberal would say “whatever feels good, do it”. The young conservative has an uncomfortable feeling with that. Something about imposing his minute by minute egotistical desires on the world doesn’t seem right. If you feel this discomfort and want to know why and how to explain it, read this book.