It’s been a long year. But in the darkness spread by the many challenges our country faces, this Christmas season shines more brightly by contrast. We at The American Spectator consider ourselves blessed to share great writing that sheds light…
Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers By Emma Smith (Penguin Random House, 352 pages, $28) We are what we read. Such is the central claim of Emma Smith’s new book, Portable Magic: A History of Books and…
Anyone who doubts detective fiction can be high literature will be persuaded otherwise by just the prologue of Andrew Klavan’s second Cameron Winter mystery, A Strange Habit of Mind. A terrified man, Adam, in his apartment sends a short text,…
When James Daunt became the CEO of the national bookseller Barnes & Noble in 2019, he came with a clear vision: return decision-making on book selection to local store managers. Previously, many publishers had deals with Barnes & Noble that gave…
The University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics has a new poll out, and the numbers are pretty shocking — but not particularly surprising or even discouraging, if you understand the long view. As it happens, my new book, The Revivalist…
The Turning Point: 1851 — A Year That Changed Charles Dickens and the World By Robert Douglas-Fairhurst (Knopf, 368 pages, $30) 1851 was not only a pivotal year in the professional and personal life of the legendary writer Charles Dickens,…
The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun By Noah Rothman (Broadside Books, 320 pages, $29) She is “discouraging abortion.” Her choice to have children is a manifestation of her “white extinction anxiety.” These were…
The last column in this space seemed to hit a nerve with friends and foes alike, which is to say I found a firm handle on the obvious. Joe Biden does not get to be a scapegoat for an entire…
What does progressive conservatism mean? Labels can confuse more than they clarify, and sometimes they lie. People asked how Obamacare could raise healthcare costs. It was labeled the “Affordable Care Act.” And how could the mobs in Portland be dangerous?…
