Book Review: "The Suicide of the West" by Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg's book, "The Suicide of the West" is a deep dive into what makes Western Civilization, and specifically the United States, uniquely good. He makes the argument that ideas matter, or as Richard Weaver put it, "Ideas Have Consequences." Jonah's writing weaves in and out of topics including politics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and economics. He compares the tribal and barbaric impulses of man to the vast improvements of civilization.

He critiques the cultural and political trends that are threatening our civilization, and offers some very recent and important examples in the conclusion of his book. He uses the appendix to prove that economically speaking, Americans in particular have seen incredible improvement due to capitalism and the rule of law. His charts, graphs, and other data points provide convincing evidence that as my old boss Dick Armey used to say, "Freedom works." 

The "Suicide of the West" is a great book, and should be read by all Americans, but particularly conservatives and Republicans. The book asks the reader to take a hard look at the values we are upholding versus the ones we should be upholding, in order to preserve the West, and avoid contributing to its self-destruction.