Samuel’s Summer 2021 Conservative Reading List
2 min readJun 7, 2021
Many young conservatives have asked me what they should read to understand conservatism in these trying times of rebuilding the Republican Party. Future leaders should take a look at these writings to get an intellectual grounding on what our current moment means and cut through the noise and outrage machine political books usually are.
- Suicide of the West by Jonah Goldberg
Suicide of the West is a brilliant philosophical deconstruction of populism, nationalism, and leftism, a good diagnosis of the problems of our current moment. - Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
Bowling alone is a great diagnosis of what the destruction of our institutions and family structure is doing to our society and lays out the ground for how our polarization came to be. For being a 20 year old book, it feels more relevant than ever. - Alienated America by Tim Carney
A deep dive into rural and middle America with data on how and why populism is starting to sound appealing. It also shows how many of the predictions of Bowling Alone became true. - The Conscious of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater
Goldwater’s classic lays the foundation for conservatism. A must read for a re-centering on conservative thought in this time of drift on the right. - The Big Sort by Bill Bishop
The Big Sort breaks down how we got to this polarized environment that we’re in. This is one of the most predictive texts I’ve ever read. - Fear Your Future by Phil Klein
The most precise economic argument against Socialism and Populism in a short easy to read book. It’s an unflinching look at the challenging economy Millennials and Gen Z face. - The Responsive Chord by Tony Schwartz
This classic teaches you how media manipulates you, how to communicate effectively, and is a deconstruction of communication in general. - Things that Matter by Charles Krauthammer
A collection of columns by Charles Krauthammer that can help you understand what’s important and how passion is a great driver in life.
