The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin by Corey Robin

3.97 AVERAGE

psilosiren's review against another edition

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2.0

I'm not sure what exactly I expected from this book, but it didn't really deliver. Sure, there were some curious ideas and philosophical bits thrown around in there that I liked to chew on, but for the most part the book seemed to lack a sense of coherence. I had a really hard time figuring out the point the author was trying to make, and the actual conclusion seems unclear as well.

I don't think I'd really recommend this book to anyone. The most I got out of it were some vague ideas about the history of conservativism, but nothing that led me to any kind of clear understanding.

ndsr's review against another edition

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4.0

The evidence in favor of Robin's thesis is getting stronger by the year.

gufanator's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

olliums's review against another edition

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4.0

having a hard time reacting to this. i think i was able to absorb a lot more from the last non-fiction book i read, this has a. difficult style i guess. i feel like i need a chapter-by-chapter book club to retain any information about this book. maybe what i'm describing is a classroom

theteedge's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

ryanmazzola's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

dead_moon_night's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

timbooker's review against another edition

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3.0

I read the "newer" version that includes Trump. A nice collection of essays, I just wish there was a more coherent narrative and not as much repetition

skassa456's review against another edition

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5.0

Super intuitive. 

caomhghin's review against another edition

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4.0

A very strong thesis which is represented with rather too much repetition for my taste. This could be because a third of the book is solely American whereas most of the ideas and philosophy he sees in conservatism seem to come from Europeans like Burke, Hayek, Hobbes. I suppose he had to include Rand but talking for a whole chapter about nothing at all that is Ayn Rand was a stretch.
Perhaps I'm biased because I generally find academic politics irrelevant.