Eye-Opening Book on Humanism-Centered Liberalism

Even though this book was published over a year ago, it couldn't be more prescient to what we are going through now in the United States with overextension of executive branch power that is impacting lives across America as never before. The way they have treated the protesters in my home state of Oregon is not something that I ever would have imagined happening in the America of my youth. Autocracy and authoritarianism have replaced democracy, and that is something that the book speaks a fair amount to. In the introduction to the book, the author states, “... the liberal tradition is in still greater danger. It isn’t just an issue of the survival of ‘democracy’… It is the practice of *liberal* democracy, that magical marriage of free individuals and fair laws…”

The author grounds true liberalism in humanism, pluralism, and community—and rightly so. He delves into some history of liberal thought, and why liberalism threatens both the “true believers” on the right and on the left. I found his arguments to be cogent and well made. They resonated with me as I've always considered myself a liberal, but I never had a deeper understanding of what that meant that this book helped provide. Now I'm even happier to claim the term and its heritage. I found this to be a deeply thought-provoking and at times eye-opening book. Once the era of autocracy is beyond us, let's consider returning to the ideals that should be at the heart of a liberal democracy, “...not [just] *liberty* and *democracy* alone—vital though they are—but also *humanity* and *reform*, *tolerance* and *pluralism*, *self-realization* and *autonomy*, the vocabulary of passionate connection and self-chosen community.”

Thought-provoking ~ Well-written ~ Right-on

tl:dr: Liberalism isn't crazy; its human and important.

Gopnik starts with a story about helping his teenaged daughter through the political stresses of the 2016 election. From that introduction, the reader is introduced to Gopnik's approach, wide-ranging but grounded in reality. Gopnik's book about Liberalism as a function of humanism is a compelling, and comforting, text for any reader who feels unsettled by the contemporary political climate. He helps frame the backlash against liberals as well as helps historic movements in the formation of American liberal politics. Gopnik's exceptional prose is broadly accessible. Gopnik pulls from a variety of sources; his reading list must be encyclopedia. This book is one of the best books about contemporary American politics that I have read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.