The Neoconservative Persuasion

Kristol (1920–2009), referred to as the father of neoconservatism, was associated with, among other outlets, Commentary and the publishing house Basic Books. He became one of the most influential postwar public intellectuals. This collection of 48 of his essays on history, religion, economics, politics, and other topics is something of a family tribute, edited by his widow, historian Gertrude Himmelfarb, and with a foreword by his son William Kristol (Weekly Standard). Kristol took on the Right early in his career, but it was usually the Left he had in his sights, even aiming at the American Library Association in 1995: "Today if a school board decides that certain books are inappropriate…the librarian cries 'censorship.' The American Library Association has convinced itself that only the school librarian has the constitutional right of book selection." If these words make Kristol seem like the worst of reactionaries, he was not.