Summer 2021 • Vol. 16, No. 2

The social justice movement may appear noble because it ostensibly takes the right side of a legitimate issue. But this is a facade. The problem with the movement is that it illegitimately redefines basic concepts, trumpets false narratives, and peddles a toxic ideology. It projects a virtuous, shiny aura that masks a corrupt, rotten core.

Michael Crichton is a source of unparalleled inspiration, demonstrating the power of an extraordinary imagination and showing how a few bold ideas are capable of sparking a worldwide revolution in entertainment.

At seventeen, I had no purpose or direction. By twenty three, I had a job at a Nashville studio, a beautiful wife, and a solid sense of self. I turned my life around—and I couldn't have done it without this one book.

Imagine police officers showing up to your house at night and demanding the keys to your car, threatening to damage it if you don’t comply. They don’t provide you with an explanation or even accuse you of committing a crime. Then imagine waiting five years for the mere chance to get your car back. Sound dystopian?

If America wants a world-class transportation system, it needs to let private businesses take the lead without hindrance. Governments’ attempts to centrally plan how people travel have failed dramatically. The solution is not further expansion of government control.

Award-winning writer Virginia Postrel discusses the stasist/dynamist divide, how it impacts people’s views on such things as style and glamour, and the incredible (though oft-overlooked) achievements that made possible the modern textile industry.

If the Oscars are to continue “celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking,” the Academy must scrap the preposterous idea of inclusion requirements and—as it has, historically—instruct its voting members to judge films “solely on . . . artistic and technical merits.”

Celebrate the 85th anniversary of Ayn Rand's We the Living by picking up a copy—and smile “to so much that [is] possible” when people are free to pursue their values.

Instead of seeking to destroy producers, traders from WallStreetBets should learn to value wealth creation and respect those who have earned their wealth through decades of hard work, innovation, and independent thinking.

Rather than restricting air travel, we should let it grow, evolve, and continue improving the lives of people across the world.

Creating Christ provides a trove of unprecedented insights about the genesis of the modern world’s most popular religion. All interested in Christianity’s provenance would do well to read this boldly original book.

Although philosophically flawed and at times repetitive and anecdotal, The God Delusion presents interesting arguments against God and religion and generally in favor of a worldview informed by science.

Steele clarifies key issues in the discussion on race, showing how leftists grabbed power by claiming the moral high ground, despite their abysmal disregard for those whose lives are destroyed by their policies.

Louis Menand is a writer of great gifts, whose 2000 book The Metaphysical Club is a masterpiece of intellectual history. Unfortunately, The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War fails to recapture the magic. That’s partly because despite its bulk—880 pages—it’s curiously incomplete.

Oedipus the King has been considered a masterpiece for two and a half millennia. No less a luminary than Aristotle called it the ideal tragedy. But today’s readers are often disturbed by its apparent injustice. How is it fair that the gods consign Oedipus—a genuine hero who strives to avoid committing the sins for which he is damned—to such an awful fate?

“One of the most extraordinary features of Ibsen’s works,” Sprinchorn writes, is the way “each play grows out of its predecessor.” By examining them in order, he draws out their weightier elements, combining an acute understanding of theater and a thorough grasp of the political, social, and artistic controversies that set the background for Ibsen’s career.

The sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215 was a major turning point in world history. In the 2017 two-part documentary Secrets of the Magna Carta, writer Martin Durkin sets out to tell the story of this incredible document and its legacy.

WandaVision makes the viewer think while also providing a feast of artistic detail and a gripping mystery story. It’s a rare gem in today’s television landscape.

Although fraudsters certainly exist on Wall Street, the vast majority of traders are honest, value driven, and focused on innovating and creating wealth.

Cheerful songs, witty writing, benevolent humor, and contagious optimism make Phineas and Ferb a great work of soul-fueling art, not only for children but for adults as well. Its brilliant optimism and reality-first approach make every episode a delight.

I just wanted to send a note expressing my appreciation of the book/film/TV reviews that you publish periodically. Over the past few weeks, I have been watching Anne with an “E”, but I would never even have heard of it if not for the review published in TOS.