In coming to a rating for Far-Right Vanguard: The Radical Roots of Modern Conservatism by John S Huntington I was torn between basing it strictly on how enjoyable the read was and how well the history is presented or also including how important I think this information is for people to understand right now. Because of the value I place on it I bumped it up slightly.

Many of us have made comments along the lines of how what passes for conservative thought right now is an anomaly and not indicative of "true" conservative thought. Or how there has been a gradual shift, considerably less gradual over the past few decades, to the right so that what was once well right of center is now just to the left of center, which we sometimes blame on the left not standing together enough to stop the insanity. This book lays out the history of how the right has always held these extreme views but tempered them for public consumption. In fact, they have made a point of showing how they don't incorporate their fringe elements while also including the basic concepts those fringe elements advocate.

This is not a "microhistory," this is a detailed history of one of the two major political parties in the United States. Anyone making it sound too narrow is being dismissive because they support those fringe elements. Such as a faux educator on one website who regularly posts one and two star reviews that serve as nothing more than proof that he did not read or engage with the text and holds the far right's beliefs close to his rotting heart.

This is an actual history, something that is often missing when we talk about how and why things are going as they are. These are verifiable facts and well known connections, with quotes that will drop your jaw, though they are just as likely to be heard now as they were in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

If you want a better idea of how we got here, if you don't mind knowing that your parents' and grandparents' conservatism wasn't nearly as rational as they claim, you need to read this book. The irrationality and cruelty did not start with Reagan or even Trump, it just reached new depths with them. It has been a steady progression ever since FDR and the New Deal scared them into thinking that everyday people might gain the rights they think they already have.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )