The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist's "astonishing" and "enthralling" New York Times bestseller and Notable Book about how the Founders' belief in natural rights created a great American political tradition (Booklist) -- "easily one of the best books on American Conservatism ever written" (Jonah Goldberg).
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"The Conservative Sensibility is George Will's definitive declaration.... Admirers of Will - I plead guilty - now have what amounts to a definitive statement, a summation of his remarkable career in journalism and politics.... A deep and sustained reflection on American conservatism.... There is nothing worse than a predictable columnist, and Will is anything but predictable. One reads him not only for his prose but also for the chance to observe a great and restless intellect.... Here, then, is George Will's task: to remind Americans of our unique heritage by connecting present debates and public figures to our nation's fundamental ideas, disagreements, problems, and statesmen..... Such is the education that awaits the reader of this beautiful, graceful, profound book."
— Matthew Continetti, National Review
“A career capstone that will stir your soul with its passionate reminder of what conservatism really means. Buy it, read it, share it.”
— Senator Ben Sasse, New York Times bestselling author“This book is not so much a brief for conservatism as it is a learned and lengthy defense of liberalism: the philosophy of John Locke and America’s Founding Fathers; the economic theories of Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman; and the theological skepticism of Lucretius and Charles Darwin. His is a rousing defense of a distinctly American form of “conservatism,” one that embraces a political, social, and economic system that encourages novelty, dynamism, and constant, unpredictable change.”
— Washington Post“The richness and depth of Will’s study is astonishing…Everyone interested in American politics and liberal democracy will find it enthralling.”
— Booklist (starred review)“It’s time to return to the wisdom of the founding fathers, argues this sweeping political manifesto…Will centers the book on a rich, wide-ranging discussion of political philosophy written in graceful, aphoristic prose…Will offers a formidable, thought-provoking riposte to conventional dogmas.”
— Publishers WeeklyA wonderful book [that will] be read for a long time.
— Dana Perino, Fox NewsSums up a lifetime of thinking about politics and culture.
— The New York TimesBrilliant.
— The Los Angeles TimesA thoughtful, elegant reflection on American conservatism and the Founders' political thought.
— The AtlanticA blockbuster -- if a book so thoughtful and learned and graceful can be called a 'blockbuster.'
— Jay Nordlinger, National ReviewWhen you read a work as wise, incisive and superbly written as this one, you rightly assume it was produced by a first-rate mind.
— The Wall Street JournalA monumental achievement. The Conservative Sensibility is not a 'Washington book' about partisan politics--it's much bigger than that. It's a career capstone that will stir your soul with its passionate reminder of what conservatism really means. Buy it, read it, share it.
— Senator Ben Sasse, New York Times-bestselling author of Them and The Vanishing American AdultStaggeringly good. Easily one of the best books on American Conservatism ever written.
— Jonah GoldbergEmbodies the ideal of thoughtful, learned conservatism....Deeply erudite....Fascinating.
— Fareed Zakaria, The Washington PostThe Conservative Sensibility ... is an argument about human history, epistemology, culture, religion, politics and constitutionalism, and not another vehicle for soon-dated Trump hagiography or hatred.... Its account of how the presidency has taken over the legislature in the modern era is essential to understanding the extreme danger that a figure like Trump now poses to core constitutional principle.
— Andrew Sullivan, New York Times Book ReviewWonderful... [Will's] magnum opus... elegant.
— Hugh HewittExcellent... [T]here is a sense of finality in The Conservative Sensibility, as though Will is offering his ultimate statement if not his last word.... Will has produced one of the best books about American conservatism ever to have been written.
— Kevin D. Williamson, The Washington Examiner[A] strong affirmation of inalienable individual rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.... Will, a Goldwater/Reagan/Buckley Republican, has left the party. But he might argue that the party has left him, and this book can serve as a blueprint for how it might return.
— John R. Coyne, Jr., Washington TimesA remarkable summation of Will's political thought after a half-century in Washington. It's the sort of book that, when read by a young person in high school or college, might change his life.
— Matt Continetti, Politico "Playbook"A richly documented history of and argument for a wider embrace of conservative political values.
— Kirkus ReviewsA clarion call for substantive thinking, at a time when Americans are hungry for strong leadership and a renewed debate for the soul of our country.
— "Therefore, What?" PodcastThe summa of a lifetime's worth of thinking about politics.... Will's good sense, power of reasoning, historical knowledge, and stylistic flair on full display here.... Masterful.
— Commentary magazine[A] magnum opus..... Will still beats all his rivals in his ability to combine high thinking with a shrewd capacity to understand day-to-day American politics.... It is hard to think of any of today's angry young "movement" conservatives surviving in journalism for fifty years, as Mr. Will has, and still having enough to say to produce a big book at 78.
— The Economist[Will is] one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of the conservative movement... To say that Will wrote a brilliant book brings new meaning to understatement.... A great read.... Will's discussion of the Constitution positively sizzles... Unputdownable.
— John Tammy, Forbes[A] magisterial assessment of contemporary life and its foundations.
— Richard Vetter, ForbesThe conservatively inclined reader, interested in the history of the United States and the politics of the present era, will find in the author's reflections much to enjoy and from which to learn....In order to reverse the direction of events, someone must formulate an alternative to it-which George Will has done in this fine book.
— The New CriterionBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
George F. Will, author of more than a dozen books, writes a twice-weekly syndicated column on politics and domestic and foreign affairs for the Washington Post. He began his column with the Post in 1974, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1977. His books include The Conservative Sensibility, One Man's America, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, and Statecraft as Soulcraft. He grew up in Champaign, Illinois, attended Trinity College and Oxford University, and received a PhD from Princeton.
Peter Ganim, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an American actor who has appeared on stage, on television, and in film. He has performed voice-over work since 1994.