The Neoconservative Persuasion

Book excerpt: A brilliant collection of pieces, written between 1942 and his death in 2009, by Irving Kristol, one of the fathers of neoconservatism. This series of essays, many hard to find and reprinted for the first time since their initial appearance, offers a wide ranging survey of the history of neoconservatism in America. Kristol covers a broad range of topics from the neoconservative movement's roots in the 40s at City College through the triumph of Reagan and the muddle of the Iraq war. Along the way, we experience the creative development of one of the most important public intellectuals of the modern age, a man who played an extraordinarily influential role in the development of American intellectual and political culture over the past half-century. This illuminating collection features a foreword by Irving's son Bill Kristol and is edited by Irving's widow, Gertrude Himmelfarb (aka Bee Kristol), a notable conservative voice in her own right.