• No Apologies

  • Why Civilization Depends on the Strength of Men
  • By: Anthony Esolen
  • Narrated by: John McLain
  • Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (123 ratings)

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No Apologies

By: Anthony Esolen
Narrated by: John McLain
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Publisher's summary

No more apologies for being a man! Bestselling social commentator Anthony Esolen draws on timeless wisdom to defend the masculine virtues of strength, drive, ambition, and determination in building and upholding civilization itself.

It’s time to end the apology tour for traditional masculinity. A generation of young men and boys are being raised in self-loathing, taught that the core of their identity as men is not only abhorrent but the fountainhead of humanity’s ills.

In No Apologies, veteran author and professor Anthony Esolen issues a powerful defense of the virtues of masculine strength. From the thankless brute force that erected buildings, paved roads, and cleared ground, to the boundless energy of youth that compelled centuries of global exploration, to the father’s embodied authority as protector, director, and exemplar of law and justice, Esolen shows how civilization has rested upon the strength of men.

Wizened, accessible, and powerfully articulated, Esolen draws on two millennia of historical thought, citing giants like Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Twain, Solzhenitsyn, and others in a vigorous and timely defense of the masculine ethos.

©2022 Anthony Esolen (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about No Apologies

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Most Important Book of 2022!

A tour-de-force—as a father of 3 sons and one daughter, I’m so thankful for this book. Anthony Esolen argues clearly and forcefully on issues I’ve felt were true, but had a hard time expressing. Specifically, he makes strong arguments for the importance of men with regards to their strength, teamwork, passion/drive, and selflessness. The ending of the book is especially strong, Esolen makes some points I had never considered before on why God is presented as male and not female in the Bible.

A must read for anyone concerned about the over-feminization of our society.

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True, therefore radical

A manly affection to Dr. Esolen! On behalf of my wife and eight children - heretofore subjected to the ever effehminizing CatholicChurch not to mention the diabolical secular societal attack on manliness - I thank you.

And I cry an unapologetic “Here! Here!”

Esolen, Burke, Schneider, Woods, Kwasniewski, Mosebach, and more. Read them. Listen to them. Pray for them.

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Esolen strikes another hard note!

Esolen delivers hard truths and beautiful insights into being a man today, and the effect 3rd wave feminist have had in the development of boys. If you want to know what needs to happen to correct course in our society this is a must listen.

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Always appreciate Esolen’s perspective

Few contemporary thinkers can match Esolen’s consistent and powerfully coherent frontal assault on the theological and practical errors of the feminist/woke movement. To walk away from a book about manhood, with a higher view of the glory of man, woman, and God is quite an accomplishment. He weaves literature, history, common sense, politics, and story together in a way that makes this book an easy, but still impressive addition to the cultural debates of today. Men built the world, and we should be proud about it.

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A timely proclamation of timeless truths.

Anthony Esolen knocked it out of the park with this one. This book was an excellent example of a timely book that expounded upon forgotten timeless truths.

We live in a time when the word “masculinity” either invokes the scorn of the world, or behaves as a shapeless gelatinous concept with no meaning to drive men. Esolen brings out the strength and necessity of true masculinity and shows the glories of what it has accomplished in the past.

I’d highly recommend pairing this book with Esolen’s “Out if the Ashes”, and CR Wiley’s “The Household and the War for the Cosmos”, with an addition of Douglas Wilson’s “Rules for Reformers”. Each of these books is a stand alone slammer. But putting them all together can provide a strong and beautiful picture of why we need masculinity in the west.

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Five Stars Aren't Enough!

As Esolen said in the intro, this is a book that shouldn't have to be written... But since it is badly needed, nobody could have done a better job writing it than him. This is a resounding defense of strong fatherhood, male-only groups, and letting boys be boys. He demonstrates how the current status quo in gender relations benefits nobody except a small handful of "intellectuals" and politicians who accumulate money and power by sowing discord between the sexes.

One of the most fascinating parts was Esolen's keen understanding and explanation of male psychological tendencies. He pointed out traits that I've always noticed in myself but always regarded as quirks or defects. But they are neither - they are masculine strengths that should be cultivated (the "rage to master" is one of these). I've read a lot of personal psychology books, and they rarely address the unique traits of the male mind except to negatively contrast them with those of women. Esolen actually lays out a great demonstration of why male thinking is different, and most importantly, why that's a great thing for all of society.

Although he is clearly well-read and quotes from many non-Christian texts, the book is largely written from a Christian perspective. But despite the fact that I'm not Christian, I still got food for thought (more like a five-star banquet for thought) from this book.

I can only hope that the ideas in this book take off (in other words, that we regain what used to be common wisdom) so that men and women can go back to being their wonderful selves who use their own unique skills to build a healthy society.

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Great read

He hits on all the major topics that I’ve been railing on since all crazy has broken loose on our society.

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Esolen Nails it Again!

Showing once again why he is one of the most astute and gifted critics of our age, Anthony Esolen uses history, literature and common sense to give us an insightful look at what ails our culture and how we can fix it. This book is a must read for anyone looking for hope in our troubled age

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Unapologetic Apology for Virtuous Manhood

This is an unapologetic apology for the fact that human civilization depends on the strength of men and that patriarchy is a creational and inescapable reality. Highly recommended.

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Mail on the head.

Thanks for writing the book that shouldn’t of had to be written. You hit the nail on the head.

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