Springtime for Snowflakes

'Social Justice' and Its Postmodern Parentage

By: Michael Rectenwald

Narrated by: Shawn Milochik

Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Springtime for Snowflakes: 'Social Justice' and Its Postmodern Parentage is a daring and candid memoir. NYU Professor Michael Rectenwald - the notorious @AntiPCNYUProf - illuminates the obscurity of postmodern theory to track down the ideas and beliefs that spawned the contemporary social justice creed and movement. In fast-paced creative non-fiction, Rectenwald begins by recounting how his Twitter capers and media exposure met with the swift and punitive response of NYU administrators and fellow faculty members. The author explains his evolving political perspective and his growing consternation with social justice developments while panning the treatment he received from academic colleagues and the political left.

The memoir is the story of an education, a debriefing, as well as an entertaining and sometimes humorous romp through academia and a few corners of the author's personal life. The memoir includes early autobiographical material to provide context for Rectenwald's academic, political, and personal development and even surprises with an account of his apprenticeship, at age 19, with the poet Allen Ginsberg.

Unlike many examinations of postmodern theory, Springtime for Snowflakes is a first-person, insider narrative. Likening his testimony to that of an anthropologist who has gone native and returned, the author recalls his graduate education in English departments and his academic career thereafter. In his graduate studies in English and Literary and Cultural Theory/Studies, the author explains, he absorbed the tenets of Marxism, the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory, as well as various esoteric postmodern theories. He connects ideas gleaned there to manifestations in social justice to explain the otherwise inexplicable beliefs and rituals of this religious creed. Altogether, the narrative works to demystify social justice as well as Rectenwald's revolt against it.

Proponents of contemporary social justice will find much to hate and opponents much to love in this uncompromising indictment. But social justice advocates should not dismiss this enlightening look into the background of social justice and one of its fiercest critics. This short testimonial could very well convince some to reconsider their approach. For others, Springtime for Snowflakes should clear up much confusion regarding this bewildering contemporary development.

The book provides a clear and balanced suggestion for unraveling the tangled twine of social justice ideology that runs through North American educational, corporate, media, and state institutions. Never soft-peddling its criticism, however, Springtime for Snowflakes delivers on the promise of the title.

©2018 Michael Rechtenwald (P)2018 New English Review Press

The narrator mispronounces Foucault and Derrida.

The narrator mispronounces Foucault and Derrida. That was surprising and disappointing. Enjoyed the book overall though.

Excellent information from an insider's view.

Intelligently laid out material on an extremely timely subject, Dr Rechtenwald is a pleasure to read -- I well understand his popularity among students as a teacher. I only wish he'd done the narration for Audible as I've heard him speak and truly enjoy listening to him. His manner is candid, his arguments cogent, and his presentation of his work is fully accessible . I've ordered his other works (on Secularism) and look forward to diving into those next!

Great story

Great story! Would have been nice to get a little more details of the flaws and rebuttals to the current pervasive pomo ideology...

Much Needed Insight Into the SJW Left

Well thought through and approachable commentary analysis from an academic who was part of the academic Left.

Narration not the best, and it works. Give it a few chapters... not as wooden as other commenters claim.

Unique analysis from a former insider

Despite having read several books on this topic, I gained great insight through the point of view of an author who for over a decade had been a willing "snowflake" in the American educational system.

Great writer

Michael Rectenwald is a great writer and deep thinker... and he is able to provide a unique perspective to the current moment.

Brace yourself!

As the "woke" ideology has penetrated the American culture more and more, all of us not just those in academia must now face this contradictory, self destructive ideology which most closely resembles the insane "politically correct" lines that people were forced to walk in Stalinist USSR. Those who fail will be exiled, arrested and shunned. Rectenwald gives a close up on how this ideology marched into academia stamping out all opposition. Scary. Brace yourself!

Essential book!

Professor Rectenwald delivers an important message to both academic and lay audiences.

The narrator could have been a little more diligent to find out the correct pronunciation of Foucault, Derrida and Mises.

biography about being in college

he tasked about his expenses of analyzing ideas. there are better books out the. he was also mono tond.

Informative But Horribly Delivered

I have not yet finished listening to this book and I may not finish it. The narration is very wooden and the sentences are so choppy it makes some of them almost incoherent. Nothing personal against Shawn Milochick but he reads like a robot. I've heard Text-to-speech narrations that have better flow. It makes it difficult to follow the narrative when the reader continually adds periods and commas where, I doubt that, there are any.

I listened to Mr. Rectenwald on the Tom Woods' Show and enjoyed his conversation with Dr. Woods a great deal. However, I would highly recommend getting a hard copy or the Kindle version.