Suicide of the West

How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy

By: Jonah Goldberg

Narrated by: Jonah Goldberg

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An urgent argument that America and other democracies are in peril because they have lost the will to defend the values and institutions that sustain freedom and prosperity.

“Epic and debate-shifting.”—David Brooks, New York Times

Only once in the last 250,000 years have humans stumbled upon a way to lift ourselves out of the endless cycle of poverty, hunger, and war that defines most of history. If democracy, individualism, and the free market were humankind’s destiny, they should have appeared and taken hold a bit earlier in the evolutionary record. The emergence of freedom and prosperity was nothing short of a miracle.

As Americans we are doubly blessed, because the radical ideas that made the miracle possible were written not just into the Constitution but in our hearts, laying the groundwork for our uniquely prosperous society. Those ideas are:

• Our rights come from God, not from the government. 

• The government belongs to us; we do not belong to it. 

• The individual is sovereign. We are all captains of our own souls, not bound by the circumstances of our birth. 

• The fruits of our labors belong to us.


In the last few decades, these political virtues have been turned into vices. As we are increasingly taught to view our traditions as a system of oppression, exploitation, and privilege, the principles of liberty and the rule of law are under attack from left and right. For the West to survive, we must renew our sense of gratitude for what our civilization has given us and rediscover the ideals and habits of the heart that led us out of the bloody muck of the past—or back to the muck we will go.

Everyone should take the time to listen to this.

This is such a wonderfully written and constructed book. Changed a lot of ideas I previously had, and THATS what makes a book or an idea good. 10/10.

Intellectually honest

I am clearly on the socially liberal part of the spectrum and I found this book compelling and honest. It did move my opinions more toward the middle and gave words too much of my unease toward certain aspects of the progressive movement. The author also gave me hope that working relationships are still possible among people in power across the political spectrum. I think he missed an opportunity to address market distortions perpetuated by the elite in more depth. He seems to throw the towel on that one. If smarter and more accountable government is not the right response to all powerful global corporations bent on cheating the free market, which is an argument I am eager to hear, then what are the other options. More churches and civic organizations will hardly do.

Must read

Jonah Goldberg has created a masterpiece. This book explains the rise of Trump, the morass of the political parties, and the threat to America in a new way. Well worth the time to read.

Well reasoned and thought provoking

Great book and narration. Jonah never disappoints but he really raised the bar with this book.

The Core of Conservatism

This book should be the starting point for anyone genuinely interested in hearing the fundamental beliefs and assumptions of modern American conservatives (and many libertarians as well).

Jonah makes his arguments clearly (and I believe convincingly). Open minded readers of any intellectual or political stripe will find great value here.