The Fractured Republic

March 28, 2016
Levin (The Great Debate), founder and editor of National Affairs, examines America’s “subculture wars” in this disappointing book-length essay. He posits that the country’s economic and cultural fracturing, as seen in the rise of a two-class society and the polarization of politics, haunts all good-faith efforts at reform. Levin’s cautious analysis covers political ground that’s already been walked many times. His equivocal strategies for conservatives—such as presenting themselves as “an attractive minority in a nation of minorities”—have self-evidently limited political appeal. Levin critiques “expressive individualism” and multiculturalism, but in such muted ways that it’s hard to understand why he disapproves of them. Sober, abstract, and professorial, Levin’s book is nuanced and measured to the point of being bloodless. His high-minded reflections on first principles, fragmented institutions, and centralized power may impress establishment conservatives, especially those for whom Donald Trump and the Republican Party insurgency are a troubling surprise. But the rapid realignment of political sentiments amid election-year tumult makes Levin’s musings seem detached from current affairs.

Are you a conservative who yearns for the certainties of the Reagan era or a liberal who pines for the dynamic social issues of the 1960s? If so, then according to this audiobook, you are part of the problem. Narrator Kevin T. Collins has a soft, deep voice, but he infuses it with a sense of urgency and purpose that fits the tone of this book. America has changed dramatically, splintering into social, political, and ethnic groups whose problems demand a different approach. The author suggests a more vivid focus on social institutions to make us stronger. Collins reads slowly and deliberately, and he paces himself well. He pauses effectively, allowing listeners to consider the author's meaning. R.I.G. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine