From a reader:
Did you rant on your KSFO appearance yesterday? Gosh, no. It was obvious you had a lot to say, but it was clear, concise, and not at all over the top. Of course, given the subject matter others may feel it as a rant, but it was not.
I am deep into the book and had this thought yesterday. In one fell swoop, you have become the go-to guy for this subject. For the next decade, you will be invited to meetings, panels, etc. to explain, debate, discuss, and all that. This is excellent. But, there’s more than that. Since you are such an entertaining person, you will also spend lots of time on more popular entertainment forums. You will be the “serious” guy who is also very fun. This will allow you to push the points again and again to a general audience. I have hope that you may come close to single-handedly changing how this is commonly thought about – changing the whole meme landscape in this locality. Fantastic.
The book was purchased at a Borders in Brea, in northern Orange County, California. There was only one copy on display, spine out, but it’s clear another copy had been next to it and was now gone (hopefully bought and not just moved). Today, I will be in another Borders and will let you know if there’s anything of interest.
Regarding the book itself, I can add nothing to the superlatives. I will only add two points. It is very information-dense, which is a personal point. I can’t stand to read two paragraphs when one would do, a fifteen word sentence when nine would have sufficed. Most NR and NRO writers are information-dense, VDH being generally at the top.
The second point is in contrast to an earlier email. Yes, the smiling Jonah with his scalpels close at hand is not in evidence, but your personality nonetheless comes through. Your mastery of the historical material is occasionally leavened with observations from the current political environment as well as popular culture. Without a doubt, this creates a meaningful, relevant study that keeps it from being a dry polemic.
And the Acknowledgements were perfect. It was appropriate. I don’t know if you realize how good it will make many, many people feel. Spot on.