Customer Reviews

Defining Conservatism: The Principles That Will Bring Our Country Back

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Amazing, that a fourteen year old young man not only reads books but actually wrote a book and got it published. Truly amazing, and I applaud him for his extraordinary accomplishment at such a young age. But that's where, in my view, the amazement ends. Those of us who are now past forty, if we can even remember being fourteen, look back on those days and realize how impressionable and ideological we were at that age. Jonathan is apparently no exception. What is exceptional about him and his book, despite the generous use of party line clichés and a few glaring contradictions, is the fact that he is obviously very intelligent, if not gifted, articulate, and that he has strong and well stated opinions about a subject to which few fourteen year olds would give any thought, time or attention. In time, as with most of us as we mature, his blacks and whites will turn to grey and his strong opinions will, hopefully, become tempered with the wisdom that comes from maturity and a growing realization that what he now sees as an obvious and absolute truth is, in reality, only his truth and not necessarily everyone else's. Aside from that, I found his book to be well worth the time it took to read on several levels. First, from a historical standpoint, his may be the only book written by a fourteen year old that I will ever have in my library that has attempted to tackle such a broad and complicated subject and that has done it so well at his age. Second, the young man is obviously a force of nature such as we have seldom seen and I will be very interested to follow his career and to watch him grow and develop. Third, as his opinions, thoughts and ideas continue to bake and to become more his own as opposed to someone else's, I believe he will become a positive influence in the age old struggle for social justice. That can only be a good thing. He seems to want the best for America and for that, I encourage him, support him and I support his book and as he continues to play out his given role on the stage of human events, I look forward to hearing more from him.

Someone left this book on a table at my local bookshop, and since I had some time to kill, I speed-read through it. This is possible because the font size is slightly larger, the book itself relatively slender, and the prose rambling but not especially difficult to follow. And I was intruigued enough about the author to look him up. He has some speeches on YouTube and has been the subject of the occasional article in a few major publications.

The construction values of the book itself were also far from terrible for a minor press. It should hold up for a while although the boards are awfully thin. It might not "shelve" well in a tight bookcase without developing a spine slope and unaffixed leaves. But. the dust jacket photo is also positively grim, and the photographer and publisher should be embarrassed. But, to the book itself.

First off, kudos to any child of any age who wants to write. This should always be encouraged. And in one of the recent interviews I saw, the young man disdained the current use of inflammatory rheoric in political discourse like "socialist" and "fascist." And this is not at variance with the overall muted tone of the book in spite of its bloated title. Further, his regard for Professor William Bennett is unabashed and admiring. This is evident for reasons I will explain.

My concerns about the author himself are as follows. He is a child actor, literally. Although this is hardly a disqualifier, his speeches as CPAC were, indeed, "hammy" and overly-rehearsed, more recitations of the talking points popular at that time than anything fresh or new. This is not a problem, though. Speeches at such political events are routinely canned to fit the audience. It is rare that, say, a Bob Barr will take an "outrider" position at rah-rah affairs regardless of political orientation. Still, I always have a narrow suspicion of actors as paid political commentators in the vein of, for example, Meryl Streep's congressional testimony about Alar and apples years ago. Second, this book, according to the "Times," also had the aid of a "grammarian." So, I have to wonder about the extent of the undisclosed ghost writing involved. Lastly, I am always deeply concerned when children are used as political shills. Be it Sarah Palin's baby, the young man who spoke at the "Million Man March" some years back and whose name now escapes me, or the young gentleman here, it always strikes me as odd - and even weird - when minors, no matter how gifted or adorable, are deployed in such a fashion. One has to wonder if "Pinocchio" is a real boy or still something of wood and string.

Questions of credibility aside, the book itself was completely, totally unremarkable save the novelty value the author provides. Nothing in it was original insofar as I could see, and it also struck me that parts of it were little more than watered-down rehash of sections of Bill Bennett's "The Book of Virtues." Given the author's uncritical (insofar as any young adolescent is capable of higher order critical thinking) admiration for Bennett, this is perhaps not surprising. But, the "moral lessons" are nothing but a feeble paraphrase of Bennett's anthology at best and self-help lingo at worst. And the citations to great thinkers like Plato and Aristotle seemed, to me, to be more than a protracted exercise in "name dropping" than anything approaching a comprehensive engagement of thought as it might - or might not - apply to the modern era. And I am sorry to say this, but Krohn is obssessively Manichean in his "analysis," a notorious trait of most adolescents simply as a matter of human development. Philosophy and understanding philosophy come at least as much from age and sober, measured experience as reading great works, and it is not possible for me to accept that someone of this age possesses those experiences enough to comment on people like the incredibly complex and urbane Jefferson, for example, in anything but the most superficial manner. Being "gifted" and "understanding" are different quotients. I don't blame him for trying, though. It's tough.

As to the political sections, I will leave those alone. The one and two star reviews in this thread do a superior job in dissecting those, and I really have nothing to add that has not already been said a millon times. And again, the watchword is "superficiality." But one must needs expect nothing less from a child, especially one who is doing little more than parroting what others have already discussed or said. And that's really all he does. It's definitely "Reader's Digest" fare.

But, two stars for the fact that a child who writes, even in this cynical circus, might be an example to others who dream of publishing something one day, political patronage or no.

But, overall, this book is dreadful for adult readers, nothing more than a protracted excercise in paraphrase. A teen might like it. Maybe. But I would not press it.

"And a child will lead them," as the old chestnut goes. Just watch out for the cliff. It's a whopper.

No recommendation.

If anyone was under the impression that the only segments of the US population that comprise the ranks of the Tea Party activists and the Conservative movement are upscale baby boomers, middle-aged Glenn Beck aficionados or white haired Republicans from affluent suburbs in the Midwest, then we must think again. In his meticulously researched thesis-like exegesis on the rise of Marxist style government expansionism and it's egregious consequences for the future of freedom in America, 14 year-old Jonathan Krohn steps up to the plate and sounds a clarion call to yet a new generation of American Conservatives.

"Defining Conservatism" (Vanguard Press - 2010) is Mr. Krohn's first book and may very well serve as the gold standard in textbook primers for those wishing to learn about the genesis of our constitutional freedoms, the deleterious ramifications to our liberty that judicial activism represents and how our collective "moral compass" must be preserved at all costs. Mr. Krohn deftly conveys his hypothesis from the perspective of a seasoned logician; promulgating an empirical, highly reasoned and profoundly rational approach to the reality of Conservatism. Unlike other books of this genre, this child prodigy steers clear of psychological manipulation, emotional appeals and ad hominem attacks against those he disagrees with. Rather, he engages in positive didactics, offering a cut and dry examination of natural law, individual rights, state sovereignty, rule of law, personal responsibility, morality, the purpose and value of life, judicial philosophy and activism and limited government as defined from the perch of a strict constructionist.

Citing a plethora of sources including the writings of Aristotle and Plato and more modern political theorists as Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, C.S. Lewis, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Mr. Krohn makes persuasive arguments for prudent constitutional interpretations as he spotlights the stark contrasts between individualism and victimization, the role of the public and private sectors in creating wealth, and the nefarious agenda of universalist government expansionism. Referring to several major US Supreme Court cases including the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, Mr. Krohn illustrates the intrusion of the federal government into the scared domain of the principles of federalism and states rights. Calling Roe v Wade, "very shoddy jurisprudence" and informing us of "serious constitutional flaws in the Supreme Court's argument", Mr. Krohn concludes that "the reasoning use to prove the sacred and inherent nature of life must be applied to the debate within the states, and the constitutional argument for natural rights must apply legally in the states just as much as it is applied to the whole of society."

He also takes on social theory and the victim mentality when he points to such Supreme Court cases as Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, when James Dale, a homosexual advocate for "gay rights" challenged the legality of the Boy Scouts' decision to remove him from his position as an assistant scoutmaster. The Court upheld a lower court ruling defending the decision of the Boy Scouts, Says Mr. Krohn: "The victim mentality's use of the due-process clause as a means to embrace a left-wing agenda is a misuse of it" adding that, "the victim does not come for justice, however, but for vengeance against the unaccommodating, the inconvenient, and anyone who stands in his or her own way."

A staunch defender of capitalism and the inherent rights of the individual as the creator of wealth, Mr. Krohn believes that a harmonious relationship between the public and private sectors must be established but also points out that the concept of free trade which distinctly defines capitalism must also be free of dictation by the public sector. He stands in fierce opposition to government "bail-outs" and takeovers of the banking and automotive industries in the fear it will lead to state economic collectivism; based on "the Marxist theory of economics, a stated theory that because government must expand for the "good" of the changing society, so must the economy", he says.

Mr. Krohn's book could not have been released at a more propitious time. Concerning his views on the polarizing universal health care reform bill, which many consider to be the most irresponsible piece of domestic legislation in the history of the United States, Mr. Krohn intones, "instead of admitting that universal health care is government's theft of the private sector's health-care industry, the romanticist brands it as free health care for the uninsured" adding that "the expansionist government appears to be a charity instead of a greedy power grabber in the eyes of the citizenry." He also probes the commerce clause of the constitution and while not specifically stating as such, one can readily conclude that the basis of the new healthcare reform bill is in direct violation of this constitutional protection.

It is not clear whether Mr. Krohn will pursue a career as a constitutional expert or a conservative political theorist and/or pundit, but it is clear that this exceptionally intelligent young man will be a force to be reckoned with as he navigates the multi-faceted trajectories of the universe of American Conservatism. His love for his country serves as his impetus as he states, "I believe that America is truly great. It is the American enshrinement of freedom as a right that has made nations abroad draw themselves into the loving arms of republican government."

Jonathan Krohn at 14 is one of the more literate and well-informed people in this country! In a thin (200 pages) book, he has explained logically and clearly just what Conservatism is. His syllogisms are tight and easy to understand. He compares true conservatism to "government expansionism" (his term for liberals or progressives). For Krohn, conservatism is quite logical, while expansionism is not based in logic, but, rather, is based in emotion.

This is not a quick or "easy" read. It is quite thought provoking, and demands time for "mulling over."

I'm still in the "mulling over" phase, but he demands that one think and respond.

I may be ready to respond more later. In the meantime, however, I highly recommend this book - for both liberals and conservatives, alike. We need more thought and less rhetoric in politics.

Everyone who votes should read this book! Your 5th grade children should read this book (earlier if AG). If you believe that learning about conservatism will confirm your negative concepts, you should prepare to be surprised. You will get all of the basics and much more, in a very readable style.

This is a well written book by a young and coming author. His well formed and cogent arguments should give all readers, both liberal and conservative pause to rethink their positions and perhaps formulate a new position. This was well worth the investment.

Thank you Rembrandt Q. Einstein for your comments!!

"

Johathan has a lot going for him but I suspect he has already fallen into an "us vs them' ideology. I hope he reads books from Reinhold Niebuhr, Andrew Bacevitch, and Sam Tannenhaus, among others.

It seems to me that if politics is to evolve, if it is going to cultivate the kind of wisdom needed to address the severity of our problems that we face today no amount of conservatism or liberalism it going to help. We need a new wisdom, a kind of awarness that goes beyond the status quo.

Unfortuantely, Johnathan seems to be unaware that defining conservatism is easy. Putting it into practice is quite another. And if those who call themselves conservative or Rebulicans believe that their stance in all affairs is "the measure of all things" they will fail.

It seems Jonathan has already made this mistake even before you read the book. Just look at the front cover. Why have the American flag in the background? The implication here is that we need to be more Patriotic, to hold even faster to the virtues of our founding fathers but no amount of this will work. Johnahan -or anyone-can write the most hearfelt book on being conservative but it's mere sentiment. The problems we face today are far more complex that any ideolgy from any party and by holding on to the old, we lose sight of the real underlying problem that is infecting poltics like a virus and that is the pervasive corruption in goverment. The antidote is HONESY, SINCERITY, TRANSPERENCY,EMPATHY,and LISTENING with undivided attention to the REAL concerns of the American people as if your life depended on it!!

I hope Jonathan realizes that when you believe you are right and others are wrong,the very act of doing so makes you arrogant and blinds you from discovering what is true. Of what good is freedom and Democracy if under its banner you are lying to the American People? johnathan, please read Andrew Bacevich's book "the limits of power" See him give a talk about his book on Bill Moyer's journal website.

I echo the sentiment of some of the other reviewers... Jonathan is impressive for his age and it is encouraging if this leads to other young men and women taking an active interest in civics, philosophy, economics, etc. However, the lack of nuance, as is expected in adolescents and unfortunate in adults, is disappointing. Everything cannot be boiled down to black and white. Jonathan professes a love for logic and attempts to reduce issues to a mathematical equation but he makes leaps that do not equate. In building his equations, I feel, he starts with the answers as provided by the current Republican machine. I was particularly displeased with his elementary view of the Iraq war, which he deftly omits in name but characterizes as a fight against terrorism in order to champion strong spending on national defense. If he were serious about reviving conservatism he would be wise to release the hijacked definition of the word and follow a more nuanced course marked by moderation. Of course there is no money in being a moderate these days...

-BB, (truly) a conservative, former military officer, businessman and staunch believer in (truly) free markets

If you read the long article in the N.Y. Times, you find the parents brought in a specialist to "check the grammar" In other words, ghost writer. Did you see the kid on C-Span? A real actor. A real Glenn Beck. What is the profession of his mother? Actress and Drama Coach. You right wingers are so desperate.

Heard Jonathan Krohn on Bill Bennett yesterday and saw him on Fox & Friends this morning. Wonder if he'll wow them at CPAC again this year. This book should be the #1 conservative seller. Move over Mr. Levin and Mr. Beck -- Jonathan Krohn has something to say!