Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
The Essential Conservative Reader for Adolescents
As my children (currently first and third graders) get older, I’m increasingly concerned about how to inoculate them against the incessant liberalism they will be exposed to on a daily basis through school and media. I already have to deal with cartoon dogs lecturing them about global warming and teachers not letting them eat snacks because — heaven forfend! — the yogurt contains Oreo crumbles.
Dealing with that stuff is pretty easy now; I just tell them the problems with what they’re hearing on TV or in the classroom, or I ignore the issue because the attempts at liberal indoctrination have failed. But at some point, sooner than I would like, they are going to need more. So I started thinking about a reading list for when that time comes to help my kids realize that a lot of liberal pablum is misguided at best and overtly destructive at worst. I want them to think critically about these issues.
The reading material needs to be accessible to a seventh grader (or thereabouts), so the Road to Serfdom, Capitalism and Freedom, and Liberal Fascism are probably out. I also don’t want the material to seem hectoring or overly preachy about the virtues of conservatism.
Here’s what I have come up with so far:
- “The Gods of the Copybook Headings,” Rudyard Kipling
- Animal Farm, George Orwell
- 1984, George Orwell
- Politics and the English Language, George Orwell
- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
- Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut
- The Use of Knowledge in Society, Friedrich Hayek
- The Pretense of Knowledge, Friedrich Hayek (These last two might be a little too advanced for a seventh grader, but it can’t hurt to try. Plus, you can never have enough Hayek.)
What am I missing? What other short and/or accessible works should be included in The Essential Conservative Reader for Adolescents/Young Adults?
Published in Literature
Things that might be a little heavy as independent reading are often quite digestible when read aloud. Makes for excellent quality time, as well.
America Alone by Mark Steyn. It worked for me! (But I was 20)
Schooling your kids at home will immediately kill all leftist viruses and germs!
I don’t know about consensus, but for my money the two best juveniles are Tunnel in the Sky and Time for the Stars (if nothing else, you’ll understand Relativistic time dilation after reading TFST).
For non-Juveniles, Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress should be required reading in High School.
Anthem:
If your conservatism contains a component of individualism, perhaps Ayn Rand’s Anthem. It’s a quick read. It explicitly draws a sharp distinction between group-think and thinking for oneself.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress:
Robert Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress supported my nascent contempt for the State.
At the beginning of this past summer I bought copies of Orwell’s ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’, hoping I would read them along with my 14 year old daughter. We both read ‘Animal Farm’. I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading it as I had forgotten much of it. My daughter (an avid but picky reader) suffered through it. I tried to explain the parallels to the Soviet Union and she humored me but I’m not sure how much sunk in.
Then I moved on to ‘1984’ (which I am almost finished with). I believe I had read it before but can’t recall if it was high school or college. I haven’t been comfortable enough to nudge my daughter to read it, probably due to its sexual overtones. But, I’m finding it captivating.
Thanks for the other suggestions.
I second A Canticle… the Dime blackmailed me into writing about it next month.
@Reticulator mentioned the problems of namby-pamby children’s Bibles. The Action Bible is anything but namby-pamby. It was done by a Marvel/DC illustrator and works well w/ boys…it made my son’s “bed library.”
Finally, I’d be wary of any Hayek before kids have dealt with formal employment. My belief is that he’ll make much more sense once one has worked with other people, for a paycheck, and without 20 percent of said paycheck.
I can’t add anything meaningful to the list of books already put out in this thread. I am currently reading through “How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes” with my 12 year old and he is asking a lot of thoughtful questions.
This is not a book but Bill Whittle’s “What We Believe” got through to my 15 year old daughter. https://youtu.be/OLD6VChcWCE?list=PL5_z6DAA07VQz_5GECnD3Ep0L_Bp0mxy3.
Atlas Shrugged is a bit much for most people young or old but the part of it in which the man on the train explains to Dagney what happened to the 20th Century Motor Co. when they tried to operate accord to the ‘ from each….. to each’ philosophy is worth a read, I’ve always thought that section alone would make a great movie. It’s hard to believe that the description of the pure evil and naked lust for control of the Ivy Starnes character was written when Hillary Clinton wasn’t even 10 yet.
Very good point.
I’m not familiar with that one, but I learned much myself from a comic-book version of the Bible when I was little. The same one didn’t resonate with my own children, though, probably because I was no longer comfortable with it myself then.
I don’t recall whether all of this was in that comic-book version or the actual Bible, but the stories of the Judges and Kings produced in me a vivid awareness of how power corrupts. The story of the Exodus and the backsliding of the people who wanted to go back to Egypt provided me with an understanding of the conflict between security and freedom.
Much of Kipling’s work is perfect. I paid each of my three bone lazy sons $50 each to read “Stalky & Co.”, his great novel about boys in a boarding school. They struggled with the somewhat anachronistic language for the first chapter or two and then got right into it. “Kim” is of course a classic on the “great game” in India. These two in particular are pitch perfect tales of adventure for young readers and soaked in conservative values. The “Soldiers Three” stories make great bedtime “read aloud” fare, not the least for the fun of trying to read the dialogue in the accents of the protagonists. Ditto for his best poetry. This will entertain any 12-15 year old boy, and a more conservative set of principles are hard to find:
....... If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white, Remember it's ruin to run from a fight: So take open order, lie down, and sit tight, And wait for supports like a soldier. Wait, wait, wait like a soldier . . . When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, And the women come out to cut up what remains, Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. Go, go, go like a soldier, Go, go, go like a soldier, Go, go, go like a soldier, So-oldier of the Queen!# 17. Hank Rearden
Late adolescence, 17, Atlas Shrugged.
Probably not what you are looking for, but I was captivated by Kenneth Roberts:
Northwest Passage
Arundel
Rabble in Arms
Arundel and Rabble in Arms are a pair and are in that sequence, i.e., Arundel first. They use the same characters.
Oh, maaaaan, I was going to recommend these! Also if you can find it “Oliver Wiswell” by KR.
A REALLY GOOD dystopian novel for youngsters is Lois Lowry’s “The Giver”. I’ve read it three times and have given it to all my grandchildren. Also for a really competent reader let me recommend two books. Tacitus “Annals of Imperial Rome”, clear and highly readable prose and a story that is compelling as heck. Then let them read Robert Graves’s ” I Claudius”. They’ll be hooked on history. Lastly, whatever books you give them to read, make sure you read them also. That way you’ll have something to talk about in the car.
I read 1984 and Machiavelli’s The Prince in the same semester of high school. The Prince is very cerebral, but it was fascinating to read the two so close together: both treat power as an end rather than a means to an end, and it definitely felt like seeing a “before-and-after” picture.
For middle school, I reiterate the recommendation for Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s hilarious. Also in the hilarious for middle school category, anything by author Dave Barry. He doesn’t espouse conservatism, but his frequent mockery of bureaucrats and politicians give a healthy distrust of the whole system. I’d start with Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys (for both genders) and Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway.
For middle or high school, depending on how interested the kid is in politics, I’d go with both The Conscience of a Conservative by Goldwater and The Communist Manifesto by Marx. Both are better writers than most who wrote about them, and it’s good to see the ideologies as they were presented, so kids can observe how their adopters acted.
Oh, also for high schoolers, Night by Elie Wiesel. It’ll depress your kid while they’re reading it, which is appropriate.
Misthiocracy
Misthiocracy
Am I mistaken, or has nobody yet suggested any of Chesterton’s adventure/espionage/detective stories?
#56 · TODAY AT 12:42 AM (6 HOURS AGO) · LIKE 1 · FLAG · DIRECT LINK
Of course! “The Man Who Was Thursday” is really good. Speaking of espionage stories for older competent readers, Kipling’s “Kim” and while you’re at it “Captains Courageous”.
Eat The Rich – P.J. O’Rourke
“You are mistaken” would have sufficed.
;-)
Of course, simply listening to RUSH’s 2112 also gets the job done.
;-)
Rush is my son’s favorite rock band. #MissionAccomplished
I always thought that Freewill was the most conservative Rush song. How can you not love “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice”?
Sheila states the essential element here. We should not subject our children to even the “best” public schools if we are serious about wanting them to avoid imbibing the progressive zeitgeist. Instead, we should seek out alternatives including homeschooling if we truly want what is best for them. There is too much at stake.
Look at this curriculum here. It is based on the concept of the Trivium infused with a Christian worldview and based on an assumption of the beauty and exceptionalism of Western Civilization.
Taking direct control of our children’s education back from the state should be at the top of the list for any parents here, regardless of which particular books or curriculum we choose within the many good options.
I don’t think there is a consensus, but in my view Citizen of the Galaxy is the best. I don’t know that’s it’s the most conservative in it’s message, but it’s the best story and it may serve to get the kids hooked on Heinlein.
I think you may be right. I would definitely not include The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress among the juveniles, by the way (to respond to a different commenter).
As for the other Heinlein juveniles, you can’t go too wrong here. Most of them aren’t explicitly conservative, but they sneak in good values at unexpected places.
Respectfully, I have to dissent. I think one of the reasons that conservatives are losing control of the culture and public institutions (and we are) is because we always opt out. This is ironic, because opting out is basically the most conservative answer to many problems: I’ll do what’s best for me and you do what’s best for you. But when we opt out of multiparty public settings (i.e. things like public school and local government) we’re just unilaterally withdrawing from the battlespace. This ensures that the problem will get worse, not better, because the only message people hear will be the liberal one. And on top of that, we abandon many who may be our allies, in outcome if not in reasoning, if only there were more of a debate about the problems.
I agree with those out there who think that, in general, public schools are horribly run and entrusting your children’s education solely to public schools does them a disservice. But I think the answer to that is to fight rather than withdraw. Actively involve yourself with your kids education. Talk to the teachers. Ask your kids about what they are learning and actively engage them on the subject. Go to PTA meetings. Find good candidates for the school board.
If you have a problem with your local public schools the answer shouldn’t be to withdraw, but to fight hard to make them better.
I could never have home schooled, though my hat is off to those who take that on. I did de-program her every day after school, which was challenging enough. But on the other hand, my daughter got to experience the socialization of public school, which I think is an important part of growing up. She got to be a cheerleader, go to school dances, and meet kids from different walks of life who she normally wouldn’t have encountered. She was also allowed to watch TV (though I didn’t allow The Simpsons and others till she was older), because it’s important to have the same cultural memories as your peers later in life.
Homeschooling can be tough, for sure. I homeschooled my oldest three fifteen years ago, and having another baby plus a husband on sea duty with the Navy derailed us, big time. But I think the socialization issue can be overcome. My daughter has friends from Sunday School, Girl Scouts, lacrosse, etc. And I know people complain a lot about the Disney/Nickelodeon teens sitcoms, but have you seen the alternatives?
Our public schools here are among the best around, but I took her out for other reasons. Worldview and morality for one. And now I’m glad I did, because she was completely lacking in self-motivation and worked for grades, not for knowledge. I am still trying to undo the damage.
You’re not kiddin’! When mine was a junior in high school, her history teacher was a hispanic man with a chip on his shoulder. He had a Che Guevara poster on the wall next to a Malcolm X one. During the WWII unit, he assigned them to make “an American propaganda” poster. I reported him to the school, pointing out that “propaganda” is what we call the posters of the enemy. I also had to open her eyes to the reality of Mr. Che Guevara and who he really was. It was only one of hundreds of episodes in her school career.
The aduio books are fantastic. I don’t remember who reads the first one, but Martin Freeman reads the subsequent ones. Very enjoyable to listen to!
There is an abridged audio edition of The Screwtape Letters read by John Cleese. It’s fantistic!