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holodoxa's review
5.0
Buckley's Getting It Right is an intimate yet critical history of modern conservatism in which Buckley devotes special attention to two influential movements at the margins of the conservative movement, the John Birch Society (JBS) and Objectivism (i.e. Ayn Rand's moral philosophy). Interestingly, Buckley spins an engaging yarn weaving the intellectual and romantic maturation of two young adults, Woodroe Raynor and Leonora Goldstein, involved in the JBS and Objectivism, respectively, through bonafide historical events (e.g. the Hungarian Revolutions of 1956 and JFK's assassination) and actors (e.g. Ayn Rand, Robert Welch, Dwight Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater, and Bill Buckley himself).
Ostensibly, Buckley uses his narrative to deliver a balanced and sophisticated critique of Birchers (whom he very publicly and vehemently criticized, dedicating a special issue of his magazine National Review to denouncing JBS) and Rand's philosophy. Buckley does not pull punches when it comes to Welch and Rand or even Eisenhower for that matter. He portray Welch and his extreme acolytes as reckless and paranoid kooks, whose reflexive and obsessive anti-communism caused more harm to the noble, intelligent anti-communist cause than communist sympathizers. Whereas Rand is satirized mercilessly as a petulant, concupiscent egoist who conducts a salon more like a cult leader than an intellectual and that her personal foibles were an outgrowth of a bankrupt moral philosophy. Via these characterizations and the events of the plot, Buckley makes his case for a mainstream and intellectually rigorous conservatism.
Although Buckley's social commentary and implicit political philosophy is persuasive and packaged entertainingly, his ultimate judgments of JBS and Objectivism should have been calibrated differently given the benefit of his historical perspective (Getting It Right was published in 2003). Buckely's novel goes a little easy some aspects of JBS's reactionary politics and errs in its especially ferocious attack on the secularism embedded in Rand's Objectivism, especially because the criticism of Objectivism often rely on obvious personal failing of Ayn Rand the human being. However, Buckley's failure to embrace Rand's moral defense of capitalism is his biggest oversight. Buckley most poignant historical and political observation are conveyed in his retelling of the Goldwater candidacy, which readers, especially those on the Left, should pay close attention to given our current political climate.
Beyond the novelty of the historical fictionalization and the implicit yet weighty commentary built into the subtext, Buckley's prose style is plain but exacting and clever. He does not draw particularly vivid or introspective characters, but he masterfully moves them throughout the landscape of American history and Republican politics. Americans need more novels like Getting It Right for past and present epochs, and America needs more intellectual like Buckley.
Ostensibly, Buckley uses his narrative to deliver a balanced and sophisticated critique of Birchers (whom he very publicly and vehemently criticized, dedicating a special issue of his magazine National Review to denouncing JBS) and Rand's philosophy. Buckley does not pull punches when it comes to Welch and Rand or even Eisenhower for that matter. He portray Welch and his extreme acolytes as reckless and paranoid kooks, whose reflexive and obsessive anti-communism caused more harm to the noble, intelligent anti-communist cause than communist sympathizers. Whereas Rand is satirized mercilessly as a petulant, concupiscent egoist who conducts a salon more like a cult leader than an intellectual and that her personal foibles were an outgrowth of a bankrupt moral philosophy. Via these characterizations and the events of the plot, Buckley makes his case for a mainstream and intellectually rigorous conservatism.
Although Buckley's social commentary and implicit political philosophy is persuasive and packaged entertainingly, his ultimate judgments of JBS and Objectivism should have been calibrated differently given the benefit of his historical perspective (Getting It Right was published in 2003). Buckely's novel goes a little easy some aspects of JBS's reactionary politics and errs in its especially ferocious attack on the secularism embedded in Rand's Objectivism, especially because the criticism of Objectivism often rely on obvious personal failing of Ayn Rand the human being. However, Buckley's failure to embrace Rand's moral defense of capitalism is his biggest oversight. Buckley most poignant historical and political observation are conveyed in his retelling of the Goldwater candidacy, which readers, especially those on the Left, should pay close attention to given our current political climate.
Beyond the novelty of the historical fictionalization and the implicit yet weighty commentary built into the subtext, Buckley's prose style is plain but exacting and clever. He does not draw particularly vivid or introspective characters, but he masterfully moves them throughout the landscape of American history and Republican politics. Americans need more novels like Getting It Right for past and present epochs, and America needs more intellectual like Buckley.
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