The Secret Knowledge

A few weeks ago I listened to an interview with David Mamet about his new book, The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture. Before the interview was over I'd already ordered the book.

I've seen a few of Mamet's movies (my favorite is The Winslow Boy ), but until listening to that interview I didn't know that he'd become conservative in his way of thinking. His book tells all, and according to him, he'd "never knowingly talked with nor read the works of a Conservative before moving to Los Angeles, some eight years ago."

These are the collected musings of a man once a dyed-in-the-wool Liberal who has made a 180-degree turn, and who wants to convert others. He attacks the ideology of the Left, and explains how those lofty ideals work out in real life. He refers to and quotes Thomas Sowell (my favorite economist), Nevil Shute (a favorite 20th century writer), and Anthony Trollope (my favorite 19th century novelist). This book was destined to be a favorite of mine from the start!

My only gripe - if it can be considered to be a gripe - is that his thoughts move so fast that at times I had trouble keeping up with what felt like hyperlinks. Thankfully, he provides nice footnotes when appropriate, and an impressive bibliography that's worth keeping as a reading list for the future.