I was with my family at the Blue Lagoon in Grindavík, Iceland, when I signed the contract to write this book. It was an auspicious beginning.
My wife, Suphatra, deserves eternal gratitude. She has been by my side for everything, lifting me through difficult times and always challenging me to follow the call of the true, the good, and the beautiful. She saw me through the writing process and served as a constant source of love, companionship, and inspiration. Our sons, Milo, Matteo, and Massimo, are my other inspiration. They have shown me the meaning of family, community, and country—all of which are being threatened by the ideological capture described in this book.
Over the past five years, I’ve had the good fortune of working with a number of conservative research centers, which have provided the stimulation and support that made this book possible. I acknowledge a great debt to Bruce Chapman, George Gilder, and Steve Buri of Discovery Institute, who offered the encouragement I needed to make the transition from filmmaking to politics. My friends in the Claremont Institute circle have provided me with a sense of brotherhood and challenged me to think more radically about philosophy, governance, and action. Finally, Reihan Salam, Ilana Golant, Brian Anderson, Paul Beston, and Brandon Fuller of Manhattan Institute have given me the opportunity to live out my dreams: producing journalism, working in politics, and helping shape the culture. It is the highest honor to work for Manhattan Institute and its in-house publication, City Journal, which is, in my opinion, the best political magazine in the United States.
The writing process for America’s Cultural Revolution was simultaneously a solitary work—many hours spent alone reading, writing, and editing—and a collaborative effort. Michael Young was a diligent researcher for this project, combing through hundreds of books, papers, and miscellany, searching for the crucial ideas and the perfect details. His passion for understanding left-wing ideology was a constant inspiration to keep digging, keep thinking, and keep pushing. Bernadette Serton, who runs the book program at Manhattan Institute, provided crucial support, helping me conquer the anxiety of beginning the book and giving notes for every draft. Joshua Moro was a champion at the end of the process, organizing my chicken scratch into comprehensive endnotes.
My agent, Jonathan Bronitsky, has the rare combination of business acumen and political principle; he believes in the mission of his authors and is an advocate without peer. Last but not least, Eric Nelson at HarperCollins has been an expert guide through the process of writing and publishing, taking a risk and maintaining his patience with a first-time author. His composure, respect for the author, and dry sense of humor make working with him a great pleasure.
On my team at American Studio, Maggie Roberts-Kohl and Armen Tooloee both helped me stay organized with the book and provided critical support. Armen expertly juggled working on a huge number of projects and did everything from transcribing pages from paper books to leading the process of compiling footnotes. He deserves immense credit for all of the journalism, activism, and media I’ve been able to do in the past two years. My board members at American Studio—Marshall Sana, Nathan Rimmer, and Pratik Stephen—have been extremely supportive of my vision and provided great fellowship at our annual fly-fishing retreat on the Hood Canal.
Lastly, I want to thank some of the established figures who publicized my early work and helped me enter the public debate, including Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Glenn Beck, Dennis Prager, and many others.
I hope this book does all of these friends, colleagues, and contributors justice.