Don't Burn This Book: Thinking for Yourself in an Age of Unreason

"Topical, engaging, personable, and above all, reassuring." -Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, author of 12 Rules for Life

From host of The Rubin Report, the most-watched talk show about free speech and big ideas on YouTube right now, a roadmap for free thinking in an increasingly censored world.

The left is no longer liberal.

Once on the side of free speech and tolerance, progressives now ban speakers from college campuses, "cancel" people who aren't up to date on the latest genders, and force religious people to violate their conscience. They have abandoned the battle of ideas and have begun fighting a battle of feelings. This uncomfortable truth has turned moderates and true liberals into the politically homeless class.

Dave Rubin launched his political talk show The Rubin Report in 2015 as a meeting ground for free thinkers who realize that partisan politics is a dead end. He hosts people he both agrees and disagrees with--including those who have been dismissed, deplatformed, and despised--taking on the most controversial issues of our day. As a result, he's become a voice of reason in a time of madness.

Now, Rubin gives you the tools you need to think for yourself in an age when tribal outrage is the only available alternative. Based on his own story as well as his experiences from the front lines of the free speech wars, this book will empower you to make up your own mind about what you believe on any issue and teach you the fine art of:

Checking your facts, not your privilege, when it comes to today's most pervasive myths, from the wage gap and gun violence to climate change and hate crimes.

Standing up to the mob against today's absurd PC culture, when differences of opinion can bring relationships, professional or personal, to a sudden end.

Defending classically liberal principles such as individual rights and limited government, because freedom is impossible without them.

The Progressive Woke Machine is waging war against the last free thinkers in the world. Don't Burn This Book is the definitive account of our current political upheaval and your guide to surviving it.

"It's Time to Come Out"

The original title of this book was Why I Left the Left.

For many months, the master plan was to give a definitive account of my political evolution. But, as soon as I cashed the publisher's advance check, I decided that wasn't the book I wanted to write.

You don't need me to go on for 250 pages about how the left has completely lost its mind. You already know this--at least on an intellectual level--and you can probably appreciate why I, a former lifelong lefty, have changed my allegiance.

This is because (as if I haven't said it on The Rubin Report enough already!) the left is now regressive, not progressive.

What was once the side of free speech and tolerance--the one that said, "I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it"--now bans speakers from college campuses, "cancels" people if they aren't up to date on the latest genders, and forces Christians to violate their conscience.

They also alienate sensible grown-ups who dislike high taxes, oppose open borders, enjoy the free market, and harbor a healthy distrust of socialism. They're equally unwelcoming for sane, decent people who happen to be fiscally conservative, classically liberal, libertarian, or--dare I say it--the worst thing of all: straight, white, and male.

Rather than being all-inclusive and fair, the left is now authoritarian and puritanical. It has replaced the battle of ideas with a battle of feelings, while trading honesty with outrage.

So, instead of retracing why I left the left, what you need is a book about how to leave the left--and where to go next. You need a path forward--a road map of how to get there.

And even if you've left the left already, or never were part of the left in the first place, this book will help you understand our crazy political climate.

No matter what brought you to this book, I'm guessing you're trapped in a political purgatory with "tolerant" progressives who are holding you hostage. Perhaps you still cling to a few old-school left-wing principles but deviate from the party line on a few others--which is completely reasonable, yet you spend a lot of time self-censoring for fear of saying something slightly "un-woke" and unleashing the mob.

If so, don't worry. You're not alone. Over the past few years, I've received countless emails from various people who bite their tongues and keep their opinions secret every single day.

If you're in denial about whether this applies to you, ask yourself: Do you ever find yourself seeking out certain sections of the bookstore when you're alone? Do you crack self-hating jokes to double-bluff your way through the day? Or do you dither over what's diplomatic for your Facebook feed?

Do you secretly watch Fox News with your finger on the back button in case somebody enters the room? Do you methodically clear your browser history to erase all evidence of PragerU videos? Do you hide your subscription to Ben Shapiro's podcast? Or worry that your kid brother will catch you laughing at a Stephen Crowder video?

Maybe you don't want your friends knowing that you read books by Jordan Peterson or newspaper columns by Bret Stephens? Or you're ashamed of watching YouTube's The Rubin Report, which is hosted by the very scary (but quite dapper) Dave Rubin?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then I'm afraid you're living in fear of the woke machine. You're politically closeted, and it's time to come out. This book will show you how.