Overview
A provocative, intimate look at the evolution of America's political soul through the lives of six political figures--from Whittaker Chambers to Christopher Hitchens--who abandoned the left and joined the right. In Exit Right, Daniel Oppenheimer tells the stories of six major political figures whose journeys away from the left reshaped the contours of American politics in the twentieth century. By going deep into the minds of six apostates--Whittaker Chambers, James Burnham, Ronald Reagan, Norman Podhoretz, David Horowitz, and Christopher Hitchens--Oppenheimer offers an unusually intimate history of the American left, and the right's reaction. Oppenheimer is a brilliant new voice in political history who has woven together the past century's most important movements into a single book that reveals the roots of American politics. Through the eyes of his six subjects, we see America grow, stumble, and forge ahead--from World War I up through the Great Depression and World War II, from the Red Scare up through the Civil Rights Movement, and from the birth of neoconservatism up through 9/11 and the dawn of the Iraq War. At its core, Exit Right is a book that asks profound questions about why and how we come to believe politically at all--on the left or the right. Each of these six lives challenges us to ask where our own beliefs come from, and what it might take to change them. At a time of sky-high partisanship, Oppenheimer breaks down the boundaries that divide us and investigates the deeper origins of our politics. This is a book that will resonate with readers on the left and the right--as well as those stuck somewhere in the middle.
Reviews
Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be the book to read as the country swings into the next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. --Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories
If it were just a series of sharply focused, incisive portraits, Exit Right would be riveting reading. The fact that they add up to a secret history of the American Left over a century of great tumult is a fascinating bonus. But most unexpectedly--and most valuably--it turns out to be a sort of philosophical mystery story: Are we defined, as we might like to think, by our strongest convictions? Or by our doubts? --Andrew Bujalski, director of Funny Ha Ha and Results
Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be THE book to read as the country swings into next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. --Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories Exit Right is a book that every conservative should read and understand. It's a fascinating, illuminating, deep-thinking look at some of the most important political transformations in American history. While few on the right will agree with every word that Daniel Oppenheimer writes, he's always smart, provocative, and penetrating. --Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of R Street Institute Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be the book to read as the country swings into the next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. --Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories Exit Right is a compelling and beautifully written work of political history. By tracing the stories of six individuals, Daniel Oppenheimer not only gives us a nuanced look at America s rightward turn. He also tells a more elemental story about political action about who we are and what we believe, and how those things can seem unshakeable one moment yet so tenuous the next. --Jason Sokol, author of There Goes My Everything If it were just a series of sharply focused, incisive portraits, Exit Right would be riveting reading. The fact that they add up to a secret history of the American Left over a century of great tumult is a fascinating bonus. But most unexpectedly--and most valuably--it turns out to be a sort of philosophical mystery story: Are we defined, as we might like to think, by our strongest convictions? Or by our doubts? --Andrew Bujalski, director of Funny Ha Ha and Results Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be the book to read as the country swings into the next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. --Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories Exit Right is a compelling and beautifully written work of political history. By tracing the stories of six individuals, Daniel Oppenheimer not only gives us a nuanced look at America's rightward turn. He also tells a more elemental story about political action--about who we are and what we believe, and how those things can seem unshakeable one moment yet so tenuous the next. --Jason Sokol, author of There Goes My Everything In this elegant and incisive look at six interconnected American ideological turncoats, Daniel Oppenheimer brilliantly explores the subtleties of belief and offers a fresh explanation for mid-century conservative advances. And the surprises keep coming: Who knew that it was a GE executive named Lemuel Boulware who nudged Ronald Reagan from left to right? Or that, if not for a bad book review from Norman Mailer, Norman Podhoretz may never have travelled so far across the ideological spectrum? Oppenheimer's eye for the compelling detail marries well with his literary flair. --Jonathan Alter, author of The Center Holds With the deftest touch imaginable, Daniel Oppenheimer charts the course of these controversial lives through the ideological storms of the twentieth century. At once politically astute and psychologically probing, this is a vivid, scrupulous, finely intelligent book. --Morris Dickstein, author of Dancing in the Dark and Why Not Say What Happened A timely psychological political profile...Exit Right will inspire a self-examination of all political believers. --Fort Worth Star-Telegram [Exit Right] traces the path of six influential men...who moved from the left to the right, in ideological shifts that changed 'the contours of American politics.' --Time [A] confident debut. ... [Oppenheimer] excels in portraying the personal torments and costs to his subjects in their transitional struggles.... The interplay between large historical movements and personal anguish is well-balanced and skillfully handled throughout. Whether his subjects are viewed as champions or apostates, Oppenheimer's insightful narrative should inspire some soul-searching among political believers of every stripe. --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Powerful and self-assured, even when addressing the exceedingly complex matter of why we believe what we believe. --Rayyan Al-Shawaf, B&N Review A tour of the American left, seen through the eyes of six men who left it behind and turned to the right. ... Instead of dismissing these controversial figures, Oppenheimer asks us to take them seriously, to analyze their disputes with the various lefts they were part of, and through them, to grapple with questions of loyalty, masculinity, identity, spirituality, and just where it is our political values come from. --Sarah Jaffe, Dissent Exit Right is a book that every conservative should read and understand. It's a fascinating, illuminating, deep-thinking look at some of the most important political transformations in American history. While few on the right will agree with every word that Daniel Oppenheimer writes, he's always smart, provocative, and penetrating. --Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of The R Street Institute Call it natural evolution or ideological midlife crisis, but the figures profiled here ... all turned away from the political left, either incrementally or in revelatory bursts. ... Brilliant yet fallible, these apostates deserve our attention, Oppenheimer believes. Right or wrong, they 'reckoned with themselves at the most terrifyingly fundamental level.' --The New York Times Book Review Absorbing. ... So quick to denounce or praise, and to demand to be told which side everyone is on, we forget that politics also offers parables of second thoughts and transformation. Ideological changelings, if we catch them mid-flight, remind us that 'belief is complicated, contingent, multi-determined.' --Sam Tanenhaus, The Atlantic [Exit Right] is flawed in the particular way that only great books can be. It fails to fully answer the impossibly ambitious questions it lays out, but its insights are so absorbing that it doesn't matter [and] the prose is so perfect. ... This book proves so satisfying precisely because it leaves you wanting much more. ... Oppenheimer began with a book about the origins of political beliefs and ended with one about the literary force of political misgivings. They're both worth reading. --The Washington Post Thoughtful ... Engaging ... Exit Right grabbed me as few books have done in recent years. This is political history at a very high level, especially when American politics seems to reach new lows every day. ... Oppenheimer is also a gifted storyteller, and the pages fly by. --Alan Wolfe, The New Republic This is Oppenheimer's first book, but he writes with the assurance and historical command of someone who has been thinking about his topic for a long time. The colors of his own flag are hard to discern, which makes him a reliable guide. His sympathy goes to the candidly conflicted, the nakedly shattered. He wants to know why people come to hold the political beliefs they do. Stories of apostasy, he writes, 'are worth telling because it's during the period of political transition, when the bones of one's belief system are broken and poking out through the skin, that the contingency and complexity of belief become most visible.' This quest is particularly relevant at a time when Americans are dug deep into two opposing trenches, and crossing no man's land is a great way to get picked off. --George Packer, The New Yorker The wisdom, discernment, and erudition on display in this book are exceptional. After reading it, you may never think about why we believe what we believe in the same way again. Daniel Oppenheimer is a political essayist for the ages. --Rick Perlstein, author of The Invisible Bridge If it were just a series of sharply focused, incisive portraits, Exit Right would be riveting reading. The fact that they add up to a secret history of the American Left over a century of great tumult is a fascinating bonus. But most unexpectedly and most valuably it turns out to be a sort of philosophical mystery story: Are we defined, as we might like to think, by our strongest convictions? Or by our doubts? Andrew Bujalski, director of Funny Ha Ha and Results Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be the book to read as the country swings into the next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories Exit Right is a compelling and beautifully written work of political history. By tracing the stories of six individuals, Daniel Oppenheimer not only gives us a nuanced look at America s rightward turn. He also tells a more elemental story about political action about who we are and what we believe, and how those things can seem unshakeable one moment yet so tenuous the next. Jason Sokol, author of There Goes My Everything A timely psychological political profile Exit Right will inspire a self-examination of all political believers. Fort Worth Star-Telegram [Exit Right] traces the path of six influential men who moved from the left to the right, in ideological shifts that changed the contours of American politics. Time [A] confident debut. [Oppenheimer] excels in portraying the personal torments and costs to his subjects in their transitional struggles . The interplay between large historical movements and personal anguish is well-balanced and skillfully handled throughout. Whether his subjects are viewed as champions or apostates, Oppenheimer's insightful narrative should inspire some soul-searching among political believers of every stripe. Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Powerful and self-assured, even when addressing the exceedingly complex matter of why we believe what we believe. Rayyan Al-Shawaf, B&N Review A tour of the American left, seen through the eyes of six men who left it behind and turned to the right. Instead of dismissing these controversial figures, Oppenheimer asks us to take them seriously, to analyze their disputes with the various lefts they were part of, and through them, to grapple with questions of loyalty, masculinity, identity, spirituality, and just where it is our political values come from. Sarah Jaffe, Dissent Exit Right is a book that every conservative should read and understand. It s a fascinating, illuminating, deep-thinking look at some of the most important political transformations in American history. While few on the right will agree with every word that Daniel Oppenheimer writes, he s always smart, provocative, and penetrating. Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of The R Street Institute Call it natural evolution or ideological midlife crisis, but the figures profiled here all turned away from the political left, either incrementally or in revelatory bursts. Brilliant yet fallible, these apostates deserve our attention, Oppenheimer believes. Right or wrong, they reckoned with themselves at the most terrifyingly fundamental level. The New York Times Book Review Absorbing. So quick to denounce or praise, and to demand to be told which side everyone is on, we forget that politics also offers parables of second thoughts and transformation. Ideological changelings, if we catch them mid-flight, remind us that belief is complicated, contingent, multi-determined. Sam Tanenhaus, The Atlantic [Exit Right] is flawed in the particular way that only great books can be. It fails to fully answer the impossibly ambitious questions it lays out, but its insights are so absorbing that it doesn t matter [and] the prose is so perfect. This book proves so satisfying precisely because it leaves you wanting much more. Oppenheimer began with a book about the origins of political beliefs and ended with one about the literary force of political misgivings. They re both worth reading. The Washington Post Thoughtful Engaging Exit Right grabbed me as few books have done in recent years. This is political history at a very high level, especially when American politics seems to reach new lows every day. Oppenheimer is also a gifted storyteller, and the pages fly by. Alan Wolfe, The New Republic This is Oppenheimer s first book, but he writes with the assurance and historical command of someone who has been thinking about his topic for a long time. The colors of his own flag are hard to discern, which makes him a reliable guide. His sympathy goes to the candidly conflicted, the nakedly shattered. He wants to know why people come to hold the political beliefs they do. Stories of apostasy, he writes, are worth telling because it s during the period of political transition, when the bones of one s belief system are broken and poking out through the skin, that the contingency and complexity of belief become most visible. This quest is particularly relevant at a time when Americans are dug deep into two opposing trenches, and crossing no man s land is a great way to get picked off. George Packer, The New Yorker The wisdom, discernment, and erudition on display in this book are exceptional. After reading it, you may never think about why we believe what we believe in the same way again. Daniel Oppenheimer is a political essayist for the ages. Rick Perlstein, author of The Invisible Bridge Thoughtful Engaging Exit Right grabbed me as few books have done in recent years. This is political history at a very high level, especially when American politics seems to reach new lows every day. Oppenheimer is also a gifted storyteller, and the pages fly by. Alan Wolfe, The New Republic Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be the book to read as the country swings into the next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories Exit Right is a compelling and beautifully written work of political history. By tracing the stories of six individuals, Daniel Oppenheimer not only gives us a nuanced look at America s rightward turn. He also tells a more elemental story about political action about who we are and what we believe, and how those things can seem unshakeable one moment yet so tenuous the next. Jason Sokol, author of There Goes My Everything Exit Right is a book that every conservative should read and understand. It s a fascinating, illuminating, deep-thinking look at some of the most important political transformations in American history. While few on the right will agree with every word that Daniel Oppenheimer writes, he s always smart, provocative, and penetrating. Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of The R Street Institute A timely psychological political profile Exit Right will inspire a self-examination of all political believers. Fort Worth Star-Telegram [ Exit Right ] traces the path of six influential men who moved from the left to the right, in ideological shifts that changed the contours of American politics. Time [ Exit Right ] is flawed in the particular way that only great books can be. It fails to fully answer the impossibly ambitious questions it lays out, but its insights are so absorbing that it doesn t matter [and] the prose is so perfect. This book proves so satisfying precisely because it leaves you wanting much more. Oppenheimer began with a book about the origins of political beliefs and ended with one about the literary force of political misgivings. They re both worth reading. The Washington Post
If it were just a series of sharply focused, incisive portraits, <i>Exit Right</i> would be riveting reading. The fact that they add up to a secret history of the American Left over a century of great tumult is a fascinating bonus. But most unexpectedly--and most valuably--it turns out to be a sort of philosophical mystery story: <i>Are we defined, as we might like to think, by our strongest convictions? Or by our doubts?</i> --<b>Andrew Bujalski, director of <i>Funny Ha Ha</i> and <i>Results</i></b>
Thoughtful ... Engaging ... Exit Right grabbed me as few books have done in recent years. This is political history at a very high level, especially when American politics seems to reach new lows every day. ... Oppenheimer is also a gifted storyteller, and the pages fly by. --Alan Wolfe, The New Republic This is Oppenheimer's first book, but he writes with the assurance and historical command of someone who has been thinking about his topic for a long time. The colors of his own flag are hard to discern, which makes him a reliable guide. His sympathy goes to the candidly conflicted, the nakedly shattered. He wants to know why people come to hold the political beliefs they do. Stories of apostasy, he writes, 'are worth telling because it's during the period of political transition, when the bones of one's belief system are broken and poking out through the skin, that the contingency and complexity of belief become most visible.' This quest is particularly relevant at a time when Americans are dug deep into two opposing trenches, and crossing no man's land is a great way to get picked off. --George Packer, The New Yorker The wisdom, discernment, and erudition on display in this book are exceptional. After reading it, you may never think about why we believe what we believe in the same way again. Daniel Oppenheimer is a political essayist for the ages. --Rick Perlstein, author of The Invisible Bridge Powerful and self-assured, even when addressing the exceedingly complex matter of why we believe what we believe. --Rayyan Al-Shawaf, B&N Review If it were just a series of sharply focused, incisive portraits, Exit Right would be riveting reading. The fact that they add up to a secret history of the American Left over a century of great tumult is a fascinating bonus. But most unexpectedly--and most valuably--it turns out to be a sort of philosophical mystery story: Are we defined, as we might like to think, by our strongest convictions? Or by our doubts? --Andrew Bujalski, director of Funny Ha Ha and Results Daniel Oppenheimer's Exit Right is well written, well researched, funny and full of charm and insight, and is perfectly poised to be the book to read as the country swings into the next election cycle. But perhaps even more remarkable than that: with Exit Right, Dan has managed to successfully explain the phenomena of both Ronald Reagan and Christopher Hitchens in the same book. --Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories Call it natural evolution or ideological midlife crisis, but the figures profiled here ... all turned away from the political left, either incrementally or in revelatory bursts. ... Brilliant yet fallible, these apostates deserve our attention, Oppenheimer believes. Right or wrong, they 'reckoned with themselves at the most terrifyingly fundamental level.' --The New York Times Book Review Absorbing. ... So quick to denounce or praise, and to demand to be told which side everyone is on, we forget that politics also offers parables of second thoughts and transformation. Ideological changelings, if we catch them mid-flight, remind us that 'belief is complicated, contingent, multi-determined.' --Sam Tanenhaus, The Atlantic A tour of the American left, seen through the eyes of six men who left it behind and turned to the right. ... Instead of dismissing these controversial figures, Oppenheimer asks us to take them seriously, to analyze their disputes with the various lefts they were part of, and through them, to grapple with questions of loyalty, masculinity, identity, spirituality, and just where it is our political values come from. --Sarah Jaffe, Dissent A timely psychological political profile...Exit Right will inspire a self-examination of all political believers. --Fort Worth Star-Telegram [A] confident debut. ... [Oppenheimer] excels in portraying the personal torments and costs to his subjects in their transitional struggles.... The interplay between large historical movements and personal anguish is well-balanced and skillfully handled throughout. Whether his subjects are viewed as champions or apostates, Oppenheimer's insightful narrative should inspire some soul-searching among political believers of every stripe. --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review [Exit Right] traces the path of six influential men...who moved from the left to the right, in ideological shifts that changed 'the contours of American politics.' --Time [Exit Right] is flawed in the particular way that only great books can be. It fails to fully answer the impossibly ambitious questions it lays out, but its insights are so absorbing that it doesn't matter [and] the prose is so perfect. ... This book proves so satisfying precisely because it leaves you wanting much more. ... Oppenheimer began with a book about the origins of political beliefs and ended with one about the literary force of political misgivings. They're both worth reading. --The Washington Post Exit Right is a compelling and beautifully written work of political history. By tracing the stories of six individuals, Daniel Oppenheimer not only gives us a nuanced look at America's rightward turn. He also tells a more elemental story about political action--about who we are and what we believe, and how those things can seem unshakeable one moment yet so tenuous the next. --Jason Sokol, author of There Goes My Everything Exit Right is a book that every conservative should read and understand. It's a fascinating, illuminating, deep-thinking look at some of the most important political transformations in American history. While few on the right will agree with every word that Daniel Oppenheimer writes, he's always smart, provocative, and penetrating. --Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of The R Street Institute With the deftest touch imaginable, Daniel Oppenheimer charts the course of these controversial lives through the ideological storms of the twentieth century. At once politically astute and psychologically probing, this is a vivid, scrupulous, finely intelligent book. --Morris Dickstein, author of Dancing in the Dark and Why Not Say What Happened In this elegant and incisive look at six interconnected American ideological turncoats, Daniel Oppenheimer brilliantly explores the subtleties of belief and offers a fresh explanation for mid-century conservative advances. And the surprises keep coming: Who knew that it was a GE executive named Lemuel Boulware who nudged Ronald Reagan from left to right? Or that, if not for a bad book review from Norman Mailer, Norman Podhoretz may never have travelled so far across the ideological spectrum? Oppenheimer's eye for the compelling detail marries well with his literary flair. --Jonathan Alter, author of The Center Holds
