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

I knew of Dave only from the Jordon Peterson Podcast, and had never even heard of The Rubin Report. I don't usually read political books, and normally prefer health & self help, but got interested after hearing him on Mikhaila Peterson's podcast. Although I have a degree in Political Science, I've been busy the last 25 years teaching elementary and middle school, and then mostly being a stay-at-home-mom (3 kids) for the last 14 years. Despite my dear husband's frequent rantings, I haven't kept up with politics much, until the Kavanaugh trial jolted me up out of my slumber. These insane politically divisive times have had me scrambling to make sense of our current events: extreme covid over-response, scary cancel culture, and dishonest mainstream media encouraging all kinds of bedlam, destruction, and instability in America. The spin & propaganda is obvious to me, but why so many people buy into the narrative isn't. My daughter (14 yrs old) asked me why the mainstream media (and social media) is SO unfairly biased. I had a hard time fully explaining it. How did it get this bad? What happened to the journalistic integrity of my youth? Dave's book helped me gain a much greater understanding of how we got to the mess we're in now. It also gives me hope that all is not lost. Awareness, knowledge, discussion, perseverance, can all make a difference. I looked up many of the people and ideas Dave mentioned, such as Bret Weinstein/Evergreen College, and went down quite a few rabbit holes. I feel empowered with so much new knowledge! I've always considered myself fiscally conservative (want limited government intervention and bureaucracy) but socially liberal (do what you want as long as it doesn't harm others). Dave helped me to distinguish the current state of progressivism (tries to shut down opposing views by unfairly labeling as hate speech, judges people based on group membership) from classical liberalism (values free speech and individual rights). I think many on the left don't realize their true liberal values have been usurped by the far leftists (media savvy youth & Bernie Sanders) of their party, and they would actually fit in more with the current modern day Republicans, who value freedom and self-responsibility. This book is easy to read (very conversational) and interesting. I didn't want to put it down, and am excited for my 20 year old son to read it next so we can discuss it. I love that Dave encourages his readers to resist being obsessive about politics, and to stay grounded and enjoy our lives. The news & social media can take over if we're not careful, and make us miserable. Turns out this is something of a self-help book after all! Disregard ALL the 1 & 2 star ratings from progressive hacks that don't want their cover blown. This book is well worth the time and money! It'll empower you to have the meaningful discussions that are needed to get America back on track and moving forward.

Good book read it in a few days

I'd never heard of Dave Rubin when I was a fan of the Young Turks, and while I still called myself a feminist. Like Dave, I had my own evolution of thought on everything based on my experiences, challenges from others, and the wisdom one gains (wittingly or not) by gaining more years on this planet Earth. A few things changed my view, and will illustrate why Dave's excellent book resonated so deeply with me. I still vividly remember the filmed interview where Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks interviewed Sam Harris for three hours in the most vile and dishonest fashion. It was basically a constellation of strawman attacks on Sam's position about a variety of topics, namely Islam. This is a textbook tactic of the left, undermine the credibility of your opponent by any means necessary, and encourage the baying cancel crowd to do the rest of the dirty work for you. This interview clearly was tough on Sam (not because he's not tough-minded or correct) but because of the exhausting exercise of dealing with a constant stream of dishonest strawmanning. This was the Cathy Newman interview before the Cathy Newman meme became so popular after her colossally dishonest fiasco with her interview of Jordan Peterson. Feminists in my own life canceled me for numerous reasons (or attempted to), and one of the arguments was over the crime of rape. As in, rape is a heinous crime that has best-practices for prevention and resistance, just like preventing or resisting the crime of murder (where men number upon its primary victims). The audacity, that one would talk about preventing rape as if the solution is not to simply 'tell men to rape less'. We have laws against such things, and these simple schoolmarm admonitions, surprise, don't work on rapists. This got me 'canceled' by more people than I can count, including one person who I had the displeasure of seeing introduce Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins for one of their gatherings. By this time, I'd had a major dose of the Red Pill, and I was seeking out some kind of comfort. Was I crazy? Could I truly be 'literally Hitler' because I dared think outside the feminist orthodoxy or Leftist lockstep? Enter Dave Rubin. This man's podcast and his backstory got my attention. When I saw that his very first guest was Sam Harris (of whom I'm a big fan), I was very hopeful. I've listened to every single Dave Rubin podcast, and the man is a clear-thinking, funny, tolerant interviewer with a curious and insightful mind. He listens. He doesn't force his narrative on his guests, and although I don't always agree with his guests, I'm of the same mind. I believe in a free-exchange of ideas, and testing them against opposing views is a healthy endeavor. Sadly, it's something the left simply doesn't understand in its current incarnation. Dave's book is basically everything I've heard in his podcast and more, codified (that word is for you, Ben Affleck), in one convenient location, but with a lot more welcome personal context. I tore through this book quickly, and Dave and I agree on nearly everything except his more favorable view about religion and thoughts about parenthood, though I understand this perspective. I'm child-free by choice and a die-hard atheist who makes no concession to religious fiction, but I'm the outlier here. I must also say that although I disagree with Jordan Peterson on almost everything he says about religion, I have a deep and abiding respect for the man and his battle to preserve his right to free-speech, or more aptly-stated—his right to avoid government-compelled speech. I am, much like Dave, a free-speech absolutist. If you're a fan of Harris and Peterson, you're gonna love everything Dave has to say, and the fact that Dave went on tour with JBP is a thing of beauty. I know I'm giving a lot of backstory here from my own life experience, but this book addresses so much of what I've found to be wrong with the political divide as discovered in my own interactions with people. The cancel culture of the Left is basically cancer culture, and the brave few who speak out must be supported without caveat. You will be shamed. You will be called a Nazi (something Dave addresses in the book), and you may even be doxxed or 'canceled', but they can't cancel all of us. They can't cancel a thought revolution, right? If you've heard anyone from the IDW (Intellectual Dark Web) and agreed with them or simply find them refreshingly honest, and are tired of people being deplatformed, canceled, demonetized, and driven underground for 'wrongthink'—if you've heard about the plight of Bret Weinstein and Heather Haying at Evergreen, or the unjust firing of James Damore from Google, or the aggressive curtailing of free-speech of one Lindsay Shepherd at Wilifrid Laurier In Canada, or have seen the Southern Poverty Law Center demonize Maajid Nawaz and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, or have watched the Left assassinate the character of reasonable, deep-thinking centrists over and over (such as Sam Harris and Dave Rubin), well you're in for a treat. Dave's book address all of this and more. For those who think they're alone in this battle to think honestly about any issue, you're not alone. Finally, Dave underscores the necessity for courage in his book and I cannot agree more. If we can all muster some courage en masse and resist the totalitarian lockstep coming from the Left, we stand a chance to preserve our hard-earned liberties, namely, the right to think freely and live our conscience without fear of being fired, doxxed, canceled, demonetized, losing our bank accounts or credit cards, etc., If we lose the right to live our conscience and speak our minds, what is left to preserve? Don't burn this book. Buy it and read it. Thank Dave later. :)

Dave Rubin is an important public figure. He has consistently interesting guests on his show and has open-ended conversations with them. He treats his audience as smart and open-minded, not as having a hopelessly short attention span. In a media world that consists too much of reflexive partisanship and quick sound bites, he brings a refreshing ability to talk to both the left and the right. In this book, Dave Rubin describes his journey leaving the left to build his own political framework, and it makes for an interesting read. It can be difficult to navigate the stark divides in politics today and the growing politicization of American life. At a time when we need a functional government more than ever, we need more open debate, not less. Dave Rubin makes an important contribution showing that some arguments that have been branded as toxic actually have merit and need to be destigmatized and discussed openly. He also shows that it is better to stay true to your conscience than to live your life in fear. If there is a flaw in his book, it is that he treats the left as uniquely intolerant, when it would be more appropriate to identify political intolerance itself as the enemy and call it out on both the left and right. A deeper exploration of the left's assumptions and arguments also would be helpful; we need less straw-manning and more steel-manning. The most powerful chapter in his book is arguably the most personal one, "Find a Mentor," where Dave Rubin describes what he learned from Jordan Peterson. Learning from someone worthy will open your mind.

Dave Rubin was a big part of my own political awakening & I further greatly enjoyed "Don't Burn This Book". It succinctly sums up Dave's experiences and ideological shifts, while fairly analyzing some of the more 'viral' social and political stories of the last few years that outline the current political climate in North America (I'm Canadian, and we are experiencing similar issues here as the U.S.) I've seen people critique Dave as a 'grifter', but I wholeheartedly disagree; I see someone who can consistently explain when, why and how he changed his belief systems. It makes sense to me, because my journey was similar. Life is about growth, and Dave is certainly a growth-oriented person. I can also say I've met him & interviewed him; he is a good man, the same off camera and on. I recommend this book for a wide audience, but especially those who are somewhat liberal or centrist leaning and who recognize that things have gotten way off course in the world of liberalism.

Der Autor ist ein klassischer liberaler US-amerikanischer Herkunft. Die meisten werden ihn, zumindest in Europa, von seinem Youtube-Kanal kennen (the Rubin report), in dem er gesellschaftliche und politische Themen anspricht und hin- und wieder Menschen einlädt. Bei ihm sieht man exemplarisch, wie Menschen mit gesundem Menschenverstand, die weder extrem links noch rechts sind, von den extremen Seiten angegriffen werden (hier speziell von der Linken und extrem Linken und von der extremen Rechten). In diesem Buch geht es aber konkret um die immer stärker werdende Gefahr, dass die westliche Welt ihre Freiheit und ihre Stärke verliert: Dass man aussprechen kann was man denkt ohne gesellschaftlich oder ökonomisch vernichtet zu werden. Hierbei geht er mit der heutigen Linken hart ins Gericht, denn in diesem Punkt sieht er "die Linke" als gefährlichen Gegner der Freiheit (s.o.). Wer mitbekommen hat wie Professor Jordan Peterson (klinische Neuropsychologie) diffamiert und aggressiv attackiert wurde, weil er es wagte aufzubegehren als in einem Bundesstaat Kanadas es unter Strafe gesetellt werden sollte, wenn man nicht das richtige Ansprachepronom verwendet (sie, er , usw.), kann verstehen warum das Buch relevant ist. In diesem Zusammenhang empfehle ich auch direkt die altbekannten Bücher von George Orwell "1984" und "Farm der Tiere". Speziell "1984" bechreibt eindrücklich wie (hier in dem Fall ausgehend von einer sozialistischen Partei Englands) ein fast absoluter Überwachungsapparat die Sprache, das Denken und das Handeln kontrolliert. Sehr interessant ist auch der Kommentar von Geroge Orwell im Anhang zum Buch "Farm der Tiere"....wenig hat sich geändert möchte man ausrufen.

Don't burn this book is a perfect example of what classical liberalism is; thinking for yourself while allowing others to have their own beliefs. DBTB is engaging, entertaining, and at times, hilarious, as Dave articulates his political viewpoints in a light-hearted fashion, at times using anecdotes to elaborate on his beliefs on controversial topics such as Gun Control, Abortion, and Free Speech. Throughout the book, Dave also self reflects on some of his views, expressing why some of his views have changed as time has gone on with a great deal of humility. I would recommend this book to anyone who questions their views. It also should be noted that a lot of the reviews for DBTB have been submitted by unverified purchases, many of them referring to Dave as either 'Alt-Right' or a 'sellout'. Very few, if any, offer any analysis of the book, but instead attack Dave for his views. While I disagree with Mr. Rubin on some topics, I would recommend that people give this book a read.

Dave Rubin has penned down his personal journey, the conflicts that accompanied it, the wealth of insights it engendered. A nice tour of classical liberalism, written in fluid style, enriches the book. It’s rather light, easy to read, yet full of consequences and encouragement to stand up and speak your mind - in a time of personal attacks and exaggerated tribalism. The one star reviews filled with bile, from the intolerant woke, are the very proof of mister Rubin’s discourse.

Gostei e li em pouco tempo. Mesmo não sendo na minha língua materna, consegui entender com certa facilidade. De forma simples ele destrincha vários problemas americanos e coloca seus pontos de vista com leveza. Mesmo sendo contra qualquer tipo de FIV, e achando as suas explicações sobre casamento gay capengas, acho que é um livro que vale a leitura, principalmente para aqueles que tem interesse sobre os temas que ele aborda e não se sente muito aprofundado em nenhum deles.