Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason

One of the most important books of the year

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

‘The War on the West’ is a monumental achievement and probably Douglas Murray’s best book to date.

Don’t be lured into thinking this is simply a rebuke of wokism.

It’s a deeply researched exploration of the tectonic societal shifts that have taken place over the last 50 years, shifts so profound that the West self immolates from within and thereby unconsciously enables its detractors from Russia to China. Simultaneously from ‘within’, our enlightenment values are taken for granted by the next generations with such an unknowing entitlement that it’s in danger of becoming their defining characteristic: ‘Monsters aren’t real, until they are…’

On race, Murray’s deconstruction of the recent third wave racial polemicists is fierce and logical, whilst pinpointing the ubiquitous penetration of Marxism in our academia as the fundamental cause. However, his writing is also witty and optimistic, hilariously highlighting the logic traps that the likes of Robin di Angelo have got themselves into. He also generously argues that the generations before us should not be targeted for cancellation - but for gratitude.

Taking the politics aside… love him or loathe him, the depth of research and the lucidity of Murray’s prose makes this addition to the ‘culture war canon’ both a formidable riposte and a potential catalyst for a much needed realignment in the narrative, perhaps towards the centre? Is it too naieve to hope that it will be read and debated by the open minded? I hope not…

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The real villains

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

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Douglas Murray gets to the heart of what is wrong with our society. It’s not foreign powers that are threatening to destroy us. We are doing it to ourselves, from the inside. The metropolitan elites who we’ve trusted to lead us, are in the business of undermining our country. Traditional institutions that were once much revered and respected, such as the National Trust and the British Library, are now run by ‘intellectuals’ who actively hate the Western Tradition. These intellectuals are often described as Woke, a new form of secular religion that sees it as its mission to destroy the legacy of Liberal Christianity.
Douglas Murray does a good job of highlighting areas where the Woke Left has succeeded in undermining national pride and our confidence in our history. Through a mixture of deceit, exaggeration, psychological manipulation and unevidenced assertion, it has taken to the airways on social media and then mainstream media. Peddling nonsense values such as equity, equality and diversity, it has convinced many that we all fall short of what really matters. The fact that there is so little pushback against these assertions only shows just how cowered ordinary people have been by this utter garbage.
The book is subdivided into chapters on Race, History, Religion and Culture. There are also three interludes: China, Reparations and Gratitude. Each section serves to show the reader just how extensive the undermining project has been. It has been a ‘long march through the institutions’ in order to erode our confidence in Christian values; replacing them with secular ones, and then imposing new totalitarian ones.
In ‘The Strange Death of Europe’, Douglas Murray pondered on the question of why Europeans were allowing their countries to die. In this latest book, he looks at the psycho-political movements that have sought to undermine our confidence in ourselves, our history, our values and our religious beliefs. What Sigmund Freud termed ‘Mortido’ or Death Instinct has a lot to do with what we are witnessing. People in the West have had it too easy for too long and forgotten how to fight. In the absence of having something to fight for, we lose heart and accept death.
The derangement that has followed Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, show us just how threatened the ideological Left is when its monopoly of thought is challenged. The Left has seduced its way into the mainstream and has been having its way for too long. There is a fightback taking place and Murray once again positions himself as a voice of reason and power. In many ways, he reminds me of the late Christopher Hitchens, a powerful voice that understood the political Left and then, late in life, argued against it.
I left a 5 star review for Murray’s excellent book, ‘The Madness of Crowds’. It had 600+ likes before it was buried by the algo. I hope this review fares better.

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P. Caetano

intelligent and cultivated defence of a tolerant and egalatarian society: the contemporay west

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

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Douglas Murray explains that with self-harm the west has been deprecated, insulted and malignly de-constructed by some within. In general these are those whose power and tremendous access to mainstream media is inversely proportional to their culture, knowledge of societies in general throughout history, factual accuracy, character and courage. As Douglas Murray, denounces in this book such woke brigade gleefully rants on and persecutes, cancels, censors, threatens and intimidates everyone in the west about every minor perceived injustice, while remaining cowardly silent and complacent about much graver injustices and discriminations if they occur elsewhere, presently or in the past.
Douglas Murray does not cave in or fears the woke brigade. He is the most brilliant and cultivated writer in exposing the most radical western anti westerners flaws, biases worse than the ones they portray to combat, and lack of gratitude in general about the tolerant and egalitarian society they live in (see photo of conclusion portion).
It is refreshing to read Murray's wittiness in an environment where most other people cave in scared of this woke mob which wants the west to commit suicide, kill its heroes and erase every trace of its culture from Knossos, Athens, Rome and Jerusalem to England’s Magna Carta, Italian renaissance, Spain/Portugal navigations, French illuminism, German industry or great American achievements either in the north like the constitution or putting humans in the moon, or in the south such as the fantastic and wonderful blend of European, African and indigenous culture thriving there in so many countries.
Kudos and thank you to Douglas for standing up!

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Amazon Customer

Another fantastic work from our most important writer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

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In Murray, we have someone who is willing to do the brave and radical of stating what we know to be true. His review of the state we have found ourselves in is timely and should be included as required reading across modern society as the long march through the institutions continues.

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DH

A small minority of people will not enjoy this book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

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How refreshing when someone with wit and intelligence speaks out about the wrongs we can all see happening around us but are helpless to change. We have always fought tyranny, the French man who thought he could rule Europe and take over the world, then the little man from Austria whom we stood against assisted only by volunteers from our colonies - until 1942. Yet for some reason the tyranny now spreading through our universities and high places is more lethal than any jack booted fascist.

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Mr. M. Cleary

Only for those already steeped in right wing nonsense

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

This book will give you a lot of arguments to combat the straw man arguments that no historically literate person actually believes.

"The revisionism I've made up is bad, here's why"

People already married to that side of the argument will enjoy.

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State We're In

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2022

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Oh, good book and a read that I enjoyed. The basic precept of the volume is the damaging effect, on the West, that runaway anti-racism wokery and the whole orbit around Critical Race Theory. Of course, this is a difficult subject to tackle as a bit like the fact that poverty is falling across the world – so many vested interests don’t want to hear it and would rather destroy you rather than listen to a reasoned argument backed with facts. Then, of course, we have other detractors, in other areas such as the gender debate, poverty, nationalism and more. To his credit, the author shows that he is more than happy to raise his head above the parapet and produced some wonderful well thought through deconstructions of some of the recent flash points and backed these with objective analysis, which is compelling.
The accusation of ‘Racist’ of course is a wonderful weapon for any of the disaffected. If someone wanted to traduce another then all they’d have to say is something like, “Oh, he’s a racist” It would require little proof, little justification and would have an immediate and far-reaching effect, their reputation and all that they hold dear. It is, I guess, a cheap weapon and one that is easily and regularly deployed and of course especially in the West. By contrast, if they wanted to say that I was a rubbish doctor, then they’d have to produce much more proof and an analysis say that I couldn’t distinguish heart failure from a chest infection would require more detailed knowledge than the average man in the street has or could recognise and even then; it still wouldn’t have the same destructive potential. Not only this, but the ‘abused’ gain immediate fame, publicity and ascend far more than the person so called descends. Moreover, as the author makes clear they also make a substantial living from such practice. You’ll have noticed on the telly that just about everyone these days has either been bullied, has depression, visits a food bank, has been the victim of racism, has been abused…the list goes on.
Of course, it’s prevalent in the West simply because this is where the money and the focus is held. It is also where the tolerance is and certainly the right for people to voice their opinions – which of course is available to all. More than this, as the author clarifies in his final chapter such things would not be either ignored and quickly repressed in other countries and I sometimes wish that the tub-thumping environmentalists for instance would lay down in front of petrol tankers or glue themselves to motorways In – well just about anywhere but the West - and how long do we think they would last?
The book is more America-centric than I would like, with spelling to match. I’m not saying that England does not have problems of its own but they are often very different.
A few countervailing points if I may? The book was ‘full on’ and points were hammered home with an unceasing flow. The first chapter just kept on going, long after I was happy to accept the principle and the reasoned discussion about the excesses of the anti-racist lobby. By the time we got to 2+2 = 5, I was ready to jump in the canal.
My other point is that the West faces problems that are every bit as destructive, if not more so than runaway anti-racism, such as – off the top of my head. Lack of decent leaders. I think the UK has only had one decent PM since Churchill and America, France, Germany – just about every country you care to name has fared no better. I think that it will take many years to recover from Bush and Blair’s foray into Iraq and we are all less safe and disadvantaged as a result. Then there are the despots who vote themselves in as permanent leader and don’t bother to expose themselves to the wishes of the people. Politicians that lie and just seek their own vested interests. Lack of a decent quality state education for rich and poor kids alike. The wealthy of course will do what the politicians do and send their kids to private schools but what about the brilliant child who is from a poor home and is destined to spend his/her school life in the local sink school. Students who are being encouraged to take ‘none’ degrees and rack up loads of debt when vocational training would serve them and the country better. A self-absorbed populace that thinks how much you earn is better than what is your character and of course believe what their smart phone tells them rather than choose a good book. As the author states lies are easier to peddle in empty minds.
Lastly if I may, one or two examples that may encourage what I am hoping is the way forward: reasoned, respectful and honest debate.
In 1923 my dad was a young lad. HMS Hood had just steamed into Cape Town Bay on its Empire Cruise. He told me when I was little, that everyone there that day ran down to the water’s edge just to catch a glimpse. He said that all were in awe as to how a nation could design and build such a powerful and beautiful warship and then send it for the view of others. He was hooked and his further experiences did little to diminish his faith in the country he came to love so much. At 17 his family staked everything on sending him to Scotland where he received a world class education in Medicine. When war came, he naturally wanted to fight as he regarded it his war too, but was told he had to join the RAMC. After the war he settled in Manchester and his regard for the English and his delivery from a cruel apartheid state knew no bounds. As the author mentions in one of the more powerful chapters, he was – grateful - every day to the English in particular. When out shopping he would turn things over and buy them if they were made in England or else do without. He wanted, day by day, to become more like the English people he admired so much.
At the age of six I went across the road at the top of our street where the pavement was smooth to run my little car. An angry woman hurtled out of her house and asked me where I was from, where did I live; that I was to return there at once and never play in front of her house again as she didn’t want people of my sort anywhere near. I ran home and knew that I couldn’t tell either my mum or dad as my mum would have gone up there and ripped her head off and my dad would be very upset. Interestingly the woman was not just angry but also frightened as if I represented some sort of pollution. Truth is, that this woman made me. Something began inside that I could not stop or change. I reasoned that I just had to do very well at school so that nobody could look at me and judge me just on my appearance. I was given a grammar school education which didn’t cost a penny and within a few years and after medical school I entered one of the higher professions and a job that I loved.
When I was 11, I broke my arm really badly. The registrar told my mum that he was going to have to amputate it. They reached the senior orthopaedic surgeon who was just boarding the boat train in Southampton. He returned that night and saved my arm. I was in hospital for two weeks. Can you imagine being in America and being asked for payment as soon as you got there. And what if you couldn’t afford the two week stay and were left facing the amputation because it was cheaper?
When I was a lad at school, Enoch Powell was giving his Rivers of Blood speech. My dad, the coloured South African (his words) descended from slaves brought from the far east, a devout Muslim who prayed 5 times a day despite being on call 24/7 and running three surgeries a day, sat there very quietly. My mum, the English girl who was a devout Christian and much more right-wing, was on her feet and shouting at the telly. “Yes, that’s right, kick them out, kick them all out!” Somehow, they not only held it together but also created a calm (!) and loving home family life where I grew up.
At 19, I was on the train back to Med School in Cardiff. At one stop an absolutely gorgeous girl got on and asked me if the seat facing was taken. I grunted “no” and she sat down facing me. I wondered if I could possibly summon courage to speak to her. A few moments later an older chap on the train had been outraged by what he saw and came over and said that she would be much more comfortable further down the train with him and his wife. She went with a little smile. I would love to tell you that this man was a racist and didn’t want this stunning girl to be sat facing a grubby mixed-race person – and yet the truth is rather different. If you wind back the scene you will see this poor girl struggling with this really heavy bag as she tried to get it in the overhead rack. I sat on my useless bottom. This was the 70s when men held the door open for ladies and also invariably helped out when females needed assistance. If I could go back to that scene of course I’d want to apologise or perhaps even better – help her with her case. In any event this had nothing to do with racism but my poor behaviour.
I used to do DNA tests for the Home Office. People would come from overseas and in order to bring their children they’d need to prove that they were all theirs. I did the test on this chap from Kenya. A week later my secretary asked if the test had come back, the chap had been on the phone as he wanted to know when he could bring his 6 kids. I asked her to phone him back and say it usually took 10 working days. She started shaking and said she was dreading this as he had been so rude to her. I said that she didn’t have to phone him, that I would do so. I informed him that his test would be a few more days. I then berated him for being so rude to my friendly and helpful receptionist who really was a gem. I told him that she was shaking at the thought of speaking again to him and I was surprised that the country wanted people like him. He then accused me of being a racist and that he was recording the conversation and would report me. I told him that he was incorrect, that he shouldn’t let himself off so lightly and this had nothing to do with his colour and more to do with his unacceptable and obnoxious behaviour with someone who was trying to help him. I told him I’d look forward to being contacted.
Lastly, very lastly. If I could have one wish it would be for English people to see themselves through my dad’s eyes, perhaps just for 24hrs. He died 40 years ago this month, but I think nevertheless they would be amazed and re-invigorated by what they would then see and this is precisely why we are such a target for detractors and also why so many people want to come here.
NB May we please have a better word than 'graffitied' - ?Bedaubed?
and I never knew you could spell Lambaste with an E !

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Dog lover

Incisive analysis

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2022

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Excellent for countering the arguments of those who denigrate the West.

When listening to Classic FM this afternoon, I was delighted to hear Douglas was advertising The War on the West just before the hourly news bulletin.

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James

This book is just here to rile up a bunch of already angry right wingers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022

This book is, frankly, terrible. Every paragraph reads like an extract from a Daily Express column, and while Murray does clearly know how to link together a cohesive narrative, it’s one built on a foundation of deliberate misunderstanding, obfuscation, and baiting.

The book relies heavily on the idea that any critical interpretation of history and culture is a bad thing, and that western civilisation should have ground to a halt sometime during Murray’s school years so that he and others of his ilk never had to question what they were taught. If there’s a war on the west, it’s one being perpetrated by hooks like these that seek to stop progress of any kind and drag thinking back to a metaphorical Stone Age.

Don’t buy this utter waste of paper.

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M of Liverpool

A subject that can enrage some and give comfort to others

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2022

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I have studied both colonial and military history for much of the last 30 years from the view of someone who has often asked the question why find this a very interesting read.

Some people will shout down this writer as right wing, pro empire etc. I am someone of both mixed race and mixed religion background and have some understanding of both sides of the story. Empires are not good nor is slavery or the rape and destruction of cultures but we can not right the pasts wrongs by just blaming one group, culture or area it makes you just as small minded and bigoted as those who don white hoods and burn crosses or relied on black power violence to get their voices heard.

No one culture is all bad or all good. Slavery, empire, war and hate are as old as recorded history and we need to understand this in context of the world we are living in now. It is easy to hate. I could hate the men who murdered my cousin a serving RUC officer, I could hate those who beat and threatened my grandfather for standing up to blackshirts in the 1930's. And I hate those who think we can burn away the evils of the past with more evil. But I can never feel justified to act on these feelings. I have not right to stand as judge and jury because it is not that easy and much as I would like a simple right/wrong world we live somewhere far more complex where we all have a right to our say and for each of us to make our own decision. What we can not and should not do is shout down someone because we do not like what we hear or act out of fear and hate because it lessens us all and makes a mockery of free speech and the rights we all have to our own beliefs.

That is why you should read this book and then make your own decision on the right or wrong of the book and the world we are in at this time. Maybe some thought may make us all think more carefully before we act in future

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