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A biography of William F. Buckley who founded modern American conservatism, started The National Review, and influenced a generation of politicians.

The forty-eight poems in Sky Sandwiches echo John F. Buckley’s wry, paradoxical perspective, a point of view evoking both the transcendent and the quotidian, fusing a sky associated with religion and higher yearnings with the sandwiches of simpler sustenance. In his poems as in this world, people fly like crooked arrows, seeking targets both above and below. The collection describes how our desires lead us to absurd hopes and stale resignations, humble dreams and sublime despairs. It recounts the ways we may seek both eternal salvation and a half-decent Italian sub. Parts are tender. Parts are funny. Parts will get stuck in your braces.

In 1909, young William F. Buckley Sr. (1881–1958), who grew up in the dusty South Texas town of San Diego, graduated from the University of Texas law school and headed for Mexico City. Fluent in Spanish, familiar with Mexican traditions, and soon fit to practice law south of the border, Buckley was headed up the aisle to vast wealth and cultural power. On the way, he took a front-row seat at the Mexican Revolution and played a key role in steering the nascent oil industry through tumultuous and dangerous times. This book for the first time tells the story of the man behind the family that would become nothing short of a conservative institution, reaching its apogee in the career of William F. Buckley Jr., arguably the most prominent conservative commentator of the twentieth century. Buckley witnessed the overthrow and exit of President Porfirio Díaz, the rise of Madero, and the coup of General Victoriano Huerta, all while building the Pantepec Oil Company, the most profitable small petroleum producer in Mexico. He faced down Pancho Villa, survived encounters with hired assassins, evaded snipers in the streets of Veracruz, gambled and won in many a business venture—and ultimately was expelled from the country. As the narrative follows Buckley from his small-town Texas beginnings to the founding of a family dynasty, the streak of independence and distrust of government that would become the Buckley hallmark can be seen in the making. An eventful chapter in the life and career of a singular character, this dramatic account of a man and his moment is a document of political and historical significance—but it is also a remarkable story, told with irresistible brio.

A biography of William F. Buckley who founded modern American conservatism, started The National Review, and influenced a generation of politicians.

The forty-eight poems in Sky Sandwiches echo John F. Buckley's wry, paradoxical perspective, a point of view evoking both the transcendent and the quotidian, fusing a sky associated with religion and higher yearnings with the sandwiches of simpler sustenance. In his poems as in this world, people fly like crooked arrows, seeking targets both above and below. The collection describes how our desires lead us to absurd hopes and stale resignations, humble dreams and sublime despairs. It recounts the ways we may seek both eternal salvation and a half-decent Italian sub. Parts are tender. Parts are funny. Parts will get stuck in your braces.

Would there be an American conservative movement without William F. Buckley Jr.? Perhaps. Would it be the robust, broad-based, politically dominant force that it is today? Almost certainly not. When he launched National Review in 1955, Buckley forged a powerful alliance among libertarians, traditionalists, anti-Communists, and other fractious factions of the right, focusing their attention on a single objective—to break the liberal stranglehold on America. In Strictly Right, two longtime Buckley colleagues place his many accomplishments in their original contexts, both political and personal. Through colorful and revealing anecdotes from his many siblings, even more friends and allies, and, of course WFB himself, they take you behind the scenes for a unique view of the man, the journal, and how they shaped the most important political and social movement of the last half century. This insightful profile reveals how, starting in the days before anyone was sure what the term "conservative" meant, Buckley displayed a singular ability to seize the initiative on issues that resonated with a broad spectrum of right-wing groups. His indictment of the liberal educational establishment in his first book, God and Man at Yale, gained him national attention and provided a solid platform when, four years later, he struggled to find the money and the right people to build, not just a widely respected magazine, but a movement. Though financing would continue to be a problem for National Review for years to come, staffing would not. The journal became a mecca for bright young conservatives of every stripe. Almost overnight, the political complexion of America changed. Buckley soon became the nation's most visible conservative. The authors describe his role in Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign and reveal how WFB's own failed run for mayor of New York City led to the creation of Firing Line, which allowed millions of television viewers to watch this witty, highly educated conservative calmly debate an endless stream of America's leading liberals. What National Review did for the conservative intelligentsia, Firing Line did for the silent majority. Complete with telling personal stories, such as why WFB postponed the launch of National Review, how his sister's choice of colleges changed his future, and why he stopped riding his motor scooter to work, Strictly Right is an affectionate and well-earned tribute to the founding father of the conservative movement. It is must reading for anyone who enjoys lively political biography.

John K. Wilson, the author of President Trump Unveiled, tackles the ideologies of America’s most notorious conservative radio talk show icon in The Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh’s Assault on Reason. Rush Limbaugh is the most prominent figure in the conservative movement with millions of listeners every week on more than six hundred stations—a larger media platform than almost any other individual in the nation. And this is why he is so dangerous. Despite refusing to uphold even the most basic standards of journalism, Rush has been given an extensive, wide-reaching platform with which to spew his venom. And spew it he does! In this book, author John K. Wilson uses the most damning evidence of all—Rush’s own words—to deliver the ultimate indictment of Limbaugh’s bankrupt ideology and how it embodies the decline of the conservative movement. Wilson catalogs the world according to Rush—from the political conspiracies to his disdain for scientific evidence and apparent love of racist, sexist, and homophobic stereotypes—and shows how the radio personality poisons any rational political rhetoric with an endless stream of slurs, lies, and intimidation. Most revealingly, the author demonstrates how Limbaugh’s blustering, baseless proclamations and love for savage, personal attacks have had a chilling effect on both parties, as he viciously targets not only liberals but also any Republican who dares question one of his conclusions. Meanwhile, Rush’s viselike grip on the political arena has created a media monster so powerful that even liberal commentators are forced to engage with him and his polarizing discourse. The Most Dangerous Man in America reveals Rush Limbaugh to be just that. No matter what you thought about the man before, you will never feel the same way about him again.