7/20 Favorites, Confessions of a Conservative by Garry Wills

Confessions of a Conservative by Garry Wills (1980). I would normally expect one book per author, but here I have to make an exception. While Nixon Agonistes is a well-recognized classic, Confessions appears to be out of print. What a shame! It is in part autobiographical (how Garry Wills came to be “Garry Wills” the author we read), and it provides further deep insights into how are political system works. Wills doesn’t come to this on his own; in fact, I’m always amazed at the breadth of his learning, which will often reference Samuel Johnson, John Ruskin, or Walter Bagehot, among others. I’m leaving out some other great Wills books, but I’ll stop here. (Write me if you want further recommendations.)