Radically Moderate Book Corner

August Book Update and a forthcoming book on moderation while you're waiting...

Book Progress to Date

The August book update is pretty much the same as the May book update: It’s coming along! I’ve been playing with ideas on the blog, but also doing some more in-depth work on specific themes in individual chapters. I’m also debating adding another theory chapter on optimism, but since the theory part is already long, I’m not entirely sure what makes the most sense.

A big part of the work over the summer involved internal reorganization and working the chapters into a parallel structure. While a lot got done, it doesn’t always feel like there’s much to show for it, which is part of what makes writing books irritating (among other things). Still, I’m happy with how things are looking and finalizing the prospectus for a publisher this week.

That’s it! Not much of an update, but that’s ok because while you wait for my book to come out (and assuming you’re already sharing this Substack wide and far in preparation) there’s plenty to keep you busy until then.

For starters, you can always check out my early work on moderation, Family and the Politics of Moderation (2014). I’d write a different book if I were writing it now, but that’s how it always goes. In general, I’m still pretty happy with it and it’s definitely worth reading and not too expensive as academic books go, so check it out.

“Why Not Moderation?”

Whether you’ve read that first book or not (or you’re tired of my writing) you can and should keep yourself busy by preordering the forthcoming book Why Not Moderation by the political theorist Aurelian Craiutu.

Aurelian, like me, has been thinking about moderation for a long time. His work is a bit more theoretical and historical and he uses fancier words because he’s French and also smarter than I am, but we have very similar interests apart from all that and we share in common an interest in Edmund Burke, who I should do more with on the blog but haven’t yet.

Aurelian already has two books on moderation that you should check out: A Virtue for Courageous Minds: Moderation in French Political Thought, 1748-1830 (2012) and Faces of Moderation: The Art of Balance in an Age of Extremes (2017).

His book Why Not Moderation?: Letters to Young Radicals is primed to drop in September 2023 and is currently available for pre-order at the link above. One fun thing about being an academic is that you often get to read other people’s stuff before it comes out to the general population and Aurelian sent me proofs a few months back. The book is aimed at popular audiences and the format of letters between non-moderates on the right and left and a radical moderate makes for a fun and engaging read, despite the complexity of the material.

I’m not going to spoil anything, but the book is fantastic and definitely worth reading if you’re interested in the messy and nuanced middle ground Aurelian and I and a few others are trying to map out as a principled alternative to our existing polarization. The Prologue provides a powerful defense of radical moderation that’s worth the book’s price alone. Similarly, the Epilogue provides a clear set of principles and “rules for radical moderates” aimed at helping readers and citizens understand how to bring radical moderation to bear on their own lives. The middle of the book consists of lively letters that build bridges and untangle prejudices. The entire book does a fantastic job at filling in the colorful 4D landscape of radical moderation that I’ve tried to lay out here.

I hope to do a longer review of the book as the launch date gets closer, but for now, go ahead and pre-order and be prepared for a treat in September.

That closes this edition of Radically Moderate Book Corner! As always, let me know what you think in the comments, share, and subscribe (if you haven’t already).