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

This book is filled with false statements and mistakes. Example: Rubin says that Ukraine gave up their nukes in exchange to become a NATO member, yet Ukraine is not in NATO.In a nutshell, this book is mostly focused on praising members of the so-called Intellectual Dark Web (IDW) and critical of its detractors. Rubin talks a lot about Ideas in the book but never really goes into substance, making it a vague abstract concept to highlight his personal opinion on how things should work, rather having an open mind to ideas that differ from his.To me the book felt rushed with lazy writing, trying to push a personal agenda. He really tries hard to be make jokes and be funny & witty but humor (or intellectual wit) is definitely not his forte.So if you are looking for validation in our already existing point of view, this book may actually be up your alley, but for free-thinkers with open minds, I strongly encourage you to skip this one.

The prose is ordinary, like any book written by a celebrity who is not a serious academic or intellectual. Slightly embarrassing at times, occasionally professional-sounding.Rubin seriously pumps up his own biography (making a few discrepancies to his own recorded history), and certainly displays his famously sycophantic habit of name-dropping, including intellectual luminaries like Locke, Jefferson, Adam Smith, etc (although he drops their names and spends zero time examining their ideas).There are quite a few instances where his relationship to facts is either incomplete (always in the service of aiding right-leaning orthodoxy) or terribly inaccurate, like this sample from page 69:‘…look at what happened to Ukraine. It gave up its nukes to become a NATO country (which guarantees protection to all subscribed nations if attacked), but when Russia invaded Crimea, Ukraine got zero support. The country gave up its most potent weapons for a signed bit of paper, which meant absolutely nothing. Think Ukraine regrets that now?’Ukraine is actually not a member of NATO, but as it happens, Ukrainian support for joining NATO has consistently risen throughout the crisis in Crimea.A good example of dishonesty by omission is the way Rubin goes on and on about left politics amongst college professors and 19-year-old progressives is making it practically a felony to express conservative views (despite the mountain of research indicating that more college professors are disciplined for expressing leftist views than conservative views), and his complete radio silence about places like Brazil, Turkey, Hungary or Poland, where left media is being censored, banned outright, and progressive college educators are being fired, censored or even imprisoned by right-wing leaders like Viktor Orban and Jair Bolsonaro. Free speech for the right, but when the left is censored? *crickets* Pretty illiberal, actually.

Worst political read in years!

It is one of the worst books I have read for a long time. First of all, I have no dog in the fight. I am not a left-wing, have some conservative views and believe in free markets when it concerns most issues. Furthermore, I also do not like cancel-culture and identity politics. There are far better books by conservative/'classical liberal' authors addressing these issues. Think of Jonathan Haidt, Allan Bloom, Christina Hoff Sommers. Rubin's book never touches some serious thought, writes poorly, and touches upon subjects that are objectively wrong (e.g. contrary what Rubin states, the Ukraine never was part of the NATO). It is not worth your time. Even if you just want to buy this book 'to own the libs', there are far better books that perform a simliar function and are better written.

Unfortunately, I did not find the book interesting or stimulating. On the contrary, it comes across as the rant of a person angry at change and progress. Wouldn't waste time or money on this book.

Trite and vapid drivel which was obviously put together with little effort or reflection. Filled with hackneyed phrases (“I want you to get absolutely wasted on facts until 3:00 A.M., and then, when you’re just about ready to pass out, I want you to get another large glass of reality and chug it”) and cliched attempts at humor (“denial ain’t just a river in Egypt”), “Don’t Burn This Book” won’t inspire the “ideas revolution” its author Dave Rubin claims he’s trying to spark. Those familiar with Mr. Rubin’s YouTube show are unlikely to be surprised by this. Instead of encouraging critical thinking, “Don’t Burn this Book” offers nothing but right wing talking points in the most childish and pedestrian way possible. While his book won’t inspire burnings, it will certainly provide plenty of unintentional comedy to those who have caught on the Rubin’s game of grift.

poorly written.poorly edited.filled with unsubstantiated conspiracies.filled with lies.filled with failed attempts at humour.lacks historical context.lacks logical reasoning.

Funny that the whole book is about thinking for yourself, but Rubin has exactly zero original thoughts or ideas. Just fluff. Expected more, even if his whole career is built on getting people smarter than him to make him look good

I’ve written many book reviews on Amazon, yet this is the first one I’ve been required to rewrite. So, here goes…I’ve been a fan of the Rubin Report since the early days. Dave Rubin is charming, witty and reasonable. He’s also a ‘free thinker’. The book charts Dave Rubin’s journey to becoming a successful chat show host in his own right. He interviews a diverse set of political and other opinions, and his YouTube videos command a considerable audience.Rubin describes his life as involving two difficult and painful decisions. He first came out as a Gay man, and he reveals how he kept himself in the ‘closet’ for twenty-five years out of fear. Mercifully, he was relieved and felt supported as a gay man. He then describes his second coming out, from being a ‘former lifelong lefty’, and how he now identifies himself as a ‘classical liberal’. The reception he has received has been so different this time around. His colleagues and friends, including those on The Young Turks where he previously worked, have been enraged. The book includes an excerpt that graphically captures what he was subjected to. Those who professed to be tolerant and liberal, have shown themselves to be intolerant of different political opinions and illiberal. They have come after him in a way that he was never persecuted for when he came out as gay. So much so, that he became ill with clumps of his hair falling out. He became so depressed that he considered giving up on the Rubin Report. Thankfully, he didn’t.In this book, Rubin gives the reader a ten-step programme for becoming a free thinker. Rubin has friends from the ‘intellectual dark web’ such as Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Eric and Bret Weinstein…all who have been smeared with the label ‘alt right’. What fascinates me as a psychotherapist, is the level of projection (what I see in thee, is really present in me) emanating from some activists on the political left. More accurately, it is Projective Identification, a special form of projection, because it involves much more emotional force than does ordinary projection. It is a technique used in cults, such as shouting, shunning and intimidating members into submission.This then, is the essence of the book. That in order to become a free thinker, you have to leave the ‘groupthink’ and stand up to the vile rhetoric that will be put your way. Look around at what reaction this book has provoked, and the title speaks for itself. Why trash this book? Why call for it to be burned, when all Rubin is saying is stop hating and start listening to one another?I thoroughly recommend this book but with a warning. It will not be a journey without pain and dangers. Freedom of thought threatens anyone who believes in an orthodoxy of political opinion. Yet, it is the only thing standing in the way of authoritarianism and totalitarianism.

I have been reading many of the one star reviews and clearly they have been written by people who are ideologically driven. This is an interesting and pragmatic book, and I would reccomend it to anyone regardless of their political persuasion. And also contrary to what some people have claimed, in the book it DOES come across that Rubin is a CLASSICAL LIBERAL.

Dave Rubin is indeed the designated adult in the room. This book offers a coherent, logical, and reasoned approach to today's most challenging political topics. What makes this book unique is his perspective, as a once upon time lefty who had a front-row seat to its self-destruction as ideas were replaced with feelings and honesty with outrage.

Just began reading this book and I am enjoying it so far. Rubin does a good job of tackling a variety of issues that speak to people, who are in the middle, or grasping at being left wing but struggling to associate with the modern left - particularly on the concept of the "mob mentality", and exploring myths, like the gender pay gap and the concept of privilege.

Obvious flood of unverified purchasers giving low rating vs verified reviews of people who actually bought the book illustrates the need for free thinking, and that's the premise for this book.