Please join us for our summer book club featuring The Unmaking of a Mayor by William F. Buckley, Jr.

The Unmaking of a Mayor is a time capsule of the political atmosphere of America in the spring of 1965, diagnosing the multitude of ills that plagued New York and other major cities: crime, narcotics, transportation, racial bias, mismanagement, taxes, and the problems of housing, police, and education. Buckley’s nimble dissection of these issues constitutes an excellent primer of conservative thought.

A good pathologist, Buckley shows that the diseases afflicting New York City in 1965 were by no means of a unique strain, and compared them with issues that beset the country at large. Buckley offers a prescient vision of the Republican Party and America’s two-party system that will be of particular interest to today’s conservatives. The Unmaking of a Mayor ends with a wistful glance at what might have been in 1965—and what might yet be.

This three-week book club will consist of Zoom webinar conversations led by NRI fellow Jay Nordlinger with a special final call with Neal B. Freeman who worked on the Buckley campaign and wrote the foreword for the book.

Please note that the book club is for NRI supporters who give at the $250 level and up.
We hope you will consider giving a tax-deductible gift to National Review Institute, the non-profit journalistic think tank that supports the NR mission, to join us for our next book club and our other virtual programming!

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Where to find the book
Support your Local Independent Bookstore | Amazon
Please note that because of an unprecedented surge in online orders your book delivery might be delayed, please plan accordingly.

Week 1
Monday, July 13
Foreward – Chapter 6 | Pages xi – 230
Discussion led by Jay Nordlinger

Week 2
Monday, July 20
Chapter 6 – 11 | Pages 231 – 461
Discussion led by Jay Nordlinger

Week 3
Monday, July 27
Discussion with Neal Freeman

All book club webinars will be at 5:30 p.m. ET