Episode · Interesting Times · 2026-03-19
Books mentioned on White Identity Is Galvanizing the Right | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
The idea that white people — and white men in particular — face discrimination has become something of an obsession on the American right. It’s a view that my guest this week shares.
Ross Douthat discussed The Unprotected Class by Jeremy Carl. Jeremy Carl discussed Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville and What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Unprotected Class
The Unprotected Class by Jeremy Carl is a book that documents trends of discrimination and anti-white racism in mainstream media, Democratic political rhetoric, and respectable cultural institutions.
Discussed“In 2024, you wrote a book called "The Unprotected Class," which is about discrimination against white Americans.”
Where to get it
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Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is a foundational sociological and political study analyzing the structure, culture, and institutions of American society from the perspective of an outside observer.
Discussed“So there were huge periods of time that we had very low immigration in this country, and if you actually read democracy in America by Tocqueville, he doesn’t mention the word immigrant or immigration even once in that book, the US is 2 percent foreign born at that time.”
Where to get it
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What's the Matter with Kansas?
What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank is a penetrating political analysis that investigates why working-class voters in conservative heartlands frequently support political platforms and economic policies that appear to run counter to their own financial self-interest.
Discussed“I mean, again, the book I’m working on right now has got the working title, what’s the matter with Minnesota. And I chose that a year ago. By the way, listeners, just like you will recognize that as an allusion to Thomas Frank’s book. What’s the matter with Kansas.”
Where to get it
