Reviews
"With The Unbroken Thread, Sohrab Ahmari has written an urgent love letter to America. The 'self-seeking' that began in the '60s was the backdrop of his childhood, growing up in Iran with parents who yearned for a life of freedom outside the confines of religious oppression. Now a parent himself, he writes of a new understanding of freedom. As having a child instantly teaches us, it's no longer about you. Ahmari uses his personal experience, but then broadens out to draw on wisdoms of all ages and faiths. He jars us out of our selfie-obsessed world with the clear message that commitment to faith, to others, and to humanity is actually the most liberating existence of all." --Martha MacCallum, anchor, The Story on Fox News, and author of Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima "In this fascinating book, Sohrab Ahmari eloquently articulates what many American Founders understood and the French revolutionaries forgot: that faith is essential for freedom to truly flourish, and that we abandon the wisdom of the past at great peril to our future. Traditional Jews, Christians, and all who care about the future of the West are in his debt." --Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director, The Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Yeshiva University "Drawing on the deepest wells of ancient and modern wisdom from around the world, The Unbroken Thread weaves together essential lessons desperately needed to guide a new generation into an uncertain future. Written with love as a legacy for his young son, Sohrab Ahmari has produced a gift for all of us." --Patrick J. Deneen, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Why Liberalism Failed "Sohrab Ahmari has been thinking for himself since arriving from Iran as a youth. Paradoxically, he has thought himself back into the heart of our best traditions and has seen, with striking clarity, that the modern quest for total liberation of the intellect and will is both quixotic and damaging, individually and collectively. This clever and engaging work is the result; the dozen questions it asks are fresh, and the answers it gives are powerfully persuasive." --Adrian Vermeule, Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School "Ahmari's tour de force makes tradition astonishingly vivid and relevant for the here and now. Only a writer with Ahmari's intellect, his audacious commitment to faith and reason, and a journalist's gift for storytelling could have pulled this off. From the first line to the last, The Unbroken Thread glows like an electrified filament, illuminating a sure path through this new Dark Age." --Rod Dreher, bestselling author of Live Not by Lies and The Benedict Option "In a time of widespread confusion and uncertainty about the meaning of life, Sohrab Ahmari makes a strong case for the truth and relevance of traditional values, virtues, and beliefs. This is a unique and hopeful book that reminds us that the human person is made for great and beautiful things--far more than the vision of life offered by our society today." --Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, "Drawing on the deepest wells of ancient and modern wisdom from around the world, The Unbroken Thread weaves together essential lessons desperately needed to guide a new generation into an uncertain future. Written with love as a legacy for his young son, Sohrab Ahmari has produced a gift for all of us." --Patrick J. Deneen, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Why Liberalism Failed "Sohrab Ahmari has been thinking for himself since arriving from Iran as a youth. Paradoxically, he has thought himself back into the heart of our best traditions and has seen, with striking clarity, that the modern quest for total liberation of the intellect and will is both quixotic and damaging, individually and collectively. This clever and engaging work is the result; the dozen questions it asks are fresh, and the answers it gives are powerfully persuasive." --Adrian Vermeule, Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School, "Sohrab Ahmari offers more than a vivid and learned defense of traditionalism. With fatherly love, he leads his son--and us--on a fearless consideration of life's big questions, taking thinkers of many historical times and circumstances as interlocutors. Along the way, he recovers truths about the nature and flourishing of the human person--truths seemingly in danger of being forgotten in our contentious and uncertain times." --Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York "Ahmari proposes a path out of the chaos in our culture today, discerning the reasons of the heart and promoting moral excellence. He frames the questions we all need to ponder and identifies many topics that families and religious leaders need to address--the sooner, the better." --The New Criterion "Ahmari's tour de force makes tradition astonishingly vivid and relevant for the here and now. Only a writer with Ahmari's intellect, his audacious commitment to faith and reason, and a journalist's gift for storytelling could have pulled this off." --Rod Dreher, bestselling author of Live Not by Lies and The Benedict Option "A serious--and seriously readable--book about the deep questions that our shallow age has foolishly tried to dodge." --Douglas Murray, bestselling author of The Madness of Crowds and The Strange Death of Europe "As having a child instantly teaches us, it's no longer about you. Ahmari uses his personal experience, but then broadens out to draw on wisdoms of all ages and faiths. He jars us out of our selfie-obsessed world with the clear message that commitment to faith, to others, and to humanity is actually the most liberating existence of all." --Martha MacCallum, anchor of The Story on Fox News and author of Unknown Valor "In this fascinating book, Sohrab Ahmari eloquently articulates what many American Founders understood and the French revolutionaries forgot: that faith is essential for freedom to truly flourish, and that we abandon the wisdom of the past at great peril to our future. Traditional Jews, Christians, and all who care about the future of the West are in his debt." --Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director, the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Yeshiva University "A unique and hopeful book that reminds us that the human person is made for great and beautiful things--far more than the vision of life offered by our society today." --Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles "Drawing on the deepest wells of ancient and modern wisdom from around the world, The Unbroken Thread weaves together essential lessons desperately needed to guide a new generation into an uncertain future." --Patrick J. Deneen, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Why Liberalism Failed, "Sohrab Ahmari offers more than a vivid and learned defense of traditionalism. With fatherly love, he leads his son--and us--on a fearless consideration of life's big questions, taking thinkers of many historical times and circumstances as interlocutors. Along the way, he recovers truths about the nature and flourishing of the human person--truths seemingly in danger of being forgotten in our contentious and uncertain times." --Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York "Ahmari's tour de force makes tradition astonishingly vivid and relevant for the here and now. Only a writer with Ahmari's intellect, his audacious commitment to faith and reason, and a journalist's gift for storytelling could have pulled this off." --Rod Dreher, bestselling author of Live Not by Lies and The Benedict Option "A serious--and seriously readable--book about the deep questions that our shallow age has foolishly tried to dodge." --Douglas Murray, bestselling author of The Madness of Crowds and The Strange Death of Europe "As having a child instantly teaches us, it's no longer about you. Ahmari uses his personal experience, but then broadens out to draw on wisdoms of all ages and faiths. He jars us out of our selfie-obsessed world with the clear message that commitment to faith, to others, and to humanity is actually the most liberating existence of all." --Martha MacCallum, anchor of The Story on Fox News and author of Unknown Valor "In this fascinating book, Sohrab Ahmari eloquently articulates what many American Founders understood and the French revolutionaries forgot: that faith is essential for freedom to truly flourish, and that we abandon the wisdom of the past at great peril to our future. Traditional Jews, Christians, and all who care about the future of the West are in his debt." --Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director, the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Yeshiva University "A unique and hopeful book that reminds us that the human person is made for great and beautiful things--far more than the vision of life offered by our society today." --Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles "Drawing on the deepest wells of ancient and modern wisdom from around the world, The Unbroken Thread weaves together essential lessons desperately needed to guide a new generation into an uncertain future." --Patrick J. Deneen, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Why Liberalism Failed "Sohrab Ahmari has been thinking for himself since arriving from Iran as a youth. Paradoxically, he has thought himself back into the heart of our best traditions and has seen, with striking clarity, that the modern quest for total liberation of the intellect and will is both quixotic and damaging, individually and collectively. This clever and engaging work is the result; the dozen questions it asks are fresh, and the answers it gives are powerfully persuasive." --Adrian Vermeule, Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School, "A vital and provocative read." -- The Telegraph (London) "[ The Unbroken Thread ] merits attention . . . because Ahmari is a notable combatant in the fight on the American right for the future of conservatism." -- The New York Times Book Review "A scholarly rebuke to the fashionable currents of our rootless age. . . . Salted with an intellectual breadth and curiosity, expressed with exceptional clarity." -- The Times (London) "Ahmari's elegantly written book matters because it seeks to give moral voice to what so far has mainly been a populist scream against the values of elite liberalism." --Bret Stephens, The New York Times "[Ahmari] is a master storyteller. . . . Readers of Sohrab Ahmari's new book will be grateful to him for reminding us of how serious the loss [of our traditions] could turn out to be." -- First Things "Even those who reject Ahmari's categories and conclusions will still admire and be edified by the stories he has to tell." -- National Review "A triumph of intellectual hagiography that leads the reader confidently into deep waters." -- Commentary "He frames the questions we all need to ponder and identifies many topics that families and religious leaders need to address--the sooner, the better." -- The New Criterion "Ahmari's latest book presents compelling critiques of the modern understanding of human freedom." -- The American Conservative "Ahmari's prose is always clear, and he manages to articulate sophisticated arguments without ever sounding academic or getting lost in minutia." -- Washington Examiner "Ahmari introduces a generation (and more) to the spiritual patrimony of which they have been robbed." -- Spectator World "The urgent need for this work cannot be doubted." -- National Catholic Register "The quality that makes [Ahmari] a valuable thinker for our current moment is the same one that made him write this book in the way that he did: his willingness to take risks." -- City Journal "Sohrab Ahmari offers more than a vivid and learned defense of traditionalism. With fatherly love, he leads his son--and us--on a fearless consideration of life's big questions." --Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York "A serious--and seriously readable--book about the deep questions that our shallow age has foolishly tried to dodge." --Douglas Murray, bestselling author of The Madness of Crowds "A unique and hopeful book that reminds us that the human person is made for great and beautiful things--far more than the vision of life offered by our society today." --Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, "A serious--and seriously readable--book about the deep questions that our shallow age has foolishly tried to dodge." --Douglas Murray, bestselling author of The Madness of Crowds and The Strange Death of Europe "Sohrab Ahmari offers more than a vivid and learned defense of traditionalism. With fatherly love, he leads his son--and us--on a fearless consideration of life''s big questions, taking thinkers of many historical times and circumstances as interlocutors. Along the way, he recovers truths about the nature and flourishing of the human person--truths seemingly in danger of being forgotten in our contentious and uncertain times." --Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York "Ahmari''s tour de force makes tradition astonishingly vivid and relevant for the here and now. Only a writer with Ahmari''s intellect, his audacious commitment to faith and reason, and a journalist''s gift for storytelling could have pulled this off. From the first line to the last, The Unbroken Thread glows like an electrified filament, illuminating a sure path through this new Dark Age." --Rod Dreher, bestselling author of Live Not by Lies and The Benedict Option "With The Unbroken Thread, Sohrab Ahmari has written an urgent love letter to America. The ''self-seeking'' that began in the ''60s was the backdrop of his childhood, growing up in Iran with parents who yearned for a life of freedom outside the confines of religious oppression. Now a parent himself, he writes of a new understanding of freedom. As having a child instantly teaches us, it''s no longer about you. Ahmari uses his personal experience, but then broadens out to draw on wisdoms of all ages and faiths. He jars us out of our selfie-obsessed world with the clear message that commitment to faith, to others, and to humanity is actually the most liberating existence of all." --Martha MacCallum, anchor, The Story on Fox News, and author of Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima "In a time of widespread confusion and uncertainty about the meaning of life, Sohrab Ahmari makes a strong case for the truth and relevance of traditional values, virtues, and beliefs. This is a unique and hopeful book that reminds us that the human person is made for great and beautiful things--far more than the vision of life offered by our society today." --Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles "In this fascinating book, Sohrab Ahmari eloquently articulates what many American Founders understood and the French revolutionaries forgot: that faith is essential for freedom to truly flourish, and that we abandon the wisdom of the past at great peril to our future. Traditional Jews, Christians, and all who care about the future of the West are in his debt." --Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, director, The Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Yeshiva University "Drawing on the deepest wells of ancient and modern wisdom from around the world, The Unbroken Thread weaves together essential lessons desperately needed to guide a new generation into an uncertain future. Written with love as a legacy for his young son, Sohrab Ahmari has produced a gift for all of us." --Patrick J. Deneen, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Why Liberalism Failed "Sohrab Ahmari has been thinking for himself since arriving from Iran as a youth. Paradoxically, he has thought himself back into the heart of our best traditions and has seen, with striking clarity, that the modern quest for total liberation of the intellect and will is both quixotic and damaging, individually and collectively. This clever and engaging work is the result; the dozen questions it asks are fresh, and the answers it gives are powerfully persuasive." --Adrian Vermeule, Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School, "[ The Unbroken Thread ] merits attention . . . because Ahmari is a notable combatant in the fight on the American right for the future of conservatism." -- The New York Times "A scholarly rebuke to the fashionable currents of our rootless age. . . . Salted with an intellectual breadth and curiosity, expressed with exceptional clarity." -- The Sunday Times (London) "A formidable combination of storytelling and philosophy that might change your life." -- The Times (London) "A vital and provocative read." -- The Telegraph (London) "[Ahmari] is a master storyteller. . . . Readers of Sohrab Ahmari's new book will be grateful to him for reminding us of how serious the loss [of our traditions] could turn out to be." -- First Things "Even those who reject Ahmari's categories and conclusions will still admire and be edified by the stories he has to tell." -- National Review "A triumph of intellectual hagiography that leads the reader confidently into deep waters." -- Commentary "He frames the questions we all need to ponder and identifies many topics that families and religious leaders need to address -- the sooner, the better." -- The New Criterion "Ahmari's latest book presents compelling critiques of the modern understanding of human freedom." -- The American Conservative "Ahmari's prose is always clear, and he manages to articulate sophisticated arguments without ever sounding academic or getting lost in minutia." -- Washington Examiner "Ahmari introduces a generation (and more) to the spiritual patrimony of which they have been robbed." -- Spectator World "The urgent need for this work cannot be doubted." -- National Catholic Register "The quality that makes [Ahmari] a valuable thinker for our current moment is the same one that made him write this book in the way that he did: his willingness to take risks." -- City Journal "Intriguing and insightful." -- Catholic World Report "Sohrab Ahmari offers more than a vivid and learned defense of traditionalism. With fatherly love, he leads his son--and us--on a fearless consideration of life's big questions." --Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York "Ahmari's tour de force makes tradition astonishingly vivid and relevant for the here and now." --Rod Dreher, bestselling author of Live Not by Lies "A serious--and seriously readable--book about the deep questions that our shallow age has foolishly tried to dodge." --Douglas Murray, bestselling author of The Madness of Crowds "A unique and hopeful book that reminds us that the human person is made for great and beautiful things--far more than the vision of life offered by our society today." --Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles "Drawing on the deepest wells of ancient and modern wisdom from around the world, The Unbroken Thread weaves together essential lessons desperately needed to guide a new generation into an uncertain future." --Patrick J. Deneen, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, and author of Why Liberalism Failed "The dozen questions it asks are fresh, and the answers it gives are powerfully persuasive." --Adrian Vermeule, Ralph S. Tyler, Jr. Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School
