It’s been a long, long time coming, but the day has finally arrived: My memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative is complete, and it’s available for preorder. Some sharp-eyed readers have noticed that it’s been listed on book sites for a while, but I wanted to wait until now to announce it officially. I’ve spent years of my life contemplating this project and many more years attempting to write it. The book covers everything from my early days on Chicago’s South Side to my career as an economic theorist to my life as a public intellectual. I write about my most intimate thoughts and relationships, my family, my struggles with religious belief and addiction and infidelity and pride and self-loathing. And, of course, race and politics. I put everything I have into this book, everything that the written word could express about me.
The thing is, you’ll have to wait a while to read it. Its official release date is May 14, 2024. But if you’re planning on purchasing a copy, you should do so now. In today’s publishing industry, preorder sales are very important to a book’s success, because they boost a title’s performance on best-seller lists when the official release date finally rolls around. A book with strong preorders can launch itself to the top of, say, the New York Times best-seller list. And wouldn’t it be sweet to see the Times forced to acknowledge yours truly?
It only felt right to have John on to welcome Late Admissions into the world. He asks me to talk about why I wrote it, and he provides a humbling endorsement. After that, we’re off to the races. It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and we discuss what that means in 2024. John offers an affirmation of King’s emphasis on “the content of our character,” but I wonder whether he’s underselling the radicalism of King’s disruption of the status quo. From there we return to Claudine Gay and consider what she should have done once her plagiarism came to light. There was an opportunity for her to reclaim some of her lost honor, but she didn’t take it. As far as I’m concerned, she gives the lie to DEI’s moral claims. Most of you likely know that John possesses musical gifts in addition to his talents as a linguist and a social critic. I prod him to tell me about the cabaret show he’s currently putting together.
You’ll find links to preorder Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative below, or you can order it wherever you buy your books. Big things are afoot, and I’m so glad you’re here to join me on the journey.
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0:00 Preorder Glenn’s forthcoming memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative
2:17 Why Glenn wrote a memoir (and why you should order it now)
8:59 A ringing endorsement from John
10:00 What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean in 2024?
15:28 Preserving King’s belief in “the content of our character”
16:20 What would King have thought of Claudine Gay?
20:20 King’s radicalism
25:54 John: Being against DEI does not make you a racist
28:10 The Tabia Lee affair at D’Anza Community College
29:58 How Claudine Gay should have reacted to the plagiarism scandal
32:47 Glenn: “The DEI movement is hoist on its own petard”
35:57 How DEI’s dominance has improved John’s home media set-up
41:41 John’s upcoming cabaret show
Links and Readings
John’s NYT piece, “Claudine Gay Was Not Driven Out Because She Is Black”
Glenn’s conversation with Tabia Lee
“All’s Fair in Love and War” from Gold Diggers of 1937
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John McWhorter – Claudine Gay, MLK, and GLENN'S NEW BOOK