Ross Douthat is a columnist for the New York Times op-ed page. He is the author of To Change the Church, Bad Religion, and Privilege, and coauthor of Grand New Party. Before joining the New York Times, he was a senior editor for the Atlantic. He is the film critic for National Review, and he cohosts the New York Times's weekly op-ed podcast, The Argument. He lives in New Haven with his wife and four children.
A convincing argument. -The National Review It is a testament to [Douthat's] singular skill and wisdom, then, that he has written so thoughtful and compelling a book that bemoans the end of progress. The Decadent Society is Douthat at his best-clever, considered, counterintuitive, and shot through with insight about modern America. -The Washington Free Beacon Douthat's best book yet, a work of deep cultural analysis, elegantly written and offering provocative thoughts on almost every page. It's hard to think of a current book that is as insightful about the way we live now as is this one. -Rod Dreher, The American Conservative Ross Douthat is the rare pundit who has managed to keep his head through the ideological turbulence of recent times - and his new book grows out of his characteristic equanimity and good sense. -Damon Linker, The Week A scintillating diagnosis of social dysfunctions . . . His analysis is full of shrewd insights couched in elegant, biting prose. . . . The result is a trenchant and stimulating take on latter-day discontents. -Publishers Weekly (starred review) Well-timed . . . This is a young man's book. Douthat can see our sclerotic institutions clearly because his vision is not distorted by out-of-date memories from a more functional era. . . . Charming and persuasive. -Peter Thiel for First Things Clever and stimulating . . . Informative and well balanced . . . [An] intriguing theological-political idea. -Mark Lilla, The New York Times Book Review