Slouching Towards Gomorrah

Modern Liberalism and American Decline

By: Robert H. Bork

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to America, 1996. The “rough beast” that visionary poet Yeats foresaw in 1919 is now a full-grown monster of decadence several generations deep. As a nation, we are pursuing a path toward Gomorrah, the biblical city burned to the ground for the sinfulness of its people.

In Slouching Towards Gomorrah, one of our nation's most distinguished conservative scholars offers a prophetic view of a culture in decline, a nation in such serious moral trouble that its very foundation is crumbling. The root of our decline, Bork argues, is the rise of modern liberalism, which stresses the dual forces of radical egalitarianism and radical individualism. Bork traces modern liberalism through the past two and a half centuries and suggests how it may have arisen from the very nature of western civilization itself.

©1996 Robert H. Bork (P)1997 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Forthright and magisterial, this is a fine summary of ‘social conservativism,’ one those who want to understand that position should read first." ( Booklist)

"Reader Barrett Whitener projects a confident newscaster's voice…never stumbling no matter how difficult the terminology." ( AudioFile)

"[Bork] methodically takes us through the sectors of our experience which have been infected by the excesses of post-1960s liberalism….On each of these topics Bork brings to bear an astonishing range of information and argument." ( Commentary Magazine)

Solidly conservative

I am a listener who was once very left-leaning. I'm growing to find I can get behind conservative ideals as I learn more... This book shares a common sense perspective on the actions in the "rebellion" of those who don't appreciate how our American society is laid out... I do believe our education system, our news media, and our celebrity culture has disrupted the maturing process for many Americans looking to find their place in society. This book focuses on perceived moral shortcomings and how they hinder a productive society. I can understand all of this now, but if I were where I was emotionally a couple years ago- I would have thought this guy was an a$$hole for judging so harshly. Love it or hate it type of stuff.

This should be mandatory reading for everyone.

Robert Bork was brilliant, and as expected, he brilliantly illustrates how sick our society has become and it's corrosivily accelerating trajectory due to the American left. In is sad too many of that ilk are too ignorant to entertain doing so.

Classic

Actually I have this hard cover on my shelf and had been reading it, but wanted to take it to work with me. Very good move.

The first chapter does a fantastic job of surmising the rest of the book, and the rest of the book is still a pleasure to read.

What stands out is Bork's delineation of radical egalitarianism and radical individualism. The libertarian and the far left liberal are so far apart on the ideological scale, yet they somehow come together on certain key issues. If this has ever perplexed you, this book is a fantastic read.

Eye Opening

Must read and as I stated before eye opening because it wakes you up to the scary changes in our culture especially in respect to our loss of freedoms.

He would'a made an excellent Supreme Court Justice

I bought this book when it was first published many years ago. I never read it because, frankly, I wasn't a Robert Bork fan because of the role he played in the Nixon Administration during the Watergate scandal. I see now I should not have been so quick to judge. No pun intended. The book. if anything else, shows that Judge Bork had a vast, deep intellect. He was not naive about liberalism and he goes into great detail about how it functions. Societal morals are on a slippery slope because of it.
I started listening to this title during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing. I enjoyed it, with the exception of too much detail on some depravity that, sadly, exists in this country and the World. When you consider the date this book was published you will see that this work was prophetic... and you will surmise that Robert H. Bork would have made an excellent Supreme Court Justice.
The Judge uses the term bourgeois many times in this book so refresh your memory and look up the meaning beforehand. Yes! I enthusiastically, recommend this title.

USA...a dream lost??

great read..explains where we are going as a country and our demise if we keep going on this path.

As timely today, as when it was written

Judge Bork is arguably the smartest and most well spoken of all the Americans nominated to the U. S. Supreme Court. This book encapsulates the understanding of “politics being downstream of culture”—a phrase made famous by Andrew Breitbart. Perhaps, Mr. Breitbart read this book before he passed away.

Since the book was written 25 years ago, any reader will be able to analyze the author’s predictions. Sadly, his prediction came true: a coarsening of and an increase in violence in a society that continued on a path of political correctness.

His understanding of how poorly the Roe v Wade decision was decided is reflected precisely on the front pages today.

I’m happy my father left this book with me: so I could read it as I listened.

Could Have Been Written Today

Slouching Towards Gommorah shows that America's cultural rot, and all the current negative trends in American society, were apparent before the internet and smartphones became widespread. It is truly depressing to think that the problems we face- lack of virtue and self-restraint chief among them- were already locked-in in 1996. A great book.

Epic book, but where do they find these narrators?!?

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read, but with one of the worst narrators. If the material had not been so compelling I would have returned the book. Nothing personal, its just that some people’s voices are suited for narrating and others are not. The reason I pay for Audible is in the hopes for a high quality presentation. This narrator was a chore to listen to. The only one worse was the original unabridged “Fabric of the Cosmos” by Brian Greene, which thankfully they update with a better narrator, lol. Just my opinion though, if you love that old fashioned, super mid-rangy, radio broadcaster voice than this is for you!!

genius

robert bork is one of the most intelligent people i have ever encountered. this book is amazing and the more you listen to it, the better it gets! highly recommend!!