Relevant Reading:Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics

Mary Eberstadt

Where did today’s identity politics come from, and why has our society become so bitterly divided? In her new book Primal Screams, conservative cultural critic Mary Eberstadt points her finger at the sexual revolution—arguing that it brought not only family breakdown but the isolation of individuals, and a loss in their traditional self-understanding. No longer able to identify on the basis of primordial ties and kinship, increasing numbers instead sought meaning and membership in politicized identity groups—with the bitter results visible all around us.In Primal Screams, Eberstadt unpacks this argument and then turns the book over to three respondents: Mark Lilla, Rod Dreher, and Peter Thiel. In so doing, the book both offers a diagnosis of our uncivil political climate and an example of how civil dialogue can be restored.Mary Eberstadt is a senior research fellow at the Faith & Reason Institute. Tune in this week as she joins Richard Aldous to discuss the book. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, where you can leave a review, and follow @aminterest on Twitter.