William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008) made American conservatism what it is today. He founded its flagship publication (National Review), organized its youth movement (Young Americans for Freedom), policed its borders (rooting out Birchers, Randians and anti-Semites), argued its intellectual superiority (Firing Line and his unsuccessful bid for New York’s mayoralty), and promoted its presidential candidates (Goldwater, unsuccessfully, and Reagan, successfully). He also made mistakes (opposing the Civil Rights Act), adopted controversial positions (legalizing marijuana), and shifted with the times (regarding support for the War on Terror). Along the way, he somehow managed to write dozens of books (memoirs, political essays, spy novels) and squeeze in an exciting life (sailing the Atlantic twice, skiing in Gstaad, playing harpsichord with a symphony). Oh, and he was a devout Roman Catholic, although he sometimes had public disagreements with the church about this or that aspect of its moral doctrine.
Jeremy Lott’s biography, William F. Buckley, is the most recent installment in the Christian Encounters series published by Thomas Nelson. Other installments include St. Patrick, St. Francis, John Bunyan, Isaac Newton, Jane Austen, and Winston Churchill. Lott’s biography, like the series, is short and well-written, although a tad pricey for a paperback. It is a good starting point for those who seek a breezy introduction to the life of American conservatism’s founder. The major downside of the biography is that it touches on Buckley’s religious life ever so slightly, which is strange for a book in a series called Christian Encounters.
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