Blood and Progress

“Noah Rothman is an indispensable voice of clarity in a dark and chaotic time. Blood and Progress is a reminder that the violence currently roiling America is nothing new, and that the political Left—treated as pacifistic and kind by a compliant and like-minded media—is in fact an abiding threat to those who wish for a peaceful and prosperous future.”

“In Blood and Progress, Noah Rothman argues that political violence in America—once taboo—is now selectively excused, especially on the left. He contends that today’s progressive movements, aided by a biased media, accept or even celebrate acts of unrest. From the George Floyd riots to anti-capitalist militancy, we are witnessing a redrawing of the boundaries of what is acceptable politics. Blending history, reporting, and media analysis, Rothman warns that unless Americans confront this double standard and judge all political violence equally, the nation risks descending into a cycle of vendetta unfit for a constitutional republic. Timely, profound, and a must-read.”

“Noah Rothman has written the book this moment demands. Blood and Progress exposes how political violence is condemned, excused, or rationalized depending on who commits it—and how acts carried out in the name of “progress” are too often waved away. Clear-eyed and unsparing, Rothman shows how this moral asymmetry is corroding American politics and pulling the country backward. It’s a must-read.”

“This book should not be necessary, because it points to facts that should be widely known. But it is essential, because the disturbing dynamic it illuminates is systematically downplayed, ignored, and denied. By laying it out with his characteristic insight, clarity, and eloquence, Noah Rothman has done a great favor to the truth and to the country.”

“…Noah Rothman’s Blood and Progress disturbs any fair-minded reader. It does so because Rothman remembers and records. The Left in America is often in love with violence and especially with its most extreme practitioners of violence.…By detailing those who have abused its freedoms, Noah Rothman is helping the 99 percent protect itself from the genuinely terrifying visions of the 1 percent who would kill to gain power.”

“A deeply researched and quietly chilling portrait of an America in which embracing violence and bloodshed is rewarded even as elites attempt to dull the innate moral sense of ordinary people. Noah Rothman’s Blood and Progress is one of the most essential books of our time.”

“In academia and elite journalism, the threat of right-wing violence requires eternal vigilance. Fair enough. But often the problem of left-wing violence is that it’s treated as a myth or even as an oxymoron. Noah Rothman provides a compelling, insightful, and much-needed history of a problem that has been hiding in plain sight for over a century.”

“Left-wing violence in America has too often been ignored or explained away, but Noah Rothman has the goods and cuts through the evasions. Blood and Progress is a searingly honest look at a poisonous, destructive phenomenon that threatens our national life. In this important and necessary book, Rothman stares into the abyss and urges us back from the brink.”