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Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America
Our institutions have gone "woke." Everybody knows that. But nobody has come up with a way to stop it. Until now.
In this hard-hitting new book, Senator Ted Cruz delivers a realistic battle plan for defeating the woke assault on America.
The Democratic Party is now controlled by Cultural Marxists. So are our universities and public schools, the media, Big Tech, and Big Business. Corporations push transgenderism down their customers' throats. Banks punish gun shops. Hollywood insults our religious beliefs and grooms our children. The big investment companies use our retirement savings to promote leftist causes. And the Biden administration has turned our military into an indoctrination camp, neglected transportation safety to focus on climate change, and persecuted peaceful pro-lifers while leaving prochoice arsonists at large.
The son of Cuban immigrants who fled communist oppression, Cruz is uniquely equipped to fight the woke revolution. He eloquently explains how Cultural Marxism got a foothold in America, how it progressed, and how, in precise steps, we can fight back to regain our institutions, regain our country—and win the future for our children.
Bold, practical, and necessary, Unwoke is the book we need to restore the America we love.
In this hard-hitting new book, Senator Ted Cruz delivers a realistic battle plan for defeating the woke assault on America.
The Democratic Party is now controlled by Cultural Marxists. So are our universities and public schools, the media, Big Tech, and Big Business. Corporations push transgenderism down their customers' throats. Banks punish gun shops. Hollywood insults our religious beliefs and grooms our children. The big investment companies use our retirement savings to promote leftist causes. And the Biden administration has turned our military into an indoctrination camp, neglected transportation safety to focus on climate change, and persecuted peaceful pro-lifers while leaving prochoice arsonists at large.
The son of Cuban immigrants who fled communist oppression, Cruz is uniquely equipped to fight the woke revolution. He eloquently explains how Cultural Marxism got a foothold in America, how it progressed, and how, in precise steps, we can fight back to regain our institutions, regain our country—and win the future for our children.
Bold, practical, and necessary, Unwoke is the book we need to restore the America we love.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2023
467 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
Ted Cruz
14 books127 followersThroughout his life, Ted Cruz has proven to be a passionate and effective fighter for limited government, economic growth, and the Constitution.
Ted’s calling to public service has been inspired by his firsthand observation of the pursuit of freedom and opportunity in America. Ted’s mother, Eleanor, was born in Delaware to an Irish and Italian working-class family. She became the first in her family to go to college, graduated from Rice University with a degree in mathematics, and became a pioneering computer programmer in the 1950s.
After being tortured and imprisoned in Cuba, Ted’s father, Rafael, fled to the United States to attend the University of Texas at Austin in 1957. He then started a small business in the oil and gas industry. Today, Ted’s father is a pastor in Dallas.
Growing up, his father would often say to him:
“When we faced oppression in Cuba, I had a place to flee to. If we lose our freedom here, where do we go?”
Ted has been a tireless fighter for liberty because his family knows what it is like to lose it.
As Solicitor General for the State of Texas and in private practice, Ted authored more than 80 U.S. Supreme Court briefs and argued 43 oral arguments, including nine before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also won an unprecedented series of landmark national victories that include his defense of U.S. sovereignty against the UN and the World Court in Medellin v. Texas, our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments monument at the Texas State Capitol, and the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.
In the U.S. Senate, Ted has led the fight to repeal Obamacare, to secure the border, and to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He has also led the fight to defend life, marriage, the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, and our entire Bill of Rights. And most importantly, he’s kept his promise to speak the truth and do what he said he’d do.
Ted has proven to be the exact type of courageous conservative we need in the U.S. Senate to restore economic growth, defend our Constitution, and protect the values we all hold dear.
Ted, his wife Heidi, their two daughters Caroline and Catherine, and his entire family have been blessed to live the American Dream — the idea that anyone, through hard work and determination, can achieve anything. And he is committed to ensuring every family has that same opportunity.
Ted’s calling to public service has been inspired by his firsthand observation of the pursuit of freedom and opportunity in America. Ted’s mother, Eleanor, was born in Delaware to an Irish and Italian working-class family. She became the first in her family to go to college, graduated from Rice University with a degree in mathematics, and became a pioneering computer programmer in the 1950s.
After being tortured and imprisoned in Cuba, Ted’s father, Rafael, fled to the United States to attend the University of Texas at Austin in 1957. He then started a small business in the oil and gas industry. Today, Ted’s father is a pastor in Dallas.
Growing up, his father would often say to him:
“When we faced oppression in Cuba, I had a place to flee to. If we lose our freedom here, where do we go?”
Ted has been a tireless fighter for liberty because his family knows what it is like to lose it.
As Solicitor General for the State of Texas and in private practice, Ted authored more than 80 U.S. Supreme Court briefs and argued 43 oral arguments, including nine before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also won an unprecedented series of landmark national victories that include his defense of U.S. sovereignty against the UN and the World Court in Medellin v. Texas, our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments monument at the Texas State Capitol, and the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.
In the U.S. Senate, Ted has led the fight to repeal Obamacare, to secure the border, and to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He has also led the fight to defend life, marriage, the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, and our entire Bill of Rights. And most importantly, he’s kept his promise to speak the truth and do what he said he’d do.
Ted has proven to be the exact type of courageous conservative we need in the U.S. Senate to restore economic growth, defend our Constitution, and protect the values we all hold dear.
Ted, his wife Heidi, their two daughters Caroline and Catherine, and his entire family have been blessed to live the American Dream — the idea that anyone, through hard work and determination, can achieve anything. And he is committed to ensuring every family has that same opportunity.
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November 30, 2023Full of incite, yet totally lacking in insight. Don't bother.
January 7, 2024
If Ted Cruz lived up to some of the virtues he says he values in part of his book, I'd have more respect for him as a Senator. Alas, this book is trash, and so are his politics.
Yes, we know, he "hates communists." A point that he is explicit about at the end of the book in reference to China. The problem is, is that this book pretty much sums up to 'everyone I disagree with and think is wrong is automatically a Democrat, a communist, or both.' Great, so he's a Ken trying to pretend like he's an Allan, which is to say he's the same as all the rest trying to convince you that he's really unique and not a copy and pasted NPC. But even NPC's have unique backstories even if they're basically the same.
The introduction comes off as a regurgitation of an article by Mike Gonzalez and Katharine C. Gorka called How Cultural Marxism Threatens the United States—and How Americans Can Fight It , which was published a year prior to Cruz's book as a special report from the Heritage Foundation (I was unable to locate this as a source anywhere in the book, but maybe Cruz has just memorized these talking points, you know, seeing as he hates communists, democrats, and people that aren't conservative so much).
Cruz, though, doesn't really ever define Cultural Marxism beyond a "long march through the institutions" as part of a Marxist plot.
Conveniently, in the dozen or so times that Ted Cruz uses the word "conspiracy," he does so in reference to Democrats, Rachel Maddow, Twitter censorship, and COVID-19. Not surprisingly, then, is it mentioned anywhere in this book (or the Heritage Foundation) that this Marcuse to Frankfurt to "Cultural Marxism" plot is considered a conspiracy theory, and has been for a while. Such as a 2003 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center , a 2019 article in relation to paleoconservatives.
Strikingly, Cruz highlights the fact that Karl Marx held antisemitic beliefs (as one of many reasons why we can't trust Marx, or Marxism, or Marxists), but then wrote an entire book built upon an antisemitic conspiracy theory. That is to say that actual antisemites and fascists.
According to Ted Cruz, though, Karl Marx was a drunkard, poor, and a variety of other distasteful qualities that ultimately suggest to Cruz that any ideas that Marx may have come up with are therefore not to be trusted. I guess we should shun Benjamin Franklin then for having been a promiscuous man who fathered an illegitimate child, I mean, it doesn't matter that he invented hundreds of things, including, in part, America. What about Ulysses S. Grant? Should we just ignore any military lessons that we gleaned from his time as a general...which was spent in a large quantities intoxicated? I'm curious if Ted Cruz screens any of his co-sponsors for legislation for moral consistency? I mean, that is unlikely seeing as he has the third fewest co-sponsors in Congress (as of the time of writing), which suggests that he does not play well with others. Or, I wonder if he screens medical professionals for alcoholism, which is pretty prevalent among surgeons and nurses.
My point here is that a person's real or perceived moral character does not necessarily speak to the veracity of any of their policy, political, or philosophical ideas. That is to say, the fact that Karl Marx drank a lot and was constantly poor says nothing, at all, what-so-ever, about whether or not socialism is viable. Weirdly, too, is the fact that for all of the complaining that Ted Cruz does about Karl Marx, he seems to forget all of the other Marxists that have existed and added to the literature.
So, per Ted Cruz's logic, we ought to ignore Karl Marx's ideas because he was an alcoholic, but we should be able to listen to Lenin's socialist rhetoric because he generally did not drink alcohol because he saw it as a "tool of bourgeoisie oppression."
It would be all too easy to call Ted Cruz an antisemitic right-wing fascist (which he'll say he isn't because at the end of the first chapter he says he and a friend got drinks with a rabbi). But, antisemitism is often perpetuated on foundations of ignorance. Maybe he's just ignorant. For more on that, check out Bari Weiss' book How to Fight Anti-Semitism.
What is most disappointing is the disconnect between some very profoundly important ideas, and the entire absence of its application in the book, and in Congress:
"I wanted to impress upon these students the importance of speaking with and to people with whom they vehemently disagreed, and of listening to viewpoints that were radically different from their own. Only through rigorous argument and respectful dialogue could they ever hope to persuade anyone that their views were correct." [Emphasis added]
...
"...it’s critical that we override this effective veto and begin speaking and listening to one another again...."
Yet, Ted Cruz is not respectful, not in this book, and certainly not in Congress. He can "impress" his ideas all day long, but unless he lives up to that same mantra, or "walks the walk" as they say, he's just a hypocrite that expect a world to act in way inconsistent with what he does. Now, perhaps Ted Cruz is this way in all sorts of places throughout his daily life. There is no way for me to tell. And yes, there is a difference between disagreeing - passionately - and being disrespectful. But surely Congress, and national television, and in published books, are just as important, if not more so, for the sake of the republic he seemingly cares so much about. He praises journalists for doing what he expects - to tell the truth and admit when they are wrong - but he does not live up to the same virtues.
In fact, he thinks rigorous argument is so important to persuasion that his solution for topics he disagrees with (and doesn’t understand), like Critical Race Theory, is to ban it. How rigorous.
Ergo, this book is trash, and so are his politics.
Yes, we know, he "hates communists." A point that he is explicit about at the end of the book in reference to China. The problem is, is that this book pretty much sums up to 'everyone I disagree with and think is wrong is automatically a Democrat, a communist, or both.' Great, so he's a Ken trying to pretend like he's an Allan, which is to say he's the same as all the rest trying to convince you that he's really unique and not a copy and pasted NPC. But even NPC's have unique backstories even if they're basically the same.
The introduction comes off as a regurgitation of an article by Mike Gonzalez and Katharine C. Gorka called How Cultural Marxism Threatens the United States—and How Americans Can Fight It , which was published a year prior to Cruz's book as a special report from the Heritage Foundation (I was unable to locate this as a source anywhere in the book, but maybe Cruz has just memorized these talking points, you know, seeing as he hates communists, democrats, and people that aren't conservative so much).
Cruz, though, doesn't really ever define Cultural Marxism beyond a "long march through the institutions" as part of a Marxist plot.
Conveniently, in the dozen or so times that Ted Cruz uses the word "conspiracy," he does so in reference to Democrats, Rachel Maddow, Twitter censorship, and COVID-19. Not surprisingly, then, is it mentioned anywhere in this book (or the Heritage Foundation) that this Marcuse to Frankfurt to "Cultural Marxism" plot is considered a conspiracy theory, and has been for a while. Such as a 2003 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center , a 2019 article in relation to paleoconservatives.
Strikingly, Cruz highlights the fact that Karl Marx held antisemitic beliefs (as one of many reasons why we can't trust Marx, or Marxism, or Marxists), but then wrote an entire book built upon an antisemitic conspiracy theory. That is to say that actual antisemites and fascists.
According to Ted Cruz, though, Karl Marx was a drunkard, poor, and a variety of other distasteful qualities that ultimately suggest to Cruz that any ideas that Marx may have come up with are therefore not to be trusted. I guess we should shun Benjamin Franklin then for having been a promiscuous man who fathered an illegitimate child, I mean, it doesn't matter that he invented hundreds of things, including, in part, America. What about Ulysses S. Grant? Should we just ignore any military lessons that we gleaned from his time as a general...which was spent in a large quantities intoxicated? I'm curious if Ted Cruz screens any of his co-sponsors for legislation for moral consistency? I mean, that is unlikely seeing as he has the third fewest co-sponsors in Congress (as of the time of writing), which suggests that he does not play well with others. Or, I wonder if he screens medical professionals for alcoholism, which is pretty prevalent among surgeons and nurses.
My point here is that a person's real or perceived moral character does not necessarily speak to the veracity of any of their policy, political, or philosophical ideas. That is to say, the fact that Karl Marx drank a lot and was constantly poor says nothing, at all, what-so-ever, about whether or not socialism is viable. Weirdly, too, is the fact that for all of the complaining that Ted Cruz does about Karl Marx, he seems to forget all of the other Marxists that have existed and added to the literature.
So, per Ted Cruz's logic, we ought to ignore Karl Marx's ideas because he was an alcoholic, but we should be able to listen to Lenin's socialist rhetoric because he generally did not drink alcohol because he saw it as a "tool of bourgeoisie oppression."
It would be all too easy to call Ted Cruz an antisemitic right-wing fascist (which he'll say he isn't because at the end of the first chapter he says he and a friend got drinks with a rabbi). But, antisemitism is often perpetuated on foundations of ignorance. Maybe he's just ignorant. For more on that, check out Bari Weiss' book How to Fight Anti-Semitism.
What is most disappointing is the disconnect between some very profoundly important ideas, and the entire absence of its application in the book, and in Congress:
"I wanted to impress upon these students the importance of speaking with and to people with whom they vehemently disagreed, and of listening to viewpoints that were radically different from their own. Only through rigorous argument and respectful dialogue could they ever hope to persuade anyone that their views were correct." [Emphasis added]
...
"...it’s critical that we override this effective veto and begin speaking and listening to one another again...."
Yet, Ted Cruz is not respectful, not in this book, and certainly not in Congress. He can "impress" his ideas all day long, but unless he lives up to that same mantra, or "walks the walk" as they say, he's just a hypocrite that expect a world to act in way inconsistent with what he does. Now, perhaps Ted Cruz is this way in all sorts of places throughout his daily life. There is no way for me to tell. And yes, there is a difference between disagreeing - passionately - and being disrespectful. But surely Congress, and national television, and in published books, are just as important, if not more so, for the sake of the republic he seemingly cares so much about. He praises journalists for doing what he expects - to tell the truth and admit when they are wrong - but he does not live up to the same virtues.
In fact, he thinks rigorous argument is so important to persuasion that his solution for topics he disagrees with (and doesn’t understand), like Critical Race Theory, is to ban it. How rigorous.
Ergo, this book is trash, and so are his politics.
November 29, 2023
I tried to read this book to learn what his idea of cultural Marxism is. I only read the first chapter. He oversimplifies the term, Marxism. In fact, he never defines the term.
November 8, 2023
A clear, concise and at times humorous description of Marxist infiltration into American life. We become daily more like China who buys off and reshapes our politicians, movie studios, universities and industry and erodes human freedoms.
November 15, 2023
This is a must read!
I don’t know how to even start writing a review for this book. It’s honest, frank (Cruz says at one point that he was trying to figure out how to say “Piss off!” In Chinese), brave and bold. Cruz is not one to back down in the face of ridiculous wokeness, and this book proves it. What he says is frightening, and all Americans who cherish the freedom we enjoy should read it. Wokeness is more than just mis-gendering someone. Read this book and you’ll find out where it all started and where, if this Country doesn’t wake up and fight back, it will all inevitably end…
I don’t know how to even start writing a review for this book. It’s honest, frank (Cruz says at one point that he was trying to figure out how to say “Piss off!” In Chinese), brave and bold. Cruz is not one to back down in the face of ridiculous wokeness, and this book proves it. What he says is frightening, and all Americans who cherish the freedom we enjoy should read it. Wokeness is more than just mis-gendering someone. Read this book and you’ll find out where it all started and where, if this Country doesn’t wake up and fight back, it will all inevitably end…
December 8, 2023
Ted Cruz addresses the changes in our society that seem to be intentional attacks on the American way of life. He does it from the stands of the cultural changes that are being made all around us. I wanted to read this book when I heard about it after reading Mark Levin's book on American Marxism. They have two different approaches, and I enjoyed them both.
Cruz peppers his own personal experiences throughout the book as he describes how Marxism is culturally infecting the institutions of America from the universities to the children. He does not just talk about politics. I appreciated that as I read. He is very thorough in addressing each institution and each chapter at the end has an approach we can take to prevent Marxism from infecting our culture beyond recognition.
I enjoyed reading this book because it helps to explain some of the changes in our society. Cruz sees this change as something that needs to be reversed. The book was helpful not only in helping me understand the cultural changes but providing it possible path forward if you share his views. I recommend this book to anyone who does not understand the philosophy behind these changes in American institutions lately.
Cruz peppers his own personal experiences throughout the book as he describes how Marxism is culturally infecting the institutions of America from the universities to the children. He does not just talk about politics. I appreciated that as I read. He is very thorough in addressing each institution and each chapter at the end has an approach we can take to prevent Marxism from infecting our culture beyond recognition.
I enjoyed reading this book because it helps to explain some of the changes in our society. Cruz sees this change as something that needs to be reversed. The book was helpful not only in helping me understand the cultural changes but providing it possible path forward if you share his views. I recommend this book to anyone who does not understand the philosophy behind these changes in American institutions lately.
November 15, 2023
Fan-freaking excellent explanations of the absurd behavior of much of the left.
September 6, 2024
I have once again decided to embark on a mission to read a number of books on subjects that will be of great importance to the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Election. This was a great success as I prepared for 2020, with an outcome at the polls (and antics by both candidates up to Inauguration Day) that only a fiction writer might have come up with at the time! Many of these will focus on actors and events intricately involved in the US political system over the last few years, in hopes that I can understand them better and, perhaps, educate others with the power to cast a ballot. I am, as always, open to serious recommendations from anyone who has a book I might like to include in the process.
With the events of July 21, 2024, when Joe Biden chose not to seek re-election, the challenge has become harder to properly reflect the Democratic side. I will do the best I can to properly prepare and offer up books that can explore the Biden Administration, as well as whomever takes the helm into November.
This is Book #23 in my 2024 US Election Preparation Challenge.
While my politics will never align with those of Senator Ted Cruz, I enjoy reading the books he writes, as they help open my mind to the Tea Party views and strong right-of-centre stances. While not a complete sycophant of Donald Trump, Senator Cruz has tied himself to many of the views of the former president, even when he has been a whipping boy for the authoritarian leader. Cruz delves not only into his family’s history, but also presents a worrisome view (in his regard) that America is becoming subsumed by cultural Marxism that only the right can see and save the country from a continual slide. While there were many eye-roll moments and clear disinformation, Cruz does well supporting his views. A well-written book that shows how First Amendment stances help readers to see both sides of the coin, even if deception fuels the rhetoric.
Ted Cruz has emerged again to offer more of his views on the 21st century world and how America is hopelessly being pulled further to the left. He opens his tome with seem strong words about how the Democratic Party has helped create a country rife with cultural Marxism. Cruz adds that it is eroding all that is good for the country. Bold words, but it is not simply an open-ended statement. Cruz renounces some of the problematic things that faced his family when they were living in Cuba and the arrival of Castro’s Marxist state. He presents tales of how his grandmother was faced with indoctrinating young children with the new ideology and how sickened she was about it. Now, as a legislator in the United States, Cruz watches these views arising from his Senate seat and must stop it all or face the country’s annihilation.
While Cruz has an entire laundry list of things that he wishes to address, there are some worth mentioning in this review, as well as some commentary about them. Cruz explores many of the ‘woke’ concerns he has, which is the new buzzword for ‘politically correct’. He worries that using some of these new means of thinking will only go to destroy the greatness of America and send it onto a path towards Marxist thinking. Cruz looks at issues such as the selection of people for positions—be it jobs, important government appointments, or even political candidate nominations—that are based more on underprivileged races and ethnicities than the best reason for the job. While I tend to agree that the era of affirmative action has caused some concerning outcomes, he paints the idea of highlighting those groups who have not ad equal opportunities as problematic. Choosing people and trying to highlight some of the underrepresented to showcase a visual equality to the larger society can have merit. While Cruz says that this is the filter the Democrats use to select people, screaming foul when such people chosen for positions, he repeatedly tries to downplay any overt racism or bias by saying that it is hurting the country. This is troubling itself, but Cruz calls it a truth, thereby freeing himself from attack.
Cruz goes on numerous long rants about the issues facing him as a father when the woke culture seeps into the lives of his daughters and children in general. He bemoans the realm of new-age literature that discusses things from gay parenting, transgender living, and even addressing errors from the past. These emerge in children’s books, television shows, and even lessons in the classroom. While I will agree with Cruz about the need to scale back presenting transgender options to children in elementary and junior high, my support of his arguments ends close to there. The idea of shielding children from the realities of what is going on in society around them is both troubling and wrong. Education on all levels should be addressing the world and those within it, not creating this fairytale idea that everything is as it was in 1926. Books that talk about ‘my two dads’ or the idea that some people are born one way but feel they are another should not be banned or shelved because they talk about things that the right is not ready to admit is going on (or should be normalised) does not make them worth keeping from out children. Inclusivity and addressing past wrongs is not woke, it is coming to terms with thinking that happened and no longer glossing over them. I am not advocating tearing down statures or renaming parks/roads because of buzzwords, for that is just as bad. Pronoun policing has become a club many use to vilify large swaths of the country and I would agree that such shaming has no place in creating an evolving society. It is time to accept that there were issues and learn from them, advancing so as not to return to the racist, xenophobic, or insensitive world that is our history, but not to erase it. To ostrich one’s self is just as bad, though Cruz blames those that highlight it, rather than the ignorant person who tries to pretend it is not there.
Cruz cannot help but explore the world of subtle (and not so covert) worlds of cultural Marxism in mainstream art, literature, and culture, worrying that it will create a world where everything has to go through a filter, thereby lessening its impact on America’s greatness. Cruz argues that new guidelines to win an Academy Award or book prize creates an artistic expression that is boxed in, leaving what is left but a shell of the former greatness. He argues that musicians can no longer express themselves through lyrics or group names, forced to change them so as not to offend anyone. I could not help but laugh at this, as Cruz is stuck in some time warp, thinking that the country he reveres so much is not growing or progressing. He cannot help but fathom that there is some stagnancy worth keeping. As a traditionalist in some regards, I can see his point, but to remain so pigheaded as to think that everything has to fit into a nice box from yesteryear is silly (and the irony of calling out new guidelines as boxing the arts into something specific is not lost on me). Cruz chooses to cherrypick what he dislikes and provide only one side of the account, as if his country is being eroded from under him and he is but one of the few that can save it (alongside Authoritarian Trump). It is this view that is creeping in and must be removed before jackboots return to the American political soil.
While I cannot sit idly by and watch Ted Cruz try to toss tomatoes and destructive comments at American society that does not align with him, I like his writing. It is thought-provoking and usually quite well-founded. I do not agree with much of what he has to say, but Cruz presents himself in a thoroughly educational and well-grounded perspective, which can only help the reader with an analytical mind assess their own thoughts and sentiments. Well-paced chapters build and connect with one another, as Cruz makes his numerous points, while also injecting some of his rhetoric into the discussion. He stands firmly on the right and does not dilute his sentiments, even when they are laced with problematic assertions. While I cannot support his views, I can understand them and see where he comes from most days. As Cruz calls people ‘woke’ and forces them to wear it as a shameful badge, it is perhaps that people are waking up to the new realities of America and facing them, rather than cowering in a cave of xenophobia and cultural ignorance, where those who are different must be shunned or locked into cages for their own good.
Kudos, Senator Cruz, for another great book, though you try to fuel a fire and call it protecting America.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
With the events of July 21, 2024, when Joe Biden chose not to seek re-election, the challenge has become harder to properly reflect the Democratic side. I will do the best I can to properly prepare and offer up books that can explore the Biden Administration, as well as whomever takes the helm into November.
This is Book #23 in my 2024 US Election Preparation Challenge.
While my politics will never align with those of Senator Ted Cruz, I enjoy reading the books he writes, as they help open my mind to the Tea Party views and strong right-of-centre stances. While not a complete sycophant of Donald Trump, Senator Cruz has tied himself to many of the views of the former president, even when he has been a whipping boy for the authoritarian leader. Cruz delves not only into his family’s history, but also presents a worrisome view (in his regard) that America is becoming subsumed by cultural Marxism that only the right can see and save the country from a continual slide. While there were many eye-roll moments and clear disinformation, Cruz does well supporting his views. A well-written book that shows how First Amendment stances help readers to see both sides of the coin, even if deception fuels the rhetoric.
Ted Cruz has emerged again to offer more of his views on the 21st century world and how America is hopelessly being pulled further to the left. He opens his tome with seem strong words about how the Democratic Party has helped create a country rife with cultural Marxism. Cruz adds that it is eroding all that is good for the country. Bold words, but it is not simply an open-ended statement. Cruz renounces some of the problematic things that faced his family when they were living in Cuba and the arrival of Castro’s Marxist state. He presents tales of how his grandmother was faced with indoctrinating young children with the new ideology and how sickened she was about it. Now, as a legislator in the United States, Cruz watches these views arising from his Senate seat and must stop it all or face the country’s annihilation.
While Cruz has an entire laundry list of things that he wishes to address, there are some worth mentioning in this review, as well as some commentary about them. Cruz explores many of the ‘woke’ concerns he has, which is the new buzzword for ‘politically correct’. He worries that using some of these new means of thinking will only go to destroy the greatness of America and send it onto a path towards Marxist thinking. Cruz looks at issues such as the selection of people for positions—be it jobs, important government appointments, or even political candidate nominations—that are based more on underprivileged races and ethnicities than the best reason for the job. While I tend to agree that the era of affirmative action has caused some concerning outcomes, he paints the idea of highlighting those groups who have not ad equal opportunities as problematic. Choosing people and trying to highlight some of the underrepresented to showcase a visual equality to the larger society can have merit. While Cruz says that this is the filter the Democrats use to select people, screaming foul when such people chosen for positions, he repeatedly tries to downplay any overt racism or bias by saying that it is hurting the country. This is troubling itself, but Cruz calls it a truth, thereby freeing himself from attack.
Cruz goes on numerous long rants about the issues facing him as a father when the woke culture seeps into the lives of his daughters and children in general. He bemoans the realm of new-age literature that discusses things from gay parenting, transgender living, and even addressing errors from the past. These emerge in children’s books, television shows, and even lessons in the classroom. While I will agree with Cruz about the need to scale back presenting transgender options to children in elementary and junior high, my support of his arguments ends close to there. The idea of shielding children from the realities of what is going on in society around them is both troubling and wrong. Education on all levels should be addressing the world and those within it, not creating this fairytale idea that everything is as it was in 1926. Books that talk about ‘my two dads’ or the idea that some people are born one way but feel they are another should not be banned or shelved because they talk about things that the right is not ready to admit is going on (or should be normalised) does not make them worth keeping from out children. Inclusivity and addressing past wrongs is not woke, it is coming to terms with thinking that happened and no longer glossing over them. I am not advocating tearing down statures or renaming parks/roads because of buzzwords, for that is just as bad. Pronoun policing has become a club many use to vilify large swaths of the country and I would agree that such shaming has no place in creating an evolving society. It is time to accept that there were issues and learn from them, advancing so as not to return to the racist, xenophobic, or insensitive world that is our history, but not to erase it. To ostrich one’s self is just as bad, though Cruz blames those that highlight it, rather than the ignorant person who tries to pretend it is not there.
Cruz cannot help but explore the world of subtle (and not so covert) worlds of cultural Marxism in mainstream art, literature, and culture, worrying that it will create a world where everything has to go through a filter, thereby lessening its impact on America’s greatness. Cruz argues that new guidelines to win an Academy Award or book prize creates an artistic expression that is boxed in, leaving what is left but a shell of the former greatness. He argues that musicians can no longer express themselves through lyrics or group names, forced to change them so as not to offend anyone. I could not help but laugh at this, as Cruz is stuck in some time warp, thinking that the country he reveres so much is not growing or progressing. He cannot help but fathom that there is some stagnancy worth keeping. As a traditionalist in some regards, I can see his point, but to remain so pigheaded as to think that everything has to fit into a nice box from yesteryear is silly (and the irony of calling out new guidelines as boxing the arts into something specific is not lost on me). Cruz chooses to cherrypick what he dislikes and provide only one side of the account, as if his country is being eroded from under him and he is but one of the few that can save it (alongside Authoritarian Trump). It is this view that is creeping in and must be removed before jackboots return to the American political soil.
While I cannot sit idly by and watch Ted Cruz try to toss tomatoes and destructive comments at American society that does not align with him, I like his writing. It is thought-provoking and usually quite well-founded. I do not agree with much of what he has to say, but Cruz presents himself in a thoroughly educational and well-grounded perspective, which can only help the reader with an analytical mind assess their own thoughts and sentiments. Well-paced chapters build and connect with one another, as Cruz makes his numerous points, while also injecting some of his rhetoric into the discussion. He stands firmly on the right and does not dilute his sentiments, even when they are laced with problematic assertions. While I cannot support his views, I can understand them and see where he comes from most days. As Cruz calls people ‘woke’ and forces them to wear it as a shameful badge, it is perhaps that people are waking up to the new realities of America and facing them, rather than cowering in a cave of xenophobia and cultural ignorance, where those who are different must be shunned or locked into cages for their own good.
Kudos, Senator Cruz, for another great book, though you try to fuel a fire and call it protecting America.
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December 1, 2023
Senator Cruz is a very bold man. He has a lot to say, and I admire him for speaking out when his beliefs go against the loudest opposing voices of society. This book makes me wonder what precisely the senators from my state have supported. My mother always taught me you can’t complain if you don’t do anything to make a difference. Hence, I will make a point to be more aware of the Senate roll call vote.
November 16, 2023
Wow!
He made his points well. And I particularly appreciated his emphasis on not backing down. Its worth losing a battle (a job, a relationship, etc.) to win the war (a world worth living in.)
I do actually prefer a less impassioned presentation. But I can appreciate his passion!
He made his points well. And I particularly appreciated his emphasis on not backing down. Its worth losing a battle (a job, a relationship, etc.) to win the war (a world worth living in.)
I do actually prefer a less impassioned presentation. But I can appreciate his passion!
December 11, 2023
Our country is in trouble
This is a good and easy read. Cruz spells out things we’ve been seeing all over the the news for the last decade or more. College campuses are out of control, students needing safe spaces for words. Our country is in terrible shape due to the woke mob.
This is a good and easy read. Cruz spells out things we’ve been seeing all over the the news for the last decade or more. College campuses are out of control, students needing safe spaces for words. Our country is in terrible shape due to the woke mob.
April 1, 2024
Right out of the intro Cruz launches into a rewriting of history. Thank goodness for Cruz, I would never have known that the protesters at the 1968 Democratic Convention were "beating up police officers". Which seems suspect considering it was the police who were armed. And never mind the challenges faced by the nation's youth at the time... from being drafted to an illegal war in Vietnam to the anti-war protests being infiltrated by Hoover's planted troublemakers.
I had low expectations, completely expected nothing but propaganda. But not even able to get out of the Introduction, Cruz spared me the rest of this garbage.
I had low expectations, completely expected nothing but propaganda. But not even able to get out of the Introduction, Cruz spared me the rest of this garbage.
October 13, 2024
Books by politicians are always at risk of preaching to the choir, of saying nothing useful to anyone outside the author's echo chamber. Unwoke by Ted Cruz contains a few sentences that could be paraphrased as, "can you believe they did silly thing [x]?" without specifying why [x] is bad, assuming that the audience agrees with the author's premises and values, but such assumptions are minimal and usually well-justified. The rest of the book is actually quite informative and well-sourced. Cruz is clearly not only well-educated, but also well-versed in reasoned deduction and the methods of science.
Though there are some issues on which Cruz won't change minds outside of the Republican party, he presents a lot of evidence and anecdotal examples that any open-minded reader could learn from, and that's a commendable skill in in the harshly-partisan political landscape of the 21st century.
Though there are some issues on which Cruz won't change minds outside of the Republican party, he presents a lot of evidence and anecdotal examples that any open-minded reader could learn from, and that's a commendable skill in in the harshly-partisan political landscape of the 21st century.
November 23, 2023
Many Americans are woefully unaware of the infiltration of most of our institutions by Marxism. Those who are younger have not lived in a world truly terrorized by Communism. Those of my age have experienced the Cuban missile crisis, the seeming flood of communism inundating the countries of the world. Ted Cruz's family has lived the destruction of the Cuban people and their culture by Marxists. He does a great job of identifying the impact this Marxists infiltration has had upon the major U.S. institutions over my lifetime of 72 years. As a people, we must awaken to these dangers and turn back to a love of country and fellow man, and our need to rally as a country that believes that all men are created equal and are equally important in the sight of God.
November 27, 2023
Ted Cruz gets it. He lays out all the reasons that the country is divided. He names names and proposes solutions. It's just a damn shame that he just represents Texas. He works on behalf of us all. Here is the real untold story. Every American should read it. Bravo Senator Cruz!
December 14, 2023
For Every American!
Senator Cruz details the rise of Neo Marxism in America. That’s not extreme. His book is grounded and well researched. I highly recommend it for every American who cares about our country.
Senator Cruz details the rise of Neo Marxism in America. That’s not extreme. His book is grounded and well researched. I highly recommend it for every American who cares about our country.
December 4, 2023
I keep up on this pretty well but senator Cruz puts it all together. Hope he becomes president some day!!!!
March 1, 2024
I really enjoyed Sen Ted Cruz' new book "Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America." Cruz begins the book by writing about his father as a young man in Cuba during the Batista regime and how he was deceived by the promises of Fidel Castro, later realizing that he was duped. After Castro took control of Cuba, his father realized that Castro was even worse than Batista (if that's possible.) Once his father realized his mistake, he publicly apologized to everyone and admitted how wrong he was about Castro. Cruz’ Aunt Sonia, his father’s sister, was initially impressed by Castro’s promises but then also realized her mistake. Once she realized her error, she fought back against the Castro regime and was thrown into jail and according to Cruz the Castro regime “did unspeakable things to her.” Cruz’ abuela (grandmother), who was an elementary school teacher when Castro seized power, was extremely upset by the way in which the Castro regime took control of public schools. Everything teachers did from then on was intended to indoctrinate students so their first loyalty would be to Castro and the government, not to their parents and families. His abuela refused to be a part of it but knew that open rebellion to Castro (no free speech allowed there) would not only result in her imprisonment and death, it would have endangered her entire family. So, she decided to feign insanity and was fired from her teaching position. The family (and some close friends) were aware of her ruse but kept her secret, knowing that if they spoke out, she would likely be thrown in jail and killed.
Cruz reviews the history of how the left in our country moved on from the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention to taking control of our culture by infiltrating every single aspect of society in a quest to indoctrinate young people and control access to information. There are chapters on the universities, the newsroom, big tech, entertainment, “the Science,” “Mr. Marx goes to Washington” and China.
Cruz is a brilliant legal mind. He is a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School and was a Supreme Court clerk. He has argued a number of cases before the Supreme Court and won, before he became a US Senator from Texas. Cruz comments that people who visit his office find it surprising that there are MANY books which are obviously written from a very left-wing point of view. I LOVED reading this. In order to effectively argue your position, you MUST have a thorough knowledge of both sides of an issue. This is exactly the reason why I read “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinsky and “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Unfortunately, too many people are not interested in reading anything that doesn’t confirm what they think they already know.
If you want to understand cultural Marxism and what is happening in our country, I highly recommend reading this book. I also recommend reading “Cuba: An American History” by Ada Ferrer. The parallels between what is happening in the US, promises Castro made to the Cuban people before the revolution, and what really happened after he took control of Cuba are very unsettling.
Cruz reviews the history of how the left in our country moved on from the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention to taking control of our culture by infiltrating every single aspect of society in a quest to indoctrinate young people and control access to information. There are chapters on the universities, the newsroom, big tech, entertainment, “the Science,” “Mr. Marx goes to Washington” and China.
Cruz is a brilliant legal mind. He is a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School and was a Supreme Court clerk. He has argued a number of cases before the Supreme Court and won, before he became a US Senator from Texas. Cruz comments that people who visit his office find it surprising that there are MANY books which are obviously written from a very left-wing point of view. I LOVED reading this. In order to effectively argue your position, you MUST have a thorough knowledge of both sides of an issue. This is exactly the reason why I read “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinsky and “The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Unfortunately, too many people are not interested in reading anything that doesn’t confirm what they think they already know.
If you want to understand cultural Marxism and what is happening in our country, I highly recommend reading this book. I also recommend reading “Cuba: An American History” by Ada Ferrer. The parallels between what is happening in the US, promises Castro made to the Cuban people before the revolution, and what really happened after he took control of Cuba are very unsettling.
February 7, 2024
Not much new material here if you’ve read the senator’s previous books and followed The Verdict Podcast. Senator Cruz details the sociopolitical trends and trajectory of the Left and provides his plan for countering and moving forward, highlighting his track record along the way. Although questions of morality are brought to bear at points, the senator mainly focuses on legal, political, and economic critique and response.
This book is good to get an overview of where the senator stands and how he’s approaching the issues. Justice Corrupted was more fresh in content however, as it dealt with ‘the history.’ Unwoke addresses the current societal and political moment.
This book is good to get an overview of where the senator stands and how he’s approaching the issues. Justice Corrupted was more fresh in content however, as it dealt with ‘the history.’ Unwoke addresses the current societal and political moment.
December 16, 2023
Senator Cruz has well documented his charges that Woke politics is destroying the United States. Even though it was somewhat disheartening to read because of his strong and fact based charges against Woke, it is well worth any concerned American to peruse his book.
September 15, 2024
Amazing book. Recommend every adult read it at least one time.
May 11, 2024
Americans need to read this
Ted Cruz is very smart and articulate but beyond that he has put together the pieces and explained exactly what the Marxists are doing to take our beloved country away from us. With his insight and in depth research he lays out what we have to do.
Ted Cruz is very smart and articulate but beyond that he has put together the pieces and explained exactly what the Marxists are doing to take our beloved country away from us. With his insight and in depth research he lays out what we have to do.
January 4, 2024
Ted Cruz delivers another informative book about what's happening in the U.S. today. I also listen to his podcast, Verdict, so I was aware of a lot of what is going on. But the book takes an even deeper dive into various topics than his podcast. What stands out the most to me is what a gross, lazy person Karl Marx was. I had to read that part to my husband and kids.
May 4, 2024
Ted Cruz needs to be our next Republican VP in the cue for 2028 president. His IQ must be at least 150 or more. He writes using compelling facts, calm reason, and a complete understanding of an incredible array of diverse issues facing every American every day. His book is easy to read and probably should be mandatory reading for every high school senior before they go out into the world. We know that won’t happen. He is incredibly well-connected and respected or he couldn’t do all he does for people like you and me. Thank you Ted! Great book
December 3, 2023
Very solid. Clearly presents some issues with much of the progressive rhetoric, actions and causes in our current political environment.
April 30, 2024
Required reading
Ted Cruz's "Woke" should be required reading for EVERY 1st year college student and perhaps EVERY senior high school student. Facts are facts. Hopefully Cruz is correct, it's not too late to turn the tide of false beliefs held by many people living in the United States. We can only hope and pray.
Ted Cruz's "Woke" should be required reading for EVERY 1st year college student and perhaps EVERY senior high school student. Facts are facts. Hopefully Cruz is correct, it's not too late to turn the tide of false beliefs held by many people living in the United States. We can only hope and pray.
November 18, 2023
Excellent summary of the strange cultural world in which we live
This book was an entertaining and erudite work which captures the strange moment of self abnegation that the western world finds itself in.
This book was an entertaining and erudite work which captures the strange moment of self abnegation that the western world finds itself in.
April 2, 2024
Amazingly deceitful labels used by “Human Rights Campaign, LGBTQ+, and Open Society Foundations sponsored by George Soros.
Fascinating call for Americans to wake up now. What an eye opener. Senator Cruz has carefully illuminated the dark and devious tactics of “Woke” organizations promoting the destruction of freedoms in America. Most of these organizations are thinly vailed mafia type extortionist promoting communist(Marxist) ideals and standards.
Kind regards,
Bill Weldon
Fascinating call for Americans to wake up now. What an eye opener. Senator Cruz has carefully illuminated the dark and devious tactics of “Woke” organizations promoting the destruction of freedoms in America. Most of these organizations are thinly vailed mafia type extortionist promoting communist(Marxist) ideals and standards.
Kind regards,
Bill Weldon
January 1, 2024
I am a big fan of Ted Cruz. I was for him in the 2016 Republican Primary. I also listen to his podcast, "Verdict", 3 times a week.
This is the playbook for your discussions with your Libtard friends or relatives. I am amazed that Woke policies can be supported by intelligent people. I am not surprised by the direction our country has taken under Joe Biden and his handlers. The Biden administration is the most Woke administration in the history of our country. That is saying a lot with Obama being President for 8 years.
Cruz covers how the cultural Woke disease has spread through our universities, our grade schools, our legacy media, big tech, our government, and entertainment. The Woke views on "the science" and CHI-na have had detrimental effects on our country. When will America pull its head out and realize what is going on?
Cruz walks you through each topic and gives a game plan on how to fight back, which Conservatives have also been bad at doing. Wake up people, before it is too late.
This is the playbook for your discussions with your Libtard friends or relatives. I am amazed that Woke policies can be supported by intelligent people. I am not surprised by the direction our country has taken under Joe Biden and his handlers. The Biden administration is the most Woke administration in the history of our country. That is saying a lot with Obama being President for 8 years.
Cruz covers how the cultural Woke disease has spread through our universities, our grade schools, our legacy media, big tech, our government, and entertainment. The Woke views on "the science" and CHI-na have had detrimental effects on our country. When will America pull its head out and realize what is going on?
Cruz walks you through each topic and gives a game plan on how to fight back, which Conservatives have also been bad at doing. Wake up people, before it is too late.
December 14, 2023
Senator Ted Cruz is a heroic fighter for Judeo-Christian and American values. Please support his work if you love America.
In his latest book here, he helps expose and understand how the Democratic Party and its politicians have been compromised by Neo-Marxism and how it’s infiltrated almost every American institution.
The Chinese Communist Party is the epicenter for all of the attacks on America and her values, as well as all the instability in the world. The Senator rightly points out that China will serve as America’s greatest geopolitical threat for the next 100 years.
Senator Cruz’s solution is for not only to buy/take back the institutions from the Left but create new and safe institutions for conservatives to work and create a counterculture.
It will not be easy, but God is not done with America yet.
God bless Senator Cruz and all the conservatives fighting to defeat leftism both here in America and abroad 🇺🇸.
In his latest book here, he helps expose and understand how the Democratic Party and its politicians have been compromised by Neo-Marxism and how it’s infiltrated almost every American institution.
The Chinese Communist Party is the epicenter for all of the attacks on America and her values, as well as all the instability in the world. The Senator rightly points out that China will serve as America’s greatest geopolitical threat for the next 100 years.
Senator Cruz’s solution is for not only to buy/take back the institutions from the Left but create new and safe institutions for conservatives to work and create a counterculture.
It will not be easy, but God is not done with America yet.
God bless Senator Cruz and all the conservatives fighting to defeat leftism both here in America and abroad 🇺🇸.
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