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Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City: Teaching Historical, Economic, and Biological Truth in a World of Lies
Practical, age-appropriate strategies every parent can employ to train kids capable of resisting leftist indoctrination and fight the raging culture war.
In Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City, two moms living in the bluest of cities offer practical guidance, parenting strategies, and humorous commentary to help parents immunize their children against Woke infection. In whichever zip code or tax bracket you dwell, there’s hope for parents who seek to indoctrinate their kids into conservatism—that is, kids who understand historical, economic, and biological reality. This book coaches parents in the how, when, and who of teaching children to think about the world rightly. The authors identify principles and processes that walk the line between protection and exposure, sheltering and equipping. They also share real-life stories of kids who have effectively pushed back against aggressive adults, stood against the crowd, and won conservative converts. If two moms sending their kids to public school in Seattle can raise conservative kids, you can too.
In Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City, two moms living in the bluest of cities offer practical guidance, parenting strategies, and humorous commentary to help parents immunize their children against Woke infection. In whichever zip code or tax bracket you dwell, there’s hope for parents who seek to indoctrinate their kids into conservatism—that is, kids who understand historical, economic, and biological reality. This book coaches parents in the how, when, and who of teaching children to think about the world rightly. The authors identify principles and processes that walk the line between protection and exposure, sheltering and equipping. They also share real-life stories of kids who have effectively pushed back against aggressive adults, stood against the crowd, and won conservative converts. If two moms sending their kids to public school in Seattle can raise conservative kids, you can too.
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2023
36 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 30, 2024
Are you sick of lgbt+ people existing and having rights? Or black people saying their lives matter? Do you want to deny others the most basic freedoms such as the right to bodily autonomy, while claiming you love freedom? Do you believe your children are property, existing for you to indoctrinate and not individuals with unique thoughts? Then this book is for you!
The authors spout racist, homophobic, and transphobic conspiracy theories rooted in nothing but bigotry and hatred. They claim they are speaking truth, yet everything they say comes from a deep denial of science and objective reality.
This book implies a difference between our politics and ourselves.
Our politics are our deepest held beliefs and morals. If your deepest held belief is that queer people are delusional groomers who don't deserve equal rights, that speaks to you as a person.
I thought this was a parody. That's how laughable this book is. Honestly, I still think it might be.
I wish I could give this negative stars.
The authors spout racist, homophobic, and transphobic conspiracy theories rooted in nothing but bigotry and hatred. They claim they are speaking truth, yet everything they say comes from a deep denial of science and objective reality.
This book implies a difference between our politics and ourselves.
Our politics are our deepest held beliefs and morals. If your deepest held belief is that queer people are delusional groomers who don't deserve equal rights, that speaks to you as a person.
I thought this was a parody. That's how laughable this book is. Honestly, I still think it might be.
I wish I could give this negative stars.
Read
November 1, 2023I have incredibly mixed feelings about this book.
The bad first:
1. While I do think many conservative principles are connected with my Christian faith, my primary concern isn't that my kids end up conservative, but following Jesus. I don't want my kids' primary identity to be "conservative," but "disciple." Similarly, there is a spectrum under "conservative," and so I also don't often call myself conservative because I want to distance myself from red pill, Matt Walsh, Candace Owens, Trump, etc.--in both belief and tone. They also quote Wild at Heart positively, which was major red flags, especially the conclusion drawn about man-eating tigers walking around in the pre-fall Good World (nope nope nope. Before the fall, there was no death, so there were no man-eating tigers). A minor comment in some ways, but just adding to my numerous concerns.
2. They never clearly define "woke."
3. The attitude throughout is super snarky and sarcastic. Endnotes are not for research, except in a few cases, but for snark and sarcasm, for "witty" comments that mostly had me cringing. If it's not an academic book, don't put end/footnotes. If it is, use the notes properly. Don't make a fool of yourself trying to be clever or be condescending to your readers by assuming they want snark or can only engage on that level. There is borderline language a couple of times, too. While I think the principles can apply to child-rearing generally (see the good, below), I wouldn't recommend anyone who isn't conservative read this book because of the tone - what kind of witness is that? I as a conservative would've put it down were I not reading it for book club. Zero stars here.
4. Although they do talk some about liberal teachers who have truly cared for their children and still taught well, mostly their comment is that woke teachers are just parroting robots with no critical thinking skills and low GPA who only care about agendas.
The good:
1. They do define conservative clearly. And by their official definition of conservatism, I am a conservative, even though I may deviate from the authors in many areas and have many concerns with the loudest conservatives these days.
2. Their actual points for how to pass your convictions onto your kids are excellent (and can and should be applied for way more than just passing on political theory). They were also very practical and with good examples. Four stars here.
In conclusion, I am walking away with lots of good practical application and parenting encouragement. But there was a lot to sort through and spit out, mostly in tone.
The bad first:
1. While I do think many conservative principles are connected with my Christian faith, my primary concern isn't that my kids end up conservative, but following Jesus. I don't want my kids' primary identity to be "conservative," but "disciple." Similarly, there is a spectrum under "conservative," and so I also don't often call myself conservative because I want to distance myself from red pill, Matt Walsh, Candace Owens, Trump, etc.--in both belief and tone. They also quote Wild at Heart positively, which was major red flags, especially the conclusion drawn about man-eating tigers walking around in the pre-fall Good World (nope nope nope. Before the fall, there was no death, so there were no man-eating tigers). A minor comment in some ways, but just adding to my numerous concerns.
2. They never clearly define "woke."
3. The attitude throughout is super snarky and sarcastic. Endnotes are not for research, except in a few cases, but for snark and sarcasm, for "witty" comments that mostly had me cringing. If it's not an academic book, don't put end/footnotes. If it is, use the notes properly. Don't make a fool of yourself trying to be clever or be condescending to your readers by assuming they want snark or can only engage on that level. There is borderline language a couple of times, too. While I think the principles can apply to child-rearing generally (see the good, below), I wouldn't recommend anyone who isn't conservative read this book because of the tone - what kind of witness is that? I as a conservative would've put it down were I not reading it for book club. Zero stars here.
4. Although they do talk some about liberal teachers who have truly cared for their children and still taught well, mostly their comment is that woke teachers are just parroting robots with no critical thinking skills and low GPA who only care about agendas.
The good:
1. They do define conservative clearly. And by their official definition of conservatism, I am a conservative, even though I may deviate from the authors in many areas and have many concerns with the loudest conservatives these days.
2. Their actual points for how to pass your convictions onto your kids are excellent (and can and should be applied for way more than just passing on political theory). They were also very practical and with good examples. Four stars here.
In conclusion, I am walking away with lots of good practical application and parenting encouragement. But there was a lot to sort through and spit out, mostly in tone.
March 23, 2024
I told my husband I was a little nervous to leave a review for this book on my Goodreads, and he said something along the lines of: "Why? Your progressive friends aren't afraid to show what they're reading." True and true. So here we goooooo...
I loved this book. The authors' unapologetic snark admittedly makes me a bit uncomfortable, but hey. That's just me.
Anyways... I'm not going to leave a huge in-depth review for this. But, overall, I think the parenting advice in this is top-notch. Even if you were to remove all the conservatism from the book, it is just objectively high quality advice. I love the "no-flinch rule." And I love the connection to classical education and making sure our parenting style fits the developmental stage appropriate for the age of our children.
4.5 stars. Read it!
(Also a big LOL to the look on the librarian's face when I checked this book out from our public library.)
I loved this book. The authors' unapologetic snark admittedly makes me a bit uncomfortable, but hey. That's just me.
Anyways... I'm not going to leave a huge in-depth review for this. But, overall, I think the parenting advice in this is top-notch. Even if you were to remove all the conservatism from the book, it is just objectively high quality advice. I love the "no-flinch rule." And I love the connection to classical education and making sure our parenting style fits the developmental stage appropriate for the age of our children.
4.5 stars. Read it!
(Also a big LOL to the look on the librarian's face when I checked this book out from our public library.)
February 11, 2025
Saw this on the shelf while collecting research materials on social movements and couldn't help myself. Hid in the corner of the library to read it & keep the book off my record.
This is the second book I'd tag with "know thy enemy" if Goodreads had functional UI. My main takeaway of the book is that the notion of "conservative parenting" is, first and foremost, an exercise in control and indoctrination. The first chapters are devoted to hammering home the idea of "getting to your child first" before the "Wokists" infiltrate their worldview.
There is a complete lack of self-awareness throughout, best exemplified by the clear and obvious contractions in the authors' reasoning. Despite attacking wokists for "constantly changing the goalposts" and defining conservatives as "people who know what they believe," there is nary an idea that isn't almost immediately contradicted by flipping to the next page. There's simultaneous sentiments of "we should love gay people, just not when it threatens the sacred institution of marriage" and "God made men and women as lock and key; homosexuality is an act against God." Conservatives are apparently the ones who "fact check everything," but the footnote source for preposterous claims like schools forcing children to sing the Black Lives Matter anthem (?????) reads "Yes. This actually happened." The next absurd complain is given the footnote of "Ya. This did too." There's a consistent refrain of "we don't attack people, we attack ideas" only for passages like this one to follow: "On the nature of man and woman. Do your homework on gender dysphoria; it's a real mental illness, and those who suffer from it deserve our compassion, not ridicule.* footnote—> Those who are profiting from transgender 'treatment'? Ridicule away. Better? Imprison them, because what they are doing to children is criminal."
Here's some other quotes that I found embodied the hypocrisy, stupidity (& resultant unintentional hilarity), and downright contempt for humanity that define Manning & Faust's "Raising Conservatives in a Woke City":
"The only constant of progressive goals is that they’re never stationary. They've moved so far that noteworthy liberals, the likes of Bari Weiss, Bill Maher, and Dave Rubin for example, have been pushed out of the mainstream left for failing to champion the Woke bona fides required to remain in the ranks." >lmfao @ these examples
"Wikipedia identifies Woke as an adjective meaning 'alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.'"
"Elon Musk defines Woke this way: 'At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a shield to be cruel, armored in false virtue."
footnote: "Small r republicanism. Look it up." >who is this line directed at? are they insulting their own base, or imagining the "idiot Wokist" reading this particular passage?
"The Woke keep their own liturgical calendar replete with holy days and a month-long celebration of PRIDE* footnote—> "Formerly known as one of the seven deadly sins. Just sayin'." >genius level insight here
"It's a pretty solid effort, and we could use more sales. Please and thank you." >grifters admitting to the grift!
"We imagine more than a few of you were thinking, 'duh' as you read through our list because you know what you believe. What wakes you at the witching hour is how to successfully inculcate your kids with your beliefs when every institution – school, media, and maybe even your extended family – seems bent on dismantling them." >admitting that conservatism literally relies on barraging your child with this worldview because everything else is a threat to it. but we're not a cult, guys!
"Parenting is training, and in a Woke city, training starts early." >definitely not a cult!
"They're going to hear about porn and white privilege; that someone needs to be you."
"And that's why YOU, conservative mom or dad, must establish yourself as the authority in your child's eyes. You want them to trust you, consult you, and rely on you for trustworthy answers. That will not happen unless you get to them first." >we have nothing in common with cults!
"Be advised: history is notoriously the Wokest of Woke subjects. Expect for your kids to be taught the exact opposite of the truth."
"My teacher made us say the Black Lives Matter pledge."
"According to her email signature, Mrs. Jenkins identifies as She/Her. Eye roll." 2 pages later "I, Stacy, preferred 'asshat' but apparently that's name-calling, as Katy has to remind me on the reg, we don't attack people–we attack ideas."
"Captive audiences are our favorites." >what is it with conservative "sarcasm" doing nothing but showing one's ass for the whole world to see?
"This can be especially problematic* footnote—> we're on a mission to repatriate Woke vocabulary." >obviously this has been the conservative MO for forever, but it's not everyday you see it said aloud
"Marriage is mono-gamous; 'mono' means one and 'gamy' is marriage. I'm only married to one person, your daddy." >busted out laughing because this is basically the monorail conductor class scene from "Marge vs. the Monorail" but instead of a joke it's actually supposed to be an example of "owning the libs with facts and logic"
"Filter out: Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and other racist propaganda that tells children that they are either oppressors or oppressed because of their skin color." >there's a section devoted to doing "eat this, not that" using the language of "filter out" to suppress anything that might challenge their worldview
"'Well, I think kids just need adults who love them,' responded the budding Wokist.
'No,' countered McKayla, 'dads teach kids certain lessons, moms teach kids other lessons, and kids need both kinds of lessons.'"
"I cannot adequately describe the hate I have in my heart for this Wokist mob.* footnote —> The whole love your enemies direction Jesus gave His followers is the most annoying and difficult of all His directives in one author's mind." >always a good sign when pushing Christian values means being frustrated by Jesus's teachings
"Another very important aspect was being immersed in information while I was growing up. This gave me the ability to be confident that I knew exactly what I was talking about. Every second of my childhood was soundtracked by talk radio, and our dinner conversations covered all things political and cultural, which helped to equip me for real world conversations. Hearing the facts over and over (my father's lectures are epic) made it easy for me to recall the facts when I needed them."
The final quote comes from a section of the book that contains accounts from the authors' children praising their conservative upbringing. Although each quote was revealing in its own way, this one stuck out to me as the most unsettling. It reads like a passage out of 1984 or another work of anti-authoritarian dystopian fiction. If your facts are something you have to be inundated with day in, day out, at every meal, at every family gathering, starting in childhood, maybe this is a sign that these "facts" are not exactly kosher?
This is the second book I'd tag with "know thy enemy" if Goodreads had functional UI. My main takeaway of the book is that the notion of "conservative parenting" is, first and foremost, an exercise in control and indoctrination. The first chapters are devoted to hammering home the idea of "getting to your child first" before the "Wokists" infiltrate their worldview.
There is a complete lack of self-awareness throughout, best exemplified by the clear and obvious contractions in the authors' reasoning. Despite attacking wokists for "constantly changing the goalposts" and defining conservatives as "people who know what they believe," there is nary an idea that isn't almost immediately contradicted by flipping to the next page. There's simultaneous sentiments of "we should love gay people, just not when it threatens the sacred institution of marriage" and "God made men and women as lock and key; homosexuality is an act against God." Conservatives are apparently the ones who "fact check everything," but the footnote source for preposterous claims like schools forcing children to sing the Black Lives Matter anthem (?????) reads "Yes. This actually happened." The next absurd complain is given the footnote of "Ya. This did too." There's a consistent refrain of "we don't attack people, we attack ideas" only for passages like this one to follow: "On the nature of man and woman. Do your homework on gender dysphoria; it's a real mental illness, and those who suffer from it deserve our compassion, not ridicule.* footnote—> Those who are profiting from transgender 'treatment'? Ridicule away. Better? Imprison them, because what they are doing to children is criminal."
Here's some other quotes that I found embodied the hypocrisy, stupidity (& resultant unintentional hilarity), and downright contempt for humanity that define Manning & Faust's "Raising Conservatives in a Woke City":
"The only constant of progressive goals is that they’re never stationary. They've moved so far that noteworthy liberals, the likes of Bari Weiss, Bill Maher, and Dave Rubin for example, have been pushed out of the mainstream left for failing to champion the Woke bona fides required to remain in the ranks." >lmfao @ these examples
"Wikipedia identifies Woke as an adjective meaning 'alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.'"
"Elon Musk defines Woke this way: 'At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a shield to be cruel, armored in false virtue."
footnote: "Small r republicanism. Look it up." >who is this line directed at? are they insulting their own base, or imagining the "idiot Wokist" reading this particular passage?
"The Woke keep their own liturgical calendar replete with holy days and a month-long celebration of PRIDE* footnote—> "Formerly known as one of the seven deadly sins. Just sayin'." >genius level insight here
"It's a pretty solid effort, and we could use more sales. Please and thank you." >grifters admitting to the grift!
"We imagine more than a few of you were thinking, 'duh' as you read through our list because you know what you believe. What wakes you at the witching hour is how to successfully inculcate your kids with your beliefs when every institution – school, media, and maybe even your extended family – seems bent on dismantling them." >admitting that conservatism literally relies on barraging your child with this worldview because everything else is a threat to it. but we're not a cult, guys!
"Parenting is training, and in a Woke city, training starts early." >definitely not a cult!
"They're going to hear about porn and white privilege; that someone needs to be you."
"And that's why YOU, conservative mom or dad, must establish yourself as the authority in your child's eyes. You want them to trust you, consult you, and rely on you for trustworthy answers. That will not happen unless you get to them first." >we have nothing in common with cults!
"Be advised: history is notoriously the Wokest of Woke subjects. Expect for your kids to be taught the exact opposite of the truth."
"My teacher made us say the Black Lives Matter pledge."
"According to her email signature, Mrs. Jenkins identifies as She/Her. Eye roll." 2 pages later "I, Stacy, preferred 'asshat' but apparently that's name-calling, as Katy has to remind me on the reg, we don't attack people–we attack ideas."
"Captive audiences are our favorites." >what is it with conservative "sarcasm" doing nothing but showing one's ass for the whole world to see?
"This can be especially problematic* footnote—> we're on a mission to repatriate Woke vocabulary." >obviously this has been the conservative MO for forever, but it's not everyday you see it said aloud
"Marriage is mono-gamous; 'mono' means one and 'gamy' is marriage. I'm only married to one person, your daddy." >busted out laughing because this is basically the monorail conductor class scene from "Marge vs. the Monorail" but instead of a joke it's actually supposed to be an example of "owning the libs with facts and logic"
"Filter out: Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi and other racist propaganda that tells children that they are either oppressors or oppressed because of their skin color." >there's a section devoted to doing "eat this, not that" using the language of "filter out" to suppress anything that might challenge their worldview
"'Well, I think kids just need adults who love them,' responded the budding Wokist.
'No,' countered McKayla, 'dads teach kids certain lessons, moms teach kids other lessons, and kids need both kinds of lessons.'"
"I cannot adequately describe the hate I have in my heart for this Wokist mob.* footnote —> The whole love your enemies direction Jesus gave His followers is the most annoying and difficult of all His directives in one author's mind." >always a good sign when pushing Christian values means being frustrated by Jesus's teachings
"Another very important aspect was being immersed in information while I was growing up. This gave me the ability to be confident that I knew exactly what I was talking about. Every second of my childhood was soundtracked by talk radio, and our dinner conversations covered all things political and cultural, which helped to equip me for real world conversations. Hearing the facts over and over (my father's lectures are epic) made it easy for me to recall the facts when I needed them."
The final quote comes from a section of the book that contains accounts from the authors' children praising their conservative upbringing. Although each quote was revealing in its own way, this one stuck out to me as the most unsettling. It reads like a passage out of 1984 or another work of anti-authoritarian dystopian fiction. If your facts are something you have to be inundated with day in, day out, at every meal, at every family gathering, starting in childhood, maybe this is a sign that these "facts" are not exactly kosher?
November 29, 2023
This book was so full of inaccuracies and logical inconsistencies that it’s a bit funny given how obsessed the authors are with “truth”. As long as “truth” is exactly how they see it.
My fave bad argument was how marriage is only for two people who can reproduce because kids are the whole point of marriage. But this just leads to a lot of unchristian-like talk of gay people. Funny enough, they never mention the infertile or those who don’t want kids… I guess it’s not really about that after all?
My fave bad argument was how marriage is only for two people who can reproduce because kids are the whole point of marriage. But this just leads to a lot of unchristian-like talk of gay people. Funny enough, they never mention the infertile or those who don’t want kids… I guess it’s not really about that after all?
October 7, 2025
You read the title of this book and you know immediately it’s going to be a polarizing book. I think just using the word ‘woke’ raises feathers because of all the baggage and confusion that the word encompasses.
If this title offends you, then it’s probably not the book for you. It’s not a book that is trying to convince anyone of anything; they are not trying to change anyone’s mind. I’ve seen some reviewers say they disagreed with a lot of the book but still found some of the parenting strategies helpful. I guess you can decide if it’s worth a try.
I would say it is a book written specifically for parents who agree with conservative politics and want to know how to navigate a hostile environment that is at odds with these views. Parents who want to know how to help their kids thrive in a school environment that is teaching the opposite viewpoints.
So unless you are (or might become) one of those parents or you are curious about what those kind of parents care about, then I would venture to guess this book would probably frustrate you. Especially because Manning & Faust are going for a highly sarcastic, comedic type of writing style that even though most of the what they said I thought ‘preach!’ there were a few points that made me cringe.
I will be up front with where I’m at with this book. My goal in life is not to raise conservative soldiers. My aim and what I pray for regularly is that my children will grow up to be Christ-followers. That is the most important thing to me.
M&F live in Seattle. I live in Iowa— granted, probably one of the more liberal parts of Iowa— but I do not feel like I am in the same hostile environment as them. So far I have not felt like my kids’ school district has presented major ideological problems. Part of that is probably due to our Republican governor and because ideologies and cultural trends prevalent on the coasts take longer to infiltrate the Midwest.
I say all of this because my approach to this book is not in anger, desperation, or activism. But I have read plenty of books regarding all of the historical, economical, and biological views and I am not naive to think my kids are not already being inundated with ‘woke’ ideology (I understand the flinch of this word and will define it shortly). It is not of utmost importance, but it is still wise for me to consider the strategies presented by these authors that will help me navigate the waters of differing viewpoints and help me better teach my kids what I’d like them to know. And if we end up with a democratic governor, things could change in a blink of an eye and I’ll be glad that I’m prepared.
So what is ‘Woke’? What is ‘Conservatism’?
As usual, definitions are important. Woke is a buzzword and people make assumptions about whoever is using this word. M&F provide Wikipedia’s definition of woke but “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination” doesn’t quite capture the way the word is used. Wikipedia’s definition would not put left and right wing people immediately at odds.
The authors give their own definition of woke:
They add a footnote to rightly clarify that not all leftists or liberals are woke and that when they use the term ‘wokist’ they are referring to “the people zealously promoting a Woke worldview”.
M&F’s definition doesn’t state the specific beliefs held, but Google offers some further clarification: supporters would say woke means “being well-informed and conscious of social and political issues concerning marginalized groups, including race, gender, and sexual orientation” and critics associate the term “with concepts like critical race theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and identity politics, and is seen by some as divisive.”
The ideological differences are fleshed out throughout the book.
I would say one of the biggest problems in politics right now is the constant grouping of people into identifying categories and slapping labels on them with all kinds of assumptions of who they must be. We all do it and it only serves to make divisions wider.
I’m glad they chose to use the term ‘wokist’ instead of leftist or liberal or democrat because within those groups there are differing beliefs. By using wokist they are speaking about a group of people that is identified by their specific shared ideology. Therefore the authors are not really attacking people, as one of their chapters is titled, but attacking ideas.
“Attacking people only serves to reinforce your target’s opposition to your ideas and makes you their undying enemy.”
This ‘attacking ideas/arguments not people’ is a primary principle for both Alisa Childer’s and Mama Bear Apologetics’ work on these topics as well and they probably do a more tactful job with the execution of that.
Unfortunately, I would say the tone of this book and some of the authors’ comments probably toe the line of attacking people more than it probably should. It’s disappointing because I think some of their comments are absolutely in line and I’m not all about catering to people’s hurt feelings when they are celebrating sin, but because M&F went a bit over the top in some of their footnotes and comments directed (even at each other) the good is overshadowed by the flagrant. It’s all very intentional so I’m not sure the motivation behind the decisions other than they either honestly thought it would be taken as jokes or they are really leaning into their ‘I’m done with it!’ feelings.
It’s tricky because we could write a whole post just trying to define the words ‘hate’ and ‘love’ as there is a lot of disagreement on what those look like; just holding a conservative view on marriage and gender is seen as hate. There are some reviewers who look at M&F's comments alongside their statements about how it’s hard to love our enemies or how we shouldn’t attack people and they see inconsistency. I can’t say they’re wrong, but I also think that those same people don’t quite understand what God’s love really means and requires. [Holier Than Thou may be a good book to consider for this.]
M&F say that one of the primary differences between conservatism and progressivism is that conservatives “view our rights as bestowed upon us by God and that our government is established to protect these God-given rights” (as opposed to the government being the grantor of our rights). Conservative ideology also “respects the unchanging, often ugly, condition of mankind.”
They emphasize that parents should be teaching kids what they are FOR. They describe in more detail eight areas where conservatives and progressives differ and go through these areas again in later chapters in varying age-appropriate ways.
I won’t recount them all here but here are a few things that define conservatism: national pride (for all countries) being a good thing; limited government; freedom of religion and keeping the government out of religion; man and woman being biologically different, distinct and unchanging; marriage being between a man and woman and a child having a right to both their father and mother; life beginning at conception; merit, not race, being the determining factor in hiring; equality in opportunity not equity in outcomes; free market economics not socialism.
The Lessons
So what do Manning & Faust say parents need to do?
They emphasize that parents ARE the program and we need to get to our kids FIRST.
We need to become experts in all these areas or at least have good resources to refer to when questions come up. We need to know the answers or how to get good answers.
And we need to be proactive in talking to our kids about our beliefs. The psychological primacy bias shows that kids tend to see whoever they hear things from first as the expert on the subject. It’s a tricky balance in knowing when to introduce things, but I think they would say to err on the side of too early rather than too-late.
“In an Information Age, it’s not a matter of getting information; it’s a question of which sources of information your kids will consider authoritative… You want them to trust you, consult you, and rely on you for trustworthy answers.”
Probably the most popular chapter of the book is when they introduce the no-flinch rule.
“Becoming the go-to person who can be asked ANYTHING is one of the most critical factors for success…”
The no-flinch rule means that no matter what they tell you or ask you, you remain calm and rational. If they feel your explosiveness or intense emotions, they will think twice before bringing something controversial up to you again.
“To clarify, No-Flinch is not the same as deadpan. You will need to show an appropriate emotional response… The emotion you display communicates that your kid was right to be uncomfortable… An adult’s failure to model and reflect the appropriate emotional response to injustice means children will be less sensitive to it themselves.”
Another chapter describes the slow hand-off. This is a four step gradual process of modeling, assisting, and cheering on:
- I do, you watch (preschool, elementary)
- I do, you help (tweens)
- You do, I help (middle school)
- You do, I watch (high school)
They have a section tailored to the three stages of development: Elementary, Middle, and High school. Within each section they take the eight areas of conservative ideals and show how you teach those ideas at those particular ages.
In elementary school our kids are like little sponges and so our job is to firehose them with all that is good and right and true. They refer to C.S. Lewis’s quote about truth: “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” At this age we are showing them what a straight line should look like. It’s important to filter out ambiguous or confusing things that will keep them from understanding the straight line.
In middle school our kids are starting to use logic. Now that they have a firm foundation of truth and a straight stick, so to speak, we can begin introducing crooked sticks and helping them understand what makes them crooked. Instead of filtering out, we are helping them build their filter and recognize lies when they see them.
In high school our kids should have the tools they need to see truth and lie, but they still need our input. Our goal at this age is to stay connected. To make sure they know they are a priority to us and that we are there to listen whenever they have questions or need to talk. Our presence is important as they are becoming more independent and taking ownership of their beliefs.
My Critiques
Is this a perfect book? No. They made a bold choice in their writing style and it probably won’t always be your favorite. As I mentioned before, it seems they unapologetically threw politeness out the window. And to be honest, I can’t really blame them. But I do recognize that the downside to being real about ideas you think are evil or at the very least ‘not for human flourishing’, is that tone can really hurt your witness. I suppose as a counter to that— I don’t think they wrote this book to be a witness or even to be read by non-conservatives. So I don’t know. Mixed feelings.
One thing that stuck out to me that gave me pause was when they said ‘God said it. I believe it. That settles it.’ isn’t a good enough answer. That used to be a popular phrase and I can see that they’re saying- you have to know WHY you believe what you believe. I agree. But on some of these topics, the true answer to why we believe it is because God said it. And that has to be enough.
For example, there are logical reasons to hold the belief that marriage should be between a man and woman. That’s how life is created. But as Christians, our reason is foundationally because God defined it in the Bible for us in Genesis and then Jesus affirmed it again in the New Testament.
We should definitely do the work to know why we believe what we believe but I think it’s equally as important to teach your kids that ‘God saying so’ is a good enough reason to believe it. We don’t always know the why behind God’s design but in the end, our ultimate authority has to be God, not our logic, not the internet, not our feelings, not the many intelligent apologists writing books. Just God and his Word. (At least on the subjects that are clearly laid out in Scripture. Economic things probably won’t always have ‘God said it’ answers.)
I think I would also add that I will be teaching my kids that it’s not up to them to change people’s minds. We can be courageous truth tellers and evangelizers, but our ultimate goal and measure of success can’t be how many people they ‘converted’ to conservative ideals or even biblical ones. Only God can change hearts and minds so they should know the freedom in that and shouldn’t feel the burden of ‘taking on the whole school’.
In the section about high school they basically say that your child’s sense of morality is already set and it’s worthless to try to ‘teach them’ anything at this stage. I don’t doubt that it’s harder to change what has already been developed, but I wish they would have had some more advice or encouragement for parents who are reading this book with high school students and feeling concerned that it’s ‘too late’ for their kids if they haven’t already been doing the things.
The authors highly recommend Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. I’m not so totally against this book like some people are, but I think there are probably better options out there now like Reclaiming Masculinity and Wild Things.
There was a footnote (I think it was a footnote) that said, “We too feel that everyone and everything is against us. Probably because it is.” This rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like it was too similar to victimhood culture. We do (and always will) face opposition and I would say conservative ideology is becoming less and less popular, but it’s a bit dramatic to say that everyone is against us. Hyperbole like that, though we may feel it in our soul, is not usually helpful and is a thought we should probably take captive.
One last thing in this section: I advise anyone reading this book to periodically set it down, take a deep breath, and tell yourself ‘everything is going to be okay.’ The tone of writing, the intensity of the content, and the already anxious feelings of wanting to be a good parent and raise good kids can make reading this book feel very overwhelming.
I don’t think M&F are doing it on purpose or are trying to create fear. I think they are both just so passionate about what they are doing and wanting to equip parents that it can just feel like a lot.
Don’t let this book overwhelm you. Take it in pieces if you have to. Discuss it with other parents who have the same beliefs as you (i.e. the Find Your People Chapter). And just know that the biggest takeaway you should get from this book is that it’s your job as your child’s parent to know what’s going on, to teach them truth, and to be present in their lives. How exactly you go about those things will differ from family to family. You don’t have to complete every strategy in here to a T. Your kids won’t be exactly like their kids. That’s okay.
The idea is to embolden parents and remind them that they CAN do this and their kids need them to. If you aren’t teaching your kids, someone or something else is. As it is said, you can’t prepare the road for your child, you prepare your child for the road. We don’t want to be parents that think ‘we aren’t going to get into politics and we can just avoid everything we don’t like.’ That’s not a good strategy. The road is the road and we can’t control it. But we can lovingly prepare our children to walk it and to walk it with them.
[See my original review for the section where I link a bunch of OTHER BOOKS AND RESOURCES they (and I) recommend to help you become an expert]
Recommendation
“Individuals have a powerful impact on the world, and you have a powerful impact on the children under your roof… Your family may be the smallest of institutions, but it is the most crucial when it comes to replicating values.”
I definitely recommend this book for parents whose beliefs are at odds with woke ideology and who want to know how to teach their kids the difference.
[Again, if you are not a conservative, I can’t really imagine why you would read this unless you are curious about what conservatives care about.]
But be encouraged, you are not alone, you shouldn’t do this alone, and everything is going to be okay. You love your kids more than anyone else and as long as you are active in their life, teaching them your values, and being present, you are doing enough.
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If this title offends you, then it’s probably not the book for you. It’s not a book that is trying to convince anyone of anything; they are not trying to change anyone’s mind. I’ve seen some reviewers say they disagreed with a lot of the book but still found some of the parenting strategies helpful. I guess you can decide if it’s worth a try.
I would say it is a book written specifically for parents who agree with conservative politics and want to know how to navigate a hostile environment that is at odds with these views. Parents who want to know how to help their kids thrive in a school environment that is teaching the opposite viewpoints.
“At the heart of this book is the belief that parents in communities overrun by the present cultural revolution have no choice but to go to war for their children. This means engaging one’s own children first on issues that we’d prefer that they not hear about until they are older. it means teaching them how to respond to Woke indoctrination and ensuring that they can hold their own against a predatory culture that seeks to turn them against what they have learned in their parents’ homes.”
So unless you are (or might become) one of those parents or you are curious about what those kind of parents care about, then I would venture to guess this book would probably frustrate you. Especially because Manning & Faust are going for a highly sarcastic, comedic type of writing style that even though most of the what they said I thought ‘preach!’ there were a few points that made me cringe.
I will be up front with where I’m at with this book. My goal in life is not to raise conservative soldiers. My aim and what I pray for regularly is that my children will grow up to be Christ-followers. That is the most important thing to me.
M&F live in Seattle. I live in Iowa— granted, probably one of the more liberal parts of Iowa— but I do not feel like I am in the same hostile environment as them. So far I have not felt like my kids’ school district has presented major ideological problems. Part of that is probably due to our Republican governor and because ideologies and cultural trends prevalent on the coasts take longer to infiltrate the Midwest.
I say all of this because my approach to this book is not in anger, desperation, or activism. But I have read plenty of books regarding all of the historical, economical, and biological views and I am not naive to think my kids are not already being inundated with ‘woke’ ideology (I understand the flinch of this word and will define it shortly). It is not of utmost importance, but it is still wise for me to consider the strategies presented by these authors that will help me navigate the waters of differing viewpoints and help me better teach my kids what I’d like them to know. And if we end up with a democratic governor, things could change in a blink of an eye and I’ll be glad that I’m prepared.
So what is ‘Woke’? What is ‘Conservatism’?
As usual, definitions are important. Woke is a buzzword and people make assumptions about whoever is using this word. M&F provide Wikipedia’s definition of woke but “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination” doesn’t quite capture the way the word is used. Wikipedia’s definition would not put left and right wing people immediately at odds.
The authors give their own definition of woke:
“Wokists hold a culturally hegemonic worldview that views every subject, institution, Netflix series, and human interaction through the lens of group identity, and then uses every weapon at its disposal to pit one group against the other under the guise of social justice…
You know you’re in the Woke’s presence when emotion instead of facts are the basis for their opinions and its dissenters are labeled ‘such-and-such-phobes’… [it] mandates every knee bow and every tongue confess its truth, and if you refuse to submit, the ‘love and tolerance’ mob will impose serious personal and professional consequences.”
They add a footnote to rightly clarify that not all leftists or liberals are woke and that when they use the term ‘wokist’ they are referring to “the people zealously promoting a Woke worldview”.
M&F’s definition doesn’t state the specific beliefs held, but Google offers some further clarification: supporters would say woke means “being well-informed and conscious of social and political issues concerning marginalized groups, including race, gender, and sexual orientation” and critics associate the term “with concepts like critical race theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and identity politics, and is seen by some as divisive.”
The ideological differences are fleshed out throughout the book.
I would say one of the biggest problems in politics right now is the constant grouping of people into identifying categories and slapping labels on them with all kinds of assumptions of who they must be. We all do it and it only serves to make divisions wider.
I’m glad they chose to use the term ‘wokist’ instead of leftist or liberal or democrat because within those groups there are differing beliefs. By using wokist they are speaking about a group of people that is identified by their specific shared ideology. Therefore the authors are not really attacking people, as one of their chapters is titled, but attacking ideas.
“Attacking people only serves to reinforce your target’s opposition to your ideas and makes you their undying enemy.”
This ‘attacking ideas/arguments not people’ is a primary principle for both Alisa Childer’s and Mama Bear Apologetics’ work on these topics as well and they probably do a more tactful job with the execution of that.
Unfortunately, I would say the tone of this book and some of the authors’ comments probably toe the line of attacking people more than it probably should. It’s disappointing because I think some of their comments are absolutely in line and I’m not all about catering to people’s hurt feelings when they are celebrating sin, but because M&F went a bit over the top in some of their footnotes and comments directed (even at each other) the good is overshadowed by the flagrant. It’s all very intentional so I’m not sure the motivation behind the decisions other than they either honestly thought it would be taken as jokes or they are really leaning into their ‘I’m done with it!’ feelings.
It’s tricky because we could write a whole post just trying to define the words ‘hate’ and ‘love’ as there is a lot of disagreement on what those look like; just holding a conservative view on marriage and gender is seen as hate. There are some reviewers who look at M&F's comments alongside their statements about how it’s hard to love our enemies or how we shouldn’t attack people and they see inconsistency. I can’t say they’re wrong, but I also think that those same people don’t quite understand what God’s love really means and requires. [Holier Than Thou may be a good book to consider for this.]
M&F say that one of the primary differences between conservatism and progressivism is that conservatives “view our rights as bestowed upon us by God and that our government is established to protect these God-given rights” (as opposed to the government being the grantor of our rights). Conservative ideology also “respects the unchanging, often ugly, condition of mankind.”
They emphasize that parents should be teaching kids what they are FOR. They describe in more detail eight areas where conservatives and progressives differ and go through these areas again in later chapters in varying age-appropriate ways.
I won’t recount them all here but here are a few things that define conservatism: national pride (for all countries) being a good thing; limited government; freedom of religion and keeping the government out of religion; man and woman being biologically different, distinct and unchanging; marriage being between a man and woman and a child having a right to both their father and mother; life beginning at conception; merit, not race, being the determining factor in hiring; equality in opportunity not equity in outcomes; free market economics not socialism.
The Lessons
So what do Manning & Faust say parents need to do?
They emphasize that parents ARE the program and we need to get to our kids FIRST.
We need to become experts in all these areas or at least have good resources to refer to when questions come up. We need to know the answers or how to get good answers.
And we need to be proactive in talking to our kids about our beliefs. The psychological primacy bias shows that kids tend to see whoever they hear things from first as the expert on the subject. It’s a tricky balance in knowing when to introduce things, but I think they would say to err on the side of too early rather than too-late.
“In an Information Age, it’s not a matter of getting information; it’s a question of which sources of information your kids will consider authoritative… You want them to trust you, consult you, and rely on you for trustworthy answers.”
Probably the most popular chapter of the book is when they introduce the no-flinch rule.
“Becoming the go-to person who can be asked ANYTHING is one of the most critical factors for success…”
The no-flinch rule means that no matter what they tell you or ask you, you remain calm and rational. If they feel your explosiveness or intense emotions, they will think twice before bringing something controversial up to you again.
“To clarify, No-Flinch is not the same as deadpan. You will need to show an appropriate emotional response… The emotion you display communicates that your kid was right to be uncomfortable… An adult’s failure to model and reflect the appropriate emotional response to injustice means children will be less sensitive to it themselves.”
Another chapter describes the slow hand-off. This is a four step gradual process of modeling, assisting, and cheering on:
- I do, you watch (preschool, elementary)
- I do, you help (tweens)
- You do, I help (middle school)
- You do, I watch (high school)
They have a section tailored to the three stages of development: Elementary, Middle, and High school. Within each section they take the eight areas of conservative ideals and show how you teach those ideas at those particular ages.
In elementary school our kids are like little sponges and so our job is to firehose them with all that is good and right and true. They refer to C.S. Lewis’s quote about truth: “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” At this age we are showing them what a straight line should look like. It’s important to filter out ambiguous or confusing things that will keep them from understanding the straight line.
In middle school our kids are starting to use logic. Now that they have a firm foundation of truth and a straight stick, so to speak, we can begin introducing crooked sticks and helping them understand what makes them crooked. Instead of filtering out, we are helping them build their filter and recognize lies when they see them.
In high school our kids should have the tools they need to see truth and lie, but they still need our input. Our goal at this age is to stay connected. To make sure they know they are a priority to us and that we are there to listen whenever they have questions or need to talk. Our presence is important as they are becoming more independent and taking ownership of their beliefs.
My Critiques
Is this a perfect book? No. They made a bold choice in their writing style and it probably won’t always be your favorite. As I mentioned before, it seems they unapologetically threw politeness out the window. And to be honest, I can’t really blame them. But I do recognize that the downside to being real about ideas you think are evil or at the very least ‘not for human flourishing’, is that tone can really hurt your witness. I suppose as a counter to that— I don’t think they wrote this book to be a witness or even to be read by non-conservatives. So I don’t know. Mixed feelings.
One thing that stuck out to me that gave me pause was when they said ‘God said it. I believe it. That settles it.’ isn’t a good enough answer. That used to be a popular phrase and I can see that they’re saying- you have to know WHY you believe what you believe. I agree. But on some of these topics, the true answer to why we believe it is because God said it. And that has to be enough.
For example, there are logical reasons to hold the belief that marriage should be between a man and woman. That’s how life is created. But as Christians, our reason is foundationally because God defined it in the Bible for us in Genesis and then Jesus affirmed it again in the New Testament.
We should definitely do the work to know why we believe what we believe but I think it’s equally as important to teach your kids that ‘God saying so’ is a good enough reason to believe it. We don’t always know the why behind God’s design but in the end, our ultimate authority has to be God, not our logic, not the internet, not our feelings, not the many intelligent apologists writing books. Just God and his Word. (At least on the subjects that are clearly laid out in Scripture. Economic things probably won’t always have ‘God said it’ answers.)
I think I would also add that I will be teaching my kids that it’s not up to them to change people’s minds. We can be courageous truth tellers and evangelizers, but our ultimate goal and measure of success can’t be how many people they ‘converted’ to conservative ideals or even biblical ones. Only God can change hearts and minds so they should know the freedom in that and shouldn’t feel the burden of ‘taking on the whole school’.
In the section about high school they basically say that your child’s sense of morality is already set and it’s worthless to try to ‘teach them’ anything at this stage. I don’t doubt that it’s harder to change what has already been developed, but I wish they would have had some more advice or encouragement for parents who are reading this book with high school students and feeling concerned that it’s ‘too late’ for their kids if they haven’t already been doing the things.
The authors highly recommend Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. I’m not so totally against this book like some people are, but I think there are probably better options out there now like Reclaiming Masculinity and Wild Things.
There was a footnote (I think it was a footnote) that said, “We too feel that everyone and everything is against us. Probably because it is.” This rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like it was too similar to victimhood culture. We do (and always will) face opposition and I would say conservative ideology is becoming less and less popular, but it’s a bit dramatic to say that everyone is against us. Hyperbole like that, though we may feel it in our soul, is not usually helpful and is a thought we should probably take captive.
One last thing in this section: I advise anyone reading this book to periodically set it down, take a deep breath, and tell yourself ‘everything is going to be okay.’ The tone of writing, the intensity of the content, and the already anxious feelings of wanting to be a good parent and raise good kids can make reading this book feel very overwhelming.
I don’t think M&F are doing it on purpose or are trying to create fear. I think they are both just so passionate about what they are doing and wanting to equip parents that it can just feel like a lot.
Don’t let this book overwhelm you. Take it in pieces if you have to. Discuss it with other parents who have the same beliefs as you (i.e. the Find Your People Chapter). And just know that the biggest takeaway you should get from this book is that it’s your job as your child’s parent to know what’s going on, to teach them truth, and to be present in their lives. How exactly you go about those things will differ from family to family. You don’t have to complete every strategy in here to a T. Your kids won’t be exactly like their kids. That’s okay.
The idea is to embolden parents and remind them that they CAN do this and their kids need them to. If you aren’t teaching your kids, someone or something else is. As it is said, you can’t prepare the road for your child, you prepare your child for the road. We don’t want to be parents that think ‘we aren’t going to get into politics and we can just avoid everything we don’t like.’ That’s not a good strategy. The road is the road and we can’t control it. But we can lovingly prepare our children to walk it and to walk it with them.
[See my original review for the section where I link a bunch of OTHER BOOKS AND RESOURCES they (and I) recommend to help you become an expert]
Recommendation
“Individuals have a powerful impact on the world, and you have a powerful impact on the children under your roof… Your family may be the smallest of institutions, but it is the most crucial when it comes to replicating values.”
I definitely recommend this book for parents whose beliefs are at odds with woke ideology and who want to know how to teach their kids the difference.
[Again, if you are not a conservative, I can’t really imagine why you would read this unless you are curious about what conservatives care about.]
But be encouraged, you are not alone, you shouldn’t do this alone, and everything is going to be okay. You love your kids more than anyone else and as long as you are active in their life, teaching them your values, and being present, you are doing enough.
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
May 10, 2024
This book contains numerous biased, unsubstantiated claims, and I'm ashamed to admit I spent my time reading it. Do yourself a favor and avoid this intellectually shallow opinion piece.
The good was definitely overshadowed by the rest.
The good was definitely overshadowed by the rest.
June 5, 2024
Writing style not my fave (lots of side notes/jokes) great content and helpful with how I talk to my 1st grader and 11th grader about our values.
December 16, 2025
I was nervous about this book after seeing some of the comments here, but it ended up being an encouraging read.
"[this book] is not about raising red-state kids, or libertarian kids, or Trumpian kids, or anti-woke kids. Being a conservative is not just about rejecting the wokist worldview, nor is it simply being anti-left."
"[this book] is not about raising red-state kids, or libertarian kids, or Trumpian kids, or anti-woke kids. Being a conservative is not just about rejecting the wokist worldview, nor is it simply being anti-left."
November 15, 2024
I am not the target audience for this book at all and i knew that going on. I very much disagree with the ideoloy but i try to read things from completely opposite points of view. The parenting techniques were honestly really good though.
February 10, 2025
This book made me both laugh and drop my jaw in shock as I relived the authors experiences of walking their kids through multiple hostile settings. From whack writing assignments to straight up arguments with teachers and classmates, the examples show how their kids stood firm in their beliefs and calmly refuted bogus claims and bad ideologies.
The authors listed lots of resources at large of where to start as you build a conservative viewpoint, but ultimately the overarching recommendation was to know what you’re for (with conviction) so you’ll know what you’re against and can communicate and defend it (with courage). This book was a great encouragement for parents who want to transfer their conservative values to their kids and stand firm against progressive ideas in the classroom or in culture.
The authors listed lots of resources at large of where to start as you build a conservative viewpoint, but ultimately the overarching recommendation was to know what you’re for (with conviction) so you’ll know what you’re against and can communicate and defend it (with courage). This book was a great encouragement for parents who want to transfer their conservative values to their kids and stand firm against progressive ideas in the classroom or in culture.
November 4, 2023
Practical, funny, and sobering!
I can’t encourage you to read this book. It is overwhelming some days to try to keep focused on what the task is at hand. This book is full of helpful information and practical steps on how you can engage your children before they’re exposed to the lies of the woke culture. It’s not easy, and we must learn to stand together and find others who are willing to preserve what it is that makes our nation great. Thankful for these moms, and their willingness to do life in some of the harder places of our nation. As a mom and Texas, we don’t fight near as much of this battle in the schools as they do up in the in the northwest, but the battle is here, nonetheless. Ready to share this with my friends to encourage us to stay the course.
I can’t encourage you to read this book. It is overwhelming some days to try to keep focused on what the task is at hand. This book is full of helpful information and practical steps on how you can engage your children before they’re exposed to the lies of the woke culture. It’s not easy, and we must learn to stand together and find others who are willing to preserve what it is that makes our nation great. Thankful for these moms, and their willingness to do life in some of the harder places of our nation. As a mom and Texas, we don’t fight near as much of this battle in the schools as they do up in the in the northwest, but the battle is here, nonetheless. Ready to share this with my friends to encourage us to stay the course.
October 27, 2023
More like 4.5 stars. Definitely a solid and helpful read, but the editorializing got a bit snarky even for me, and that’s saying a lot. I listened to Katy Faust talk about this book on The Spillover podcast I feel like she summarized it so well on there that the book only added a little more, but it will be handy to have for reference over the years as my kids grow. If you are already paying attention a lot of this will be common sense, but there is encouragement and practical advice to be had too and would certainly still recommend it.
Read
December 6, 2023I was looking forward to reading this after hearing Katy Faust on an Issues, Etc. podcast. The book has some helpful practical advice, but the tone was so snarky I almost didn't finish. I agreed with many of the principles here, but disappointed in how they are presented.
I know several friends who would be interested in this topic, but I would recommend the Issues, Etc. interview, which is an excellent summary of the best bits of the book, instead.
I know several friends who would be interested in this topic, but I would recommend the Issues, Etc. interview, which is an excellent summary of the best bits of the book, instead.
January 30, 2024
I’ve listened to Faust on a few podcasts, and while I don’t agree with ALL of her viewpoints on some things, this book provided many talking points and conversation starters with your children. I appreciated the real life examples, and use of humor. However, in some parts of the book, I thought humor was used inappropriately.
Read
October 9, 2023I absolutely loved this book! It gives practical advice for imparting your worldview to your kids throughout their childhood and young adulthood. This book gives hope to parents who are nervous about the world their children are growing up in.
November 6, 2023
This is as a fun and light hearted book about an important topic. Obviously, if you’re not conservative, don’t read it :) But as a conservative mom, I appreciated the viewpoints and tips shared here, as well as the relatable stories.
December 1, 2023
This book is a must-read for conservative parents today. We're homeschooling our children, but they're surrounded by wokism everywhere we go and this book is so encouraging. I'm recommending it to all of my friends!
November 10, 2023
Shockingly violent and mean-spirited
May 16, 2024
Great book. Love these strong women who stand for truth, common sense, and children. Both this and their first book, Them Before Us, are important reads for today.
December 10, 2025
Filled to the brim with fake stories of the authors' kids totally owning their teachers and classmates with facts and logic. In one story, Katy's 15-year-old daughter Miriam admonishes her doctor for asking if she has any sexual partners or does drugs while her parents are out of the room, asking "If kids are involved in dangerous activities, shouldn't you tell their parents? Shouldn't the parents being the ones helping kids?" The doctor, realizing he's been outmatched, quickly tells her "I think we're done here." Katy and Miriam share a high-five over how epically she owned a doctor who was simply asking routine questions.
Have you ever met a 15-year-old so deferential to her parents that she's willing to call out her doctor for asking questions that no teen would ever be honest about when in the same room as their parents? It reeks of parental insecurity over the kind of conversations their teen might be having behind closed doors.
There's many more examples in the book of the authors' kids repeating their parents' homophobic talking points or debating their classmates over the follies of critical race theory (like a tweenage Charlie Kirk). The rest is your bog-standard conservative talking points peppered with an obnoxious amount of snark.
Have you ever met a 15-year-old so deferential to her parents that she's willing to call out her doctor for asking questions that no teen would ever be honest about when in the same room as their parents? It reeks of parental insecurity over the kind of conversations their teen might be having behind closed doors.
There's many more examples in the book of the authors' kids repeating their parents' homophobic talking points or debating their classmates over the follies of critical race theory (like a tweenage Charlie Kirk). The rest is your bog-standard conservative talking points peppered with an obnoxious amount of snark.
February 27, 2025
Overall this book deserves 5 stars for the ideas it contains. These two moms have a down to earth realistic battle plan for protecting and conserving the minds and hearts of their children. It’s a real commitment, but when facing the alternative, one that’s well worth the cost.
4 stars rating goes for the snarky audio version of this book. As much as I disagree with the left, sometimes I felt like those propagating the left’s ideas were somewhat dehumanized (even though the authors do make it clear that they are people with feelings that must be respected when conversing with them face to face). So not a huge fan of the tone of this book.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that this book is NOT “Raising Christian Kids in a Secular Age”. Although some of the principles can probably be applied to helping your children hold steadfastly to their faith, the goal of the authors as stated upfront it to make your children cling to conservatism. In my opinion, this is not the primary goal of parenting. Still worth the read.
4 stars rating goes for the snarky audio version of this book. As much as I disagree with the left, sometimes I felt like those propagating the left’s ideas were somewhat dehumanized (even though the authors do make it clear that they are people with feelings that must be respected when conversing with them face to face). So not a huge fan of the tone of this book.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that this book is NOT “Raising Christian Kids in a Secular Age”. Although some of the principles can probably be applied to helping your children hold steadfastly to their faith, the goal of the authors as stated upfront it to make your children cling to conservatism. In my opinion, this is not the primary goal of parenting. Still worth the read.
July 27, 2025
The concepts of the book are generally straightforward and true, good reminders of the obvious, with a few nuggets of genuine wisdom/good parenting advice. Love the “no flinch rule” and want to work now to make it instinctual.
However, I disliked the recurring suggestion that we need to teach our kids WHAT to think, as I believe it’s much more our responsibility to instill good morals and help them build a foundation of truth and untruth, and then teach them HOW to think. The authors get so close to this idea, but they truly believe that we need to TRAIN (their words not mine) our children to be the moral force of conservatism. I don’t find placing that weight on children to be good and moral. They get close on many things, but those two perspectives recurring in the book have it rating low for me generally. I’m being generous with 3 stars but it really would be closer to 2 for me simply because I disagree with those and the suggestions that we need to raise our children to be missionaries to the cause of conservatism, rather than to be free thinking kind and loving individuals.
However, I disliked the recurring suggestion that we need to teach our kids WHAT to think, as I believe it’s much more our responsibility to instill good morals and help them build a foundation of truth and untruth, and then teach them HOW to think. The authors get so close to this idea, but they truly believe that we need to TRAIN (their words not mine) our children to be the moral force of conservatism. I don’t find placing that weight on children to be good and moral. They get close on many things, but those two perspectives recurring in the book have it rating low for me generally. I’m being generous with 3 stars but it really would be closer to 2 for me simply because I disagree with those and the suggestions that we need to raise our children to be missionaries to the cause of conservatism, rather than to be free thinking kind and loving individuals.
January 3, 2026
This book can be a helpful resource for conservative parents deciding whether to send their kids to public school. The authors do a reasonable job highlighting the challenges children face in far-left communities, though the content is less relevant for those in conservative areas. What I took away most from it is that if parents aren’t the first people kids feel comfortable asking questions to, someone with differing values will step in.
The tone is sometimes aggressively anti-“woke,” which may alienate non-conservative or apolitical readers. While not written in the style I’d choose, it gets the point across effectively. The biggest takeaway: if your children attend a “woke” school, countering those ideas critically may become a full time job. Ultimately, parents must decide whether to train kids at home to handle bad ideas (while explaining why others believe them) or expose them to those views in school, prepare them for confrontation, and manage the aftermath.
My favorite quote from this book: “You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.”
The tone is sometimes aggressively anti-“woke,” which may alienate non-conservative or apolitical readers. While not written in the style I’d choose, it gets the point across effectively. The biggest takeaway: if your children attend a “woke” school, countering those ideas critically may become a full time job. Ultimately, parents must decide whether to train kids at home to handle bad ideas (while explaining why others believe them) or expose them to those views in school, prepare them for confrontation, and manage the aftermath.
My favorite quote from this book: “You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.”
December 13, 2025
I wish I’d had this book ten years ago! As a conservative parent raising kids, as the authors say, in a very woke city, I felt seen by these authors. I use a phrase they used all the time, that I feel like “we’re living in the upside down,” where everything good is bad and everything that is truly bad is somehow to be respected. So much of what they describe — the pressure to stay quiet, the assumptions people make about you and the need to talk to your kids early about topics you’d rather wait on — has been my exact my experience.
My kids are older now, but this book still reassured me that staying connected, talking openly, and grounding them in our family’s values really was the right approach. For parents with younger children, this is an invaluable read. I’m grateful for these authors and people like them who are raising thoughtful, grounded kids and helping the rest of us feel less alone in the process.
My kids are older now, but this book still reassured me that staying connected, talking openly, and grounding them in our family’s values really was the right approach. For parents with younger children, this is an invaluable read. I’m grateful for these authors and people like them who are raising thoughtful, grounded kids and helping the rest of us feel less alone in the process.
March 21, 2024
Disappointing. I give it an 'A' for Effort, but quite unexpected with regard to some "language" issues within. Many people grew up in the system and did not have the parenting they espouse (not bad) but few in general seem to be able to counter the peer "mass think" that is so prevalent in our society. Good points p. 76 and p.98 helping children to learn to think for themselves in that early learning "logic" time etc. I believe the Church could do better in offering alternatives to the Public cesspool system.
August 24, 2024
This book was really hard to read. So much potential for useful information completely buried under a garbage load of snarky remarks. Not a fan of dealing with 4 footnotes a page and not knowing if it's going to be something worth knowing or another sad insult. Also a confusing combination of biblical references and very unbiblical attitude. A lot of really good examples of what American Christian nominalism looks like. Would have given it one star if it weren't for several actually useful resources hidden inside. Would not reccomend
January 17, 2025
Excellent book with practical and useful parenting advice. I have a 10 and 12 year old and I wish this book existed when they were younger. A lot of these practices referenced in the book I am already using, but I appreciated the other tools and advice I have not yet begun with my children. I listened to this book, very entertaining. I loved it so much I bought a hard copy because I want to go back and highlight some passages. I also want my husband to read it. Excellent job, ladies! Thank you for being brave enough to put this out there in our dark blue state 🥴
March 19, 2024
Good points on keeping in touch with your kids but Matt Walsh and Candace Owens aren’t exactly the sources I want my kids learning from or using.
A lot of snark which is fine I guess only folks who agree are reading this … for people who had such horrible public school experiences they sure do come swinging at homeschoolers in the beginning.
A lot of snark which is fine I guess only folks who agree are reading this … for people who had such horrible public school experiences they sure do come swinging at homeschoolers in the beginning.
November 6, 2025
Very interesting and engaging book. The authors are hilarious, and I think the content is great. Very disappointed that there is quite a bit of language in it considering both authors are staunch Christians. They also tend to be fairly negative and name call the other side fairly often which I don't like.
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