Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America

by Kevin D. Roberts

Heritage Foundation president and Project 2025 head Kevin Roberts outlines a peaceful "Second American Revolution" for voters looking to shift the power back into the hands of the people.

America is on the brink of destruction. A corrupt and incompetent elite has uprooted our way of life and is brainwashing the next generation. Many so-called conservatives are as culpable as their progressive counterparts.

In this ambitious and provocative book, Heritage Foundation President Dr. Kevin Roberts announces the arrival of a New Conservative Movement. His message is simple: Global elites — your time is up.

Dawn’s Early Light blazes a promising path for the American people to take back their country. Chapter by chapter, it identifies institutions that conservatives need to build, others that we need to take back, and more still that are too corrupt to save: Ivy League colleges, the FBI, the New York Times, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Department of Education, BlackRock, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy, to name a few.

All these need to be dissolved if the American way of life is to be passed down to future generations.

The good news is, we’re going to win.

The Swamp is so drunk on power that the elites don't realize the ground is moving beneath their feet. In Washington, they wear foreign flags on their lapels, but they don’t protect our border. They wave around the Constitution, but they don’t respect its wisdom. They appeal to Reagan, but Reagan would never put up with this non-sense.

Their decadence will be their downfall. A new day is here.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Audiobook, Adult

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2024

About the author

Kevin David Roberts is an American historian and political strategist who is the president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative political think tank, and its lobbying arm, Heritage Action. Prior to assuming his current role, he was the CEO of another conservative think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Roberts served as the president of Wyoming Catholic College from 2013 to 2016.

Soon after Roberts joined Heritage in December 2021, the organization established Project 2025, an expansive plan to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power after Donald Trump is inaugurated into office following the 2024 presidential election.

Reviews

[Chris Loves to Read]

won't rate, won't read, this is a manual to install a dictator in the US, and strip everyone of their civil rights. no thanks.

[Nikki Harrington · Rating 1 out of 5]

did anyone f***ing edit this book?
This is the stupidest piece of propaganda i’ve ever read.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't make it far and I don't intend to finish it and waste my precious time. It seems clear that this book is a projection from his childhood trauma on to America. He also worships Ronald Reagan if that tells you anything. Honestly, it was scary to hear his views and what others are pushing for America to become. They're nostalgic for the past, even though it was riddled with trauma. Make it make sense?

[Lexie Ryder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes! Someone get this man a lobotomy

[🖤💀Aelat💀🖤 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad I didn't pay for this radical garbage and read it for free. Under his 👁️

[Skie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive Christian nationalism propaganda.

[Marnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I truly believe that therapy would have saved us all a lot of headache here. This is another man who didn’t get help when he needed it, turned to religion, and now believes everyone should suffer. The most important reason I read this was because I wanted to understand the philosophy behind Project 2025/rebranded America First. And luckily I don’t think this is anything people will willingly get behind. Branding the stripping of nearly all social freedoms from everyone except those who are white and Christian and straight just won’t fly. I don’t think even that group will get behind all the changes he proposes in this book. People want their kids to go to school and do better than they did, people like freedom to spend their free time as they wish- and they want free time! People want to live in an affordable country, they’ve suffered enough.
I do think everyone should read this though- we have to understand the crazy thats being said and used to push this radical Christian nationalism on the rest of us. Roberts is among the least American political authors I’ve come across— he really doesn’t believe in freedom at all.

[Tiffany Lee Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

“To escape our current darkness, restore America’s civic life, and take back our country for good, conservatives can’t merely continue putting out fires; we must be brave enough to go on the offense, strike the match, and start a long, controlled burn.”

If I could give this zero stars I would. I read a sample of this book and refuse to read any more of it. It’s garbage!!

[Malissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

"I don't want to drown the government. I want to waterboard it."

This took an entirely long time to get through, because I had to step away. Frequently.

The contradictions in the same paragraphs were frequent. I am tired.

[Scott Shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

Less an attempt at what Project 2025 will do, but more why, and an attempt at a higher level propaganda dressed up as a mission statement. The Democrats are described as the Uniparty, and the Republicans are the Party of Creation. I read it to get a sense of what Trump may bring in to being in 2025, and it really didn't enlighten me.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this book negative stars I would. Nonsensical propaganda. Can we please take away the words "Uniparty elites", "woke", and "DEI" away from Kevin? Because I don't think he has an actual grasp on what he wants those concepts to mean, and if I have to hear them one more time I'm going to lose it.

Shockingly, I don't disagree with all of his points. Honestly, like half of this book belongs on r/SelfAwareWolves. Yes, cost of living is ridiculous. Yes, there are corrupt corporations and government officials. Yes, we aren't doing enough as a country to support our workers. Like at one point he literally says something like "the government needs to stop giving tax cuts to rich corporations while not doing anything for the average worker" and I was like damn that's pretty based, but then he turns around and lambastes the government for giving too many handouts. Like dude do you want the government to help people or not? These contradictions were constant. Instead of offering real solutions, he instead points the finger at "wokism" and our "spiritual crisis". I kid you not, at one point he talks about how reintroducing public prayer will restore America to its former glory blah blah blah. Newsflash! Just because you are Christian doesn't mean everyone else is! He mourns the decline in education, stating how schools need to teach critical thinking and classic literature again and his solution is to.... gut public universities? He goes on and on and on about about how the "elite" are running the country to the ground while simultaneously throwing support behind the most vile of them *cough*donaldtrump*cough*. Like are you seriously going to sit here and tell me all about how corrupt big business is and then praise ELON MUSK?? He is literally the evil billionaire blueprint. And don't even get me started on his opinions on foreign policy and the defense budget.

He claims to be standing up for "ordinary Americans" without recognizing that all the groups he demonizes in the process also happen to be "ordinary Americans". And therein lies the issue with all of MAGA. America has only ever been great for certain groups of Americans. You can't "make it great AGAIN" when the first time it was "great" means a return to a time when people literally OWNED other people. There's nothing great about that. I know, I'm a woke brainwashed radical leftist. But I don't say all of this because I hate everything about America. But for better or for worse, this is our legacy, and we can't be forever chasing the dream of mythic, glorious past that does not exist. Especially when that means millions of Americans will be left behind.

[Scott Nunya · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with anything going against the woke mob ideology, don't trust the ratings from a bunch of libtards that try to cancel something they haven't even read. They wouldn't understand the ideas and concepts in this book even if they had or self-reflect for the solitary moment it would take to see the rot their ideology has caused to our society.

This book dives down to the root issues facing our nation’s economy and culture, provides the evidence to support how our culture has been corrupted by elites that are unable to relate to the average American and offers simple solutions to correct them. Solutions regarding our current culture are not so simple yet he provides easy to understand examples of how we got here and describes a path forward. Very insightful!

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

TLDR version of my review:

This is Project 2025: The Book. Roberts lays out a "peaceful revolution" (which is absolutely not peaceful) that returns power to the people-Let’s get one thing straight... this book is not about returning power to “the people.” It’s about consolidating power into the hands of a far-right, super rich, Christian nationalist movement that values control over democracy, ideology over facts, and oppression over freedom.

This book WAS pure alarm bells, now it's a roadmap of what's happening right now in America. It romanticizes authoritarianism, warps American values into a narrow, extremist vision, and openly calls for dismantling major institutions in the name of “saving” the country. While I don’t recommend wasting your time reading it, I do think it’s important to know this exists—because a whole lot of powerful people take it very seriously.

---

Full Review:

Let’s get one thing straight—this book is not about returning power to “the people.” It’s about consolidating power into the hands of a far-right Christian nationalist movement that values control over democracy, ideology over facts, and oppression over freedom. Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation and the mastermind behind Project 2025, lays out a dystopian blueprint for America’s future—one that is as dangerous as it is delusional.

This is Project 2025 distilled into book form: an extreme roadmap for reshaping the country into a rigid, theocratic, corporate-driven machine. It reads like a manifesto, complete with calls to dismantle the Department of Education, the FBI, and public institutions that don’t align with Roberts’ ultra-conservative vision. He paints himself as a warrior against “global elites,” but the reality is that his policies would strip rights from countless Americans while handing unchecked power to an authoritarian regime.

While Roberts claims to champion "freedom," his version is chillingly selective. Freedom of religion? Sure—if it aligns with his specific interpretation of Christianity. Freedom of speech? Only if it doesn’t challenge his ideology. Bodily autonomy? Not a chance. The book leans into fear-mongering, scapegoating everyone from “Adderall-addicted dog moms” to Ivy League graduates as part of some grand conspiracy against America. His solutions? More children (whether you can afford them or not), less autonomy, and a return to a mythical golden age that never existed.

One month into Trump's presidency it is very clear this vision wasn’t hypothetical—it’s actively being executed and we should all be paying attention and doing everything we can to disrupt it.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s no surprise that I disagree with most of what is written here, as it promotes White Christian Nationalism as the next steps for America (project 2025). What was interesting to me that I did actually find some points that I agree with: down with corporate elitism, more support for American families (childcare, education), and emphasis on community. How he proposes to address these issues I disagree on but that’s beside the point. The biggest issue I take with Roberts is the constant hypocrisy. He condemns big tech companies like Google and Apple and then glorifies our current president who has these company’s CEOs at his inauguration ready to do his bidding and the richest man in the world meddling in our government. He wants Christian prayer in our schools and every public institution (which by the way,he says if they don’t comply, they should be burned to the ground) but then denigrates single childless “girl bosses” and all the “felons” who protested against the police brutality of George Floyd for racial justice. How can you call yourself a Christian when you look down upon everyone who doesn’t fit your idea of what an American should look like? Jesus would be ashamed.

Make no mistake, project 2025 is already in practice: talks of ending birthright citizenship, disparaging of DEI, getting rid of “gender ideology” were all mentioned in this book. Don’t be surprised when the United States become Gilead if we let people like Robert’s continue to have a platform.

[L. Leah]

Funny (not funny) how I finished this book on today of all days. This book is written like Roberts flung sh*t at the wall to see what sticks. This book is a tantrum manifesto from the person who helped orchestrate Project 2025. It gives great insight to Roberts, who has a gaping parental wound, and a fondness for “classical” times (by classical he means before civil rights, maybe even before the emancipation proclamation). Either way, Roberts is mad that he, and those who believe like him, are not welcomed with open arms (gee, I wonder why?). He’s upset with “elites”, yet literally joined forces with one who believes in not just personal domination but globalization.

I wondered how America got to its current state, and this helped put more pieces together. Be aware of more people and parent groups that will claw their way from under rocks to protect their straight cis-het whiteness, while disparaging all other marginalized groups. They’ve been sold on a call to action to “burn it all down” for the sake of returning to times that were not benevolent to all Americans.

[Greg Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. As a conservative we have a lot of work ahead of us.

"What is unrealistic and extreme is expecting our problems to go away if we're only nice enough." Very valuable information to be used in debate or just to strengthen the resolve of those who want to save America.

[Rexton Tegwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its too bad that the "most liked" review for this book (as of 01.14.2025) is a person denigrating it without taking the time to actually to read it. It's the same kind of close minded attitude that she would shame if someone on the right refused to read a book because it was written by a lesbian or a black person.

This book is a piece of political propaganda. I don't mean that negatively, its just that it ignores a lot of macro-economic realities and instead criticizes people and ideas. Some of which the author admits he used to support. As if those people and ideas can stand in for the macro-economic forces that have shaped conditions in the United States since 1960. Its a sort of pep talk or dream scenario where Kevin Roberts and the Heritage Foundation have resistance-free control of the entire government and all Americans.

In summary, Mr. Roberts is convinced that if we do what he says we will experience another American renaissance. An era of widespread prosperity that simply is no longer possible for this nation.

Kevin Roberts opens up about his upbringing and past. Which clearly drives his belief in major social change with respect to family composition. His family was not what anyone would dream of and it clearly has hurt him.

Rather than recognizing the cause of the wide spread prosperity this country experienced from 1945 through about 1970. Mr. Roberts points fingers and criticizes concepts that could not have the impact he wishes they did.

America was the only industrialized power that faced no damage after WW2. We were the only shop in town per se. But once Europe re-built and the ideas of industrialization spread globally. It was only a matter of time before global competition started becoming serious.

Once that time came, we decided to embrace free trade because our country is run by the wealthy. Who wanted to become wealthier through overcoming regulations and capital barriers. Embracing unfettered free markets led to a predictable race to the bottom for wages and workers. Where we agreeably traded with or invested in nations who treated their civilians worse than livestock because we got cheap labor or goods in return. This empowered those nations while undercutting the average American. The wealthy were no longer willing to tolerate treating workers like free Americans who deserved fulfilling lives because it was too expensive. Instead of shunning countries that did not allow their citizens a say in government or labor relations. We cooperated with them exposing American workers to unfair competition. They were effectively told to "work as cheaply as a someone in China or Bangladesh or starve". The rest is history and now another political figure wishes to mislead people into believing that we can restore the conditions that existed during the summer of 1945.

In this book you will hear a new take on Republican or Conservative ideas. Not the ideas of Bush or Reagan or even the founders, but the ideas of Pat Buchannan and other members of the populist right that have lacked the resources to overcome the two parties' system's total control over ballot access in this country.

Most of what he wants is impossible. He prescribes solutions as if our country is a monarchy that can execute strategy without resistance. But it isn't. Our country is a system that is fundamentally difficult to change and is set up to entrench the power of elites through a sort of "natural aristocracy" as the founders called it.

The problem with that "natural aristocracy" is that it does not allow the competition needed for the people on top to change. Our country is set up to entrench incumbents (both economically and politically) so that the previous winners of what once was a competitive system. No longer have to strain themselves to maintain their own significance. 10% of Americans produce 90% of the profits that come from our country's economic activity. There is no serious interest in changing this dynamic so that prosperity is delivered to more than 10% of the country's workforce. Each party has incremental tweaks that they claim will make things different. But the reality is that the concept of Economic Justice has not taken hold in any major political discourse for decades. The elites are happy and in control and that is all that matters to them.

Kevin Roberts imagines a fantasy. Where strong arm social coercion will lead to an American Rennaisance that benefits anywhere from 50-75% of the population. What happens to other 25% of the population is irrelevant to him. They will have to find a way to survive or die off in the shadow of a new American century.

You will have to read the book. To learn about all of the outlandish and radical modifications that Mr. Roberts would like to implement. To mention a few he wants to eliminate the FBI and Ivy League universities. He simplifies all political opinion into two teams, the party of creation and the party of destruction. He wants workers' councils instead of Unions because he is working for the Heritage Foundation after all. So, organized labor MUST remain weak. This is what a worker's council is when compared to a national Union. The list goes on, but I will say that his ideas are entertaining and sort of inspiring if you suspend disbelief.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many of these ideas are based off of fear mongering, victim mentality, and defending the non existent dismantling of the conservative movement on the basis of more Americans leaning away from conservatism. Portraying colleagues across the aisle as "the uni party" and "the party of destruction" translates to the reader that the left and/or the democratic party are the enemy and only the right is right. Hateful rhetoric towards those who are child free by choice, women, women choosing education, the LGBTQ+ community, and a weird desire to force everyone to abide by conservative values including eliminating certain historic studies in higher education due to "woke ideology." Concerning, terrifying, divisive, abhorrent.

[Linda Mauer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is full of misinformation and it is pure trash.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is some interesting analysis but make no mistake this a diatribe which demonizes an odd assortment of cliches. “But here’s … the parasites that have taken over so much of our country— pantsuited girlboss advertising executives, skittle-haired they/them activists, soy-faced Pajama-clad work-from-home HR apparatchiks, aderall - addicted dog mom diversity consultants, nasally voiced Ivy League regulatory lawyers, hipster trust fund socialites.”

Here too is the policy manual governing the Trump administration playbook. Why target illegals? Why dismantle federal department of education? What’s wrong with US aid? What is the problem with diversity, equity and integration (DEI)? Ultimately the master demon is titled the Uniparty or the Party of Destruction, who are credited with an incredible scope of influence and masterful strategy.

Essentially this book recommends the dismantling of significant portions of the US operations, as we have seen in the past few weeks. This book recommends a witch hunt and uses the analogy of a fiery conflagration as the only solution to allow new growth.

I finished the book; it was not easy. Often the ideas are consumed by a rhetoric of hatred and an analysis based in demonic chanting. Although not explicit, this is a manifesto for white conservative males to unite in destruction and follow the mad man to a conservative faith based Rockwellian future where justice is meted by mob frontiersmen.

There is little doubt the the American experiment has veered off its course. I doubt that the current correction will lead to the Conservative utopia that it promises. America is divided and this book celebrates and enhances that division. Roberts opines “in surprising places in the culture, especially among young people, there is a yearning for family and friendship, a hatred of meaningless sex and pornography, an interest in handicrafts, a rejection of hyperindividualism and consumerism, and a desire for the sacred.” Perhaps the answer is more macrame classes and less political extremism.

[Brian Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this to try to understand where the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 are coming from.

While he does identify some of the real problems we have, his solutions -- based on outright false information and wildly inaccurate Chinese history, as well as a set of "Christian" principles that Jesus would never recognize -- well, his solutions lack merit.

It was really hard to get through it all, but I did.

His treatment of socialism is particularly screwy. He says, "Socialism’s polestar is its means: bureaucratic management oriented toward “rational” planning objectives decided upon by a technocratic elite perched on the commanding heights of society."

Technocratic elitism is a thing, and arguably a thing we should worry about, but it isn't socialism. That's not what the word means. But in this way he paints all of corporate late-stage capitalism as "socialism" -- conveniently and rhetorically ruling out a whole lot of viable solutions to that problem.

Don't get me started on his complete erasing of the Bible's view on immigrants. The man needs to spend some time "meditating on the Parable of the Good Samaritan," as the Pope has said.

He is also painfully self-unaware. While he describes his Cajun upbringing in some detail, emphasizing his mistreatment as a linguistic and cultural minority, he somehow doesn't see any analog anywhere today.

All in all, poorly argued, poorly sourced. You'd think his emphasis on classical education would have helped him avoid writing an entire book that begs the question.

[David Asche · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I only read this book because it has a forward by vice president JD Vance.
There was a lot about this book that I liked. The book was fascinating, I found it impossible to put down. But I also found myself disagreeing and sometimes just disbelieving some of the things said. There’s definitely a theme of pointing at global conspiracies throughout. I agree with a lot of the assessments of what is wrong with America politically, and culturally today. And also how it came to be this way. I guess where I disagreed was on some of his given solutions to these problems.
Thinking about it, I’d say that where I take the most issue with is that he starts out talking about his faith in Jesus, and the lack of faith in Jesus our culture has, that has led to many of today’s problems.
There then seems to be a disconnect at some point where his solutions go from, encouraging strong families by promoting childbirth, policies to promote economic prosperity for families, etc. to then it shifts to almost a nationalis-patriotism that is something devoid of Christian theology.
To borrow a football analogy, this book felt a little bit like seeing a wide receiver make a big catch for a touchdown. Only to see another camera angle and see the ball hit the ground. It seemed good at first, but didn’t quite hit the mark.

[Veronica G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative.
I understand where he is coming from on many points- I don’t agree who/what he blames on many points- and I don’t agree with many of his solutions.

However- I read this book to understand WHY the administration is doing what it is doing - and that is power.
Many of the one star reviews didn’t even read the book. They read a bit- got grossed out and left with their star slamming the door shut.

In order to be a people- to be citizens of this country- it is good to know trends in thinking.
I’m not sure how much people are behind the ideas in the book- but we will all find out as we experience the chaotic fire of this administration.

[Bre Roz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kevin is blessed to have some good American history knowledge, but he is certainly cursed not to be able to interpret it with compassion for others. (Despite a life of worshiping Jesus and his teachings.) Kevin truly cannot see anyone outside of his own gender, skin color, religion, etc. as a deserving of any autonomy or understanding.

Kevin’s anger comes from the suicide of his older brother, which he blames on the divorce of his parents many years prior. His mom left an alcoholic husband whom she fought with every day. Instead of understanding that the mental health issue his father was self-medicating with alcohol was likely genetically passed to his brother, he blames his mom for taking herself and her kids to a calmer and safer home away from their biological father.

Many of the ideas outlined in this book could increase prosperity for some in the US, but only with disdain for their neighbors. Real genius is found in solving our countries problems with empathy for all who are alive within its boarders. This book has no genius. It has whining. Kevin has really gotten stuck in the desire to live in the “good ‘ol’ days” instead of growing emotionally or becoming an adaptable and resilient adult.

Anger is ok, Kevin, but like in comedy, punch upward, not sideways towards people who are struggling in some way or another.

Billionaires hoard more money than they can even spend in a lifetime and THAT is worthy of your intellectual finessing. You think you’re angry at “coastal elites” but you, me, JD - we ARE coastal elites!

And don’t come at me with “but JD and I grew up inland!” Most everyone on the coasts are a transplants! You, me, and JD included.

For Christ's sake, live your own values and hang with folks whose values align with yours. You will not leave an endearing legacy by forcing everyone to suppress their own values and histories to give you the illusion that this country was created to entirely reflect your own personal likes/dislikes.

[Michelle McGlinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many reviewers, I picked up this book as a means to understand more about Project 2025, the upcoming government, and in general, those who voted for it. I saw the 1-star reviews and was pretty afraid of what I was going to read, but really wanted to judge for myself rather than let reviewers decide for me -- especially because half of them admitted that they didn't read the book at all.

If reviews matter to you, you should read a few 1-stars but also a few 5-stars before diving into the book. Both have merit. The book is decently written, getting a little dense towards the middle and a bit aggressively-worded on either end of that. By that I mean: Prepare to see "Burn it down" A LOT. Of course this is metaphorical, but he seems to love using arson-related language to get his point across. Not my favorite, and I think it hurts his overall message.

The overall message is what I think the 1-stars are misunderstanding (perhaps because of how it's written, to be fair). It really isn't anything all that radical, especially if you've already been listening to people like JD Vance, Jordan Peterson, Charlie Kirk, etc. The difference is that Vance, especially, has a much more casual and direct way of saying the same things, and probably places a little less emphasis on religion as a whole. Vance's wife is not Christian, so maybe that is why he has the less aggressive approach.

To which I'll say: If you are not religious and not conservative, you probably won't like this book. If you are anti-religion and anti-Reagan, you will hate this book. All he's really saying is that America is at its strongest when operating under a certain set of values that happen to be Christian, but he doesn't hold back that he's a Christian (and BIG Reagan fan) and thinks that's what is best for everyone else, too. I was mostly OK with this until one passage when he outright demanded that institutions that don't engage in prayer be burned down; there's really no other way to read that, and it's where he lost me (and a couple stars).

If you can set aside your opinions on religion and...arson, I guess, this is a fine read. He makes good points about education, middle America, China, the "ruling class", and the economy. You will gain a good understanding of why Trump won and what is going on in America underneath the media visage. I promise you don't have to let this book be some sort of guide, propaganda piece, or radical sway on your personal views. Likely, you'll agree with a lot of it, be surprised by some, and come away with a few new perspectives.

This book left me feeling two things: 1. Hopeful for America to proceed in an honest direction, and 2. Glad Kevin Roberts is the president of the Heritage Foundation and not the United States.

[Miguel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I know that a lot of people won’t think that I would approach this as an honest actor, but I did think “sure, let’s get heterodox here and hear what others have to say from a more right leaning viewpoint, after all, I listen to Jonah Goldberg and Tyler Cowen and other conservatives”. Because in this day and age when you see the protests with people wearing Handmaid’s Tale costumes you think they’re overdoing it, but then you listen in good faith what someone like Roberts has to say about his vision of society and maybe those bonnet hats don’t appear to too far off the mark. Not only that, but Roberts admits in gory detail about how his upbringing in a broken home was so bad, so the rest of us should be living in some type of Christo-fascist State to compensate for his crappy upbringing? I can’t even recall the buzzwords he was employing but they were so over dramatic and flew so wide of reality that it’s just impossible to take him seriously. Only we indeed have to listen, since we’ll see what influence he and his ilk can have over the next 2 years in the US with their wack-job ideology.

[Frode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kevin Roberts is a Cajun. He is also a devout Roman Catholic. His youth was difficult with his folks divorcing when he was four and his older brother committing suicide when Kevin was nine. Financially things were very tough. However, Kevin found an anchor with one of his grandfathers, a man of strong character and will. Kevin acknowledges that his experience shaped his worldview in a positive way. He does not see himself as a victim but as a survivor put through the slings and arrows of life to be a fighter for what is right and good.

In the book he refers often to the two parties, the Party of Destruction and the Party of Creation. He is obviously in the latter. He also speaks of the elites and their distance from normal folk. They live in a bubble, don’t consider or even know what regular people face in daily life. He has hopes that some of the elites are finally waking up. There will always be an elite group in any society; they can be positive or negative for that society. Kevin wants the elites to be serving the nation instead of being the masters.

He talks about family, education, and the economy. He builds a road map of how he sees the nation getting back on track to being a constitutional republic again where freedom expands and government interference is greatly reduced. He is an historian, so there are historical tidbits cited as proofs or helps to understand why we are where we are today as well as where we once were.

It is a good book. As CEO of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Robers is doing his part; he is not all talk. The book speaks in generalities and philosophical ideas along with some practical steps, but in the main it is a big picture view.

[Mckenzee Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After seeing an interview with Kevin Roberts, head of the Heritage Foundation and one of the authors of Project 2025, I decided that I should pick up his book. I was unable to find many unbiased reviews of the book going in (a lot of DNF 1 star reviews on any reading app I use, or 5 star gushing reviews on Goodreads), so after reading it, I will do my best to present the book fairly (although I’m sure my own opinions will creep in at some point!).
One thing I noticed immediately when reading “Dawn’s Early Light” is that Roberts is a big fan of the metaphor of “burning down [insert institution here]”. It’s vivid but overused - he quotes Gustav Mahler’s words on tradition - that it is the preservation of fire, not the worship of ashes, but Roberts’ use of the metaphor falls flat. In the first few chapters, a lot of the messaging is pretty standard right wing stuff - nothing that I haven’t heard in recent commentary from people on the right of the political spectrum. In his introduction, Roberts makes the implication that God is 100% for conservative policies, and while some Republican policies do align with Biblical values, both parties have some policies that match with the worldview presented in the Bible and some that don’t. Roberts is deeply embedded with the “new right”, often calling out the ideas of what he has dubbed “wax-museum conservatives”. Whether this is a feeling Roberts has developed due to his life experiences or a reflection of all around sentiment about the age and irrelevance of current politicians is not clear in the book.
As this is a book about a policy platform to “take back America”, I think it is useful to know going into reading a bit about the issues Roberts spends his time on.

1. Family:
A lot of the beginning of the chapter focuses on the need for stronger family structures in the US, which he defines as a man and woman marriage with children. He criticizes the “birth dearth” that is occurring in the U.S., with women having fewer children later in life, and goes on to make what I believe to be one of his strongest points in the book, where he advances the idea of providing support for needy mothers and babies as a part of the pro-life movement. This is one place in the work where Roberts not only argues for a value he finds important, but also provides an idea on how to implement that value in current United States society. He’s not saying a whole lot of new stuff in his chapter on family, but it is pretty well written.

2. Education:
Roberts argues pretty strongly for a return of classical education in the U.S. - a system where students study Greek, Latin, “The Great Books”, and works of art - which is definitely a more niche position, but relatively prevalent on the Christian right. If you’re looking for a really fascinating Christian view of the U.S. (and a more substantial discussion of education) I’d point you to Rod Dreher’s “The Benedict Option”, which I found more productive in a discussion of culture and how Christians should respond to it. Personally, I like the idea of classical education, but I’d be interested to hear more about how Roberts wants to implement it.

3. Economy:
This section is filled with lots of commentary on how the economy goes hand-in-hand with culture. Again, I don’t think the book lays out a solution to the top down issues. Roberts may want to point people towards reading Project 2025. He promotes small business, and argues for more conservatives in “innovative” spaces to combat what he sees as a left wing takeover of innovation and invention. He relies a lot on Reagan’s view of economics here, but has some new ideas to add to the conversation.

4. Structure of American Government
Setting aside my quarrel with the fact that Roberts uses the nonsensical term “Anarcho-tyranny” to describe a type of government that punishes virtue and promotes vice, this is not a revolutionary section. He dresses it up a bit, but this chapter is a pretty typical (albeit very conservative) version of the American middle class and how gender roles play into that. Roberts has an ambitious plan for states to band together under the U.S. Federalist system and what this would look like in terms of commerce, space travel, and more. This part of the book was pretty interesting.


5. Immigration and Foreign Policy (3 chapters)
This was the longest section of the book. Roberts is probably best described as an isolationist (although I doubt he would use that term), and pushes for a completely U.S. centric view of foreign policy. My only major issue in this section is that Roberts, who leans heavily on his Catholic faith in the book, contradicts Catholic teachings in this section when he discusses the left’s “sentimental humanitarianism”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events. It is a duty in solidarity and charity; it is also an obligation in justice if the prosperity of the rich nations has come from resources that have not been paid for fairly,” (2439). The policy he advocates for is relatively mainstream in the Republican Party now, and may be validly supported, but I do think it is slightly disingenuous to present your policy as “Godly” when it contradicts 2000 years of your church’s tradition. A lot of his points on immigration are the same ones the Trump admin has been echoing for years. They are controversial, but not necessarily new. He devotes an entire chapter in this section to why the U.S. should be less willing to put up with China, where I think he makes some strong points.

Overall, this is probably a book that Republicans will like and Democrats will not. I think it is a valuable insight into Republican policy, if not the most well written argument I’ve ever read for a more conservative culture. I am giving this 3 stars.

[katrina french · Rating 5 out of 5]

read no matter political party

This is a must read regardless of your political views. Read with open mind. Reference to Trump jd Vance Elon musk heritage foundation and their long game.

[Robert Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a profoundly silly book. I read it all the way through, and it gets more ridiculous the longer it gets. I don't envy Kevin Roberts. He's got a well-paying sinecure that funds his jetting off to Davos to be a performing "populism" monkey for his moneyed masters. But the intellectual burden must be torturous. It's clear from his writing that he's not an idiot. He must, on some level understand how silly his book, and his life's work are. He comes right up to the brink of admitting it in this book, over and over again.

Roberts is the head of the Heritage Foundation, one of the most formative think tanks of the Reagan era. It's famous for covering pro-big business fundamentalism with a patina of religious gloss. For decades the Heritage Foundation's job was to blame left wing professors and immigrants for the state of the country, even though the country, under both Democrats and Republicans, had been slavishly following the Heritage Foundation's recommendations since 1980. Heritage is famously the home of the insurance company first policy that eventually became known as Obamacare. Adoption of their policies ruining the country is a difficulty that faces the whole DC think tank architecture. Decades of pursuing "markets-based" solutions has produced greater opportunities for the top 20% and dystopia for pretty much everyone else. And that 20% is shrinking by the day. Like the rest of the Uniparty, all Heritage had to offer to the wreckage it had made was another tax cut.

The Trump era forced the Heritage Foundation to make some concessions to reality. That's where Roberts came in, a bullet-headed cajun, plucked from obscurity to bring a little more Trumpy, populist anger to the Foundation, in a desperate attempt to preserve its influence with the orange insurgent. This approach has met with some success, Roberts scored a forward from now Vice-President J.D. Vance.

It seems like most reviewers of this book haven't made it much past the first angry pages of the book. Roberts uses very strong, antifa-style language. He's constantly talking about burning things down, and destroying his amorphous enemies & institutions. I suspect earlier drafts of this book may have been a little clearer about who those enemies were. Unfortunately for Roberts, Trump is now cozying up to all the Big Tech villains, so he's left with a variety of ca. 2020 dragons that have already been vanquished. Our bankrupt liberal arts schools can't afford their professors, and corporations were firing DEI coordinators in droves even before Trump won in November.

Roberts' book is angry, and seems a little unhinged, but he's incredibly vague about who he's actually fighting. He uses terms like "Uniparty" and the "Party of Destruction" because even he isn't hypocritical enough to avoid acknowledging that the Republicans are part of the problem too. He's an effective writer, and he does a good job illustrating the incredible damage that the Reagan revolution has done to this country. There are long passages were he movingly documents the ravages of monopoly capitalism, and the cost-crisis that is squeezing the vast majority of American workers. Bernie Sanders could have written like 60% of this book. Roberts' best passages would not be out of place in a pro-Union, anti-monopoly Jeremiad. My notes in the margins of a lot of this book are "yes! exactly, so what do we do?".

But at the end of the day, Kevin Roberts is still a bought and paid for creature of the Reaganites, Republican and Democrat, who have been working so hard to destroy this country over the past 45 years. So his big answer, ludicrously, is more deregulation. Seriously. That's what he wants to do, set big business truly free to give us more market-based solutions. He tries to cover that up by saying deregulation will help small business, as if it we didn't have 45 years of evidence showing that every deregulatory action serves the monopolists, and has functioned to empty out main streets across the country. This book is meant to be scary and intimidating, but it's mostly just tragically funny.

I think this book represents a halfway house. It's clear that Roberts is trying to lead his donors towards reality. His paycheck won't allow him to endorse real solutions, and he never comes right out and says that another tax cut would be insane at this point. But at no point does he advocate for another tax cut. And while he doesn't propose any new solution, or any solution at all other than prayer and another bout of deregulatory poison, he's clearly trying to convince his donors that it's time to give government a chance. Because business has so obviously failed to save us.