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Savage Messiah: How Dr. Jordan Peterson Is Saving Western Civilization
A fascinating biography and in-depth look at the work of bestselling writer and psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson, by award-winning author Jim Proser.
Who is psychologist, professor, bestselling author, and YouTube personality Dr. Peterson? What does he believe in? Who are his followers? And why is he so controversial? These are among the many questions raised in this compelling, exhaustively researched account of his life―from Peterson’s early days as a religious-school student in small-town Canada to his tenure at Harvard to his headline-making persona of the present day.
In Savage Messiah , we meet an adolescent Peterson who, scoffing at the “fairy tales” being taught in his confirmation class, asks his minister how it’s possible to believe the Bible in light of modern scientific theory. Unsatisfied with the answer he’s been given, Peterson goes on to challenge other authority figures who stood in his way as he dared to define the world in his own terms. This won Peterson many enemies and more admirers than he could have dreamed of, particularly during the digital era, when his nontraditional views could be widely shared and critically discussed. Still, a fall from grace was never far behind.
Peterson had always preached the importance of free speech, which he believed was essential to finding life-saving personal meaning in our frequently nihilistic world. But when he dismissed Canadian parliament Bill C-16, one that compelled the use of newly-invented pronouns to address new gender identities, Peterson found himself facing a whole new world. Students targeted him as a gender bigot. Conservatives called him their hero. Soon Peterson was fixed firmly at the center of the culture wars―and there was no turning back.
With exclusive interviews of Dr. Peterson, as well as conversations with his family, friends, and associates, this book reveals the heart and mind, teachings and practices, of one of the most provocative voices of our time.
Who is psychologist, professor, bestselling author, and YouTube personality Dr. Peterson? What does he believe in? Who are his followers? And why is he so controversial? These are among the many questions raised in this compelling, exhaustively researched account of his life―from Peterson’s early days as a religious-school student in small-town Canada to his tenure at Harvard to his headline-making persona of the present day.
In Savage Messiah , we meet an adolescent Peterson who, scoffing at the “fairy tales” being taught in his confirmation class, asks his minister how it’s possible to believe the Bible in light of modern scientific theory. Unsatisfied with the answer he’s been given, Peterson goes on to challenge other authority figures who stood in his way as he dared to define the world in his own terms. This won Peterson many enemies and more admirers than he could have dreamed of, particularly during the digital era, when his nontraditional views could be widely shared and critically discussed. Still, a fall from grace was never far behind.
Peterson had always preached the importance of free speech, which he believed was essential to finding life-saving personal meaning in our frequently nihilistic world. But when he dismissed Canadian parliament Bill C-16, one that compelled the use of newly-invented pronouns to address new gender identities, Peterson found himself facing a whole new world. Students targeted him as a gender bigot. Conservatives called him their hero. Soon Peterson was fixed firmly at the center of the culture wars―and there was no turning back.
With exclusive interviews of Dr. Peterson, as well as conversations with his family, friends, and associates, this book reveals the heart and mind, teachings and practices, of one of the most provocative voices of our time.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 21, 2020
56 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Jim Proser
7 books22 followersI dropped out of high school, disdained college and paid no attention to the prominent connections my father had in the entertainment industry. I was determined to survive, or not, simply by my natural grit, work ethic, talent and luck. I failed a lot. I succeeded occasionally and I'm proud of those achievements. I do regret, at this late point in my life, that I always chose the hard way of the lone wolf. I realize now that I was an angry young man with something, or everything, to prove.
My regrets I hope will be the seeds of a greater understanding that I can convey to young people considering a similar path. Writing is the greatest job in the world but everybody doesn't have to start from zero like I did. The world will see your light, you just have to keep the flame inside you burning brightly. Be prepared to accept a life of failure without becoming resigned to it. You will succeed in small ways and occasionally in large ones if you're lucky. The work is the same. Be a writer. Temper the steel in your soul and keep your hand of friendship open to everyone, even friends you haven't earned.
My regrets I hope will be the seeds of a greater understanding that I can convey to young people considering a similar path. Writing is the greatest job in the world but everybody doesn't have to start from zero like I did. The world will see your light, you just have to keep the flame inside you burning brightly. Be prepared to accept a life of failure without becoming resigned to it. You will succeed in small ways and occasionally in large ones if you're lucky. The work is the same. Be a writer. Temper the steel in your soul and keep your hand of friendship open to everyone, even friends you haven't earned.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
December 18, 2019
This is not good.
Well, let me rephrase that. I would call this well-written if it was North Korean propaganda. What I meant to say is that this book is absolutely crazy. How crazy exactly?
Crazy enough that if I'm Jordan Peterson and I read this, I go: "How is this supposed to help people understand who I am and what I do exactly? I come off like an intellectually challenged person." In the epilogue, it is said that Peterson liked the book... which explains a thing or two.
The first hundred pages are so melodramatic, I can't see how anyone right in their mind can take them seriously. The author glorifies Peterson for reading Solzhenitsyn in his teens and being traumatized by terrible things were in Soviet Russia, but it really makes him come off as someone who was emotionally unequipped to deal with what he read and let that define his life.
Where it gets slightly interesting it how the author frames Jordan Peterson's mythological superstructure that he defines his existence by. Full disclosure, I've read 12 Rules for Life. I liked some, disliked some, but it was clear to me that at one point in his life, Peterson was an efficient clinical psychologist who helped people. But literally thinking that you're the hero of your own mythological journey and applying the same symbolism to everything causes major problems like: everything has to be solved by either victory or defeat. There's no compromise. No new ideas emerge. Once again, it makes Jordan Peterson comes off silly and stubborn.
Perhaps this book's greatest sin is to dehumanize left-wing militants as "the enemy" and treating them like mindless Soviet soldiers. Gender neutral bathrooms are not gulags. Not even metaphorically. Gender neutral pronouns will lead to trans people getting killed less, better included and understood by society. If Peterson really thinks that (and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't), his entire media uprising is nothing but a noxious sham.
I'm not sure how seriously we should take this book, but please handle with rubber gloves.
Well, let me rephrase that. I would call this well-written if it was North Korean propaganda. What I meant to say is that this book is absolutely crazy. How crazy exactly?
Crazy enough that if I'm Jordan Peterson and I read this, I go: "How is this supposed to help people understand who I am and what I do exactly? I come off like an intellectually challenged person." In the epilogue, it is said that Peterson liked the book... which explains a thing or two.
The first hundred pages are so melodramatic, I can't see how anyone right in their mind can take them seriously. The author glorifies Peterson for reading Solzhenitsyn in his teens and being traumatized by terrible things were in Soviet Russia, but it really makes him come off as someone who was emotionally unequipped to deal with what he read and let that define his life.
Where it gets slightly interesting it how the author frames Jordan Peterson's mythological superstructure that he defines his existence by. Full disclosure, I've read 12 Rules for Life. I liked some, disliked some, but it was clear to me that at one point in his life, Peterson was an efficient clinical psychologist who helped people. But literally thinking that you're the hero of your own mythological journey and applying the same symbolism to everything causes major problems like: everything has to be solved by either victory or defeat. There's no compromise. No new ideas emerge. Once again, it makes Jordan Peterson comes off silly and stubborn.
Perhaps this book's greatest sin is to dehumanize left-wing militants as "the enemy" and treating them like mindless Soviet soldiers. Gender neutral bathrooms are not gulags. Not even metaphorically. Gender neutral pronouns will lead to trans people getting killed less, better included and understood by society. If Peterson really thinks that (and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't), his entire media uprising is nothing but a noxious sham.
I'm not sure how seriously we should take this book, but please handle with rubber gloves.
January 14, 2020
3.5 As an unexpected fan of Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life I was happy to accept an ARC from St. Martin's Press of this new Peterson biography by Jim Prosser.
Peterson is, as expected, quite a character and compiling these stories from his quest for truth must have been intriquing. The writing style is casual and friendly and not hard to read although it does not reach the level of great writing. If you are fascinated by Peterson (who isn't?) then this book is a great place to examine what can only be called his spiritual journey, quest for truth, and understanding of the value of western civilization.
Peterson is, as expected, quite a character and compiling these stories from his quest for truth must have been intriquing. The writing style is casual and friendly and not hard to read although it does not reach the level of great writing. If you are fascinated by Peterson (who isn't?) then this book is a great place to examine what can only be called his spiritual journey, quest for truth, and understanding of the value of western civilization.
August 1, 2020
This book is so dreadful, I may need to immerse my entire body in aromatherapy oils for much of the next decade.
This is supposedly a biography of Dr Peterson. It is one of those dreadful biographies. You know the ones. They pretend they know what their subject is thinking about as a child... Yawn.
So we see much discussion of evil. We see entire swarms of women, 'neo-marxist postmodernists', physicists (yes - a surprising entry in the catalogue of evil purveyors of political correctness...), and trans citizens persecuting Dr Peterson because his supposed truth was not to their taste.
Here is a few highlights of this book
"Obscurantist postmodern leaders aside, Jordan was particularly incensed by the lack of scholarship that accompanied the estabishment of postmodern university programs such as Women’s Studies and derivatives such as Gender Studies, LGBTQ Studies and Critical Race Theory. They all seemed to spring from one essay written in 1988 by Peggy McIntosh.”
“It was obvious by now that Jordan was being surrounded by a hostile collection of postmodern neo-Marxists, each advancing a specific ideology with a specific line of attack.”
“Millenials attain higher levels of education than previous generations. This makes them more susceptible to postmodernism, the prevailing worldview taught in higher education.”
There are hundreds of examples. At the conclusion of this book, I have this incredible need to buy a t-shirt with the slogan - dragons and unicorns and postmodern neo-Marxists (oh my).
However what is clear in this book, as mental health matters are catalogued from childhood, is that Jordan Peterson is not well. There is no alignment of his mental wellbeing and his treatment of others. Instead, attention to evil and to god (or God) remains the propulsion of Peterson's commentary / attacks on those scholars and citizens that do not agree with him.
This book is the equivalent of taking a chainsaw to your brain. Don't do it.
This is supposedly a biography of Dr Peterson. It is one of those dreadful biographies. You know the ones. They pretend they know what their subject is thinking about as a child... Yawn.
So we see much discussion of evil. We see entire swarms of women, 'neo-marxist postmodernists', physicists (yes - a surprising entry in the catalogue of evil purveyors of political correctness...), and trans citizens persecuting Dr Peterson because his supposed truth was not to their taste.
Here is a few highlights of this book
"Obscurantist postmodern leaders aside, Jordan was particularly incensed by the lack of scholarship that accompanied the estabishment of postmodern university programs such as Women’s Studies and derivatives such as Gender Studies, LGBTQ Studies and Critical Race Theory. They all seemed to spring from one essay written in 1988 by Peggy McIntosh.”
“It was obvious by now that Jordan was being surrounded by a hostile collection of postmodern neo-Marxists, each advancing a specific ideology with a specific line of attack.”
“Millenials attain higher levels of education than previous generations. This makes them more susceptible to postmodernism, the prevailing worldview taught in higher education.”
There are hundreds of examples. At the conclusion of this book, I have this incredible need to buy a t-shirt with the slogan - dragons and unicorns and postmodern neo-Marxists (oh my).
However what is clear in this book, as mental health matters are catalogued from childhood, is that Jordan Peterson is not well. There is no alignment of his mental wellbeing and his treatment of others. Instead, attention to evil and to god (or God) remains the propulsion of Peterson's commentary / attacks on those scholars and citizens that do not agree with him.
This book is the equivalent of taking a chainsaw to your brain. Don't do it.
February 3, 2020
As the author, I'm not going to review the book but instead the comments about the book. Most are very gratifying to read in regard to the understanding of the style that uses mythological analogies to illustrate events and periods of Dr. Peterson's life. Since Dr. Peterson has developed a deep understanding of the psychological meanings in mythology, my hope was to offer this deeper view of his life using mythological symbolism.
The most disturbing thing is the vitriolic political/cultural criticism leveled at Dr. Peterson, the book and me. I ask that all who enjoyed the book make your voices heard in support of Dr. Peterson who is a genuinely positive, thoughtful, brave and loving person. He does not deserve the attacks, nor do I or any other writer who speaks out in defense of free speech and other foundational values of Western Civilization. One commenter went so far as to claim the phrase "Western Civilization" in the title was racist. Such mis-educated, dim witted drivel must not be allowed to stand. Speak up! Demand a retraction of these kinds of attacks and report them to the platform they appear on. We must all stand together against those who seek to destroy by slander and lies. Thank you.
The most disturbing thing is the vitriolic political/cultural criticism leveled at Dr. Peterson, the book and me. I ask that all who enjoyed the book make your voices heard in support of Dr. Peterson who is a genuinely positive, thoughtful, brave and loving person. He does not deserve the attacks, nor do I or any other writer who speaks out in defense of free speech and other foundational values of Western Civilization. One commenter went so far as to claim the phrase "Western Civilization" in the title was racist. Such mis-educated, dim witted drivel must not be allowed to stand. Speak up! Demand a retraction of these kinds of attacks and report them to the platform they appear on. We must all stand together against those who seek to destroy by slander and lies. Thank you.
December 6, 2019
I read Jordan Peterson’s book, 12 Rules for Life, after reading a review of it in the Wall Street Journal. I knew nothing about the man, but enjoyed the book and recommended it to friends and family. This biography gave background on much of the content of 12 Rules for Life, and explained why Dr. Peterson has been vilified by a number of academics. Interesting and enlightening overall.
February 4, 2020
LOL
Nice hyperbole. I prefer to think of this entire book as satire.
Nice hyperbole. I prefer to think of this entire book as satire.
January 27, 2020
This book is bad. It’s like the author has a big old crush on JP. How Peterson said he likes this book is beyond me. It comes off as very creepy and odd. Totally put off. I didn’t finish this book and I requested a refund. I like Jordan Peterson a lot and this book was a gross misrepresentation.
March 30, 2020
This is a laughable, egotistical advert for the supposed genius professor of psychology who also worked as a clinical practitioner and is popular or controversial in some Canadian / U.S. circles as either a man ahead of his times or dogmatic and conservative. As the author elaborates, Dr. Peterson’s talks generate 200,000 paid attendees (Dr. Peterson gave Dr. Oz a figure of 2500 / session) and people pay an additional $200 to get a picture and a 15-sec chat with him. His youtube channel has more than 2 million subscribers. He has written a book that sold 2 million copies. But the author has gone way overboard in his praise of the professor, turning Dr. Peterson into some Russel Crowe gladiator, a man against the world and machines, a mythological sphinx rising from the ashes again and again only to fight the Goliath of what he considers to be illogical truth taught in universities and imposed in public discourse today, a lone ranger soldiering on in his quest to undo the scourge of political correctness and totalitarian socialism on campuses - all the while struggling with very real personal demons (his severe depression, daughter’s health crisis) - when all that the professor really has done is created a website and uploaded videos on youtube that generated thousands of eyeballs and clashed with his university! This hero-worship by the author equates some actions with sentences which will make you cringe and laugh e.g.s: (a) “It was his moment in the garden of Gethsemane, before his certain crucifixion” when the professor uploads 3 youtube videos! b) “Content to ignore these Marxist useful idiots on campus, Jordan returned to his studies buoyed by his flirtation with Tammy and relieved of his compulsion to attack fellow students. But bloody dreams still haunted his nights and a deep-seated fear of nuclear war shadowed his days.” c) “For a moment he put down his endless labors” d) “Gallows humor. We were condemned men, heads down on the chopping block, making fun of the executioner’s shoes.” etc. etc. Reading such sentences, it felt like someone (the author, the professor) had a very loose grip on reality and a potency for theatrics.
The story that really intrigues me - and must have its own book and narration - is the health crisis of Dr. Peterson’s daughter Mikhaila, who was on heavy medications (for severe depression, rheumatism, itching skin) since 3 years of age (at 22, she was on 20 meds) till she got better through dietary change; Dr. Peterson’s family history of severe depression (and his various inflammation-induced health problems e.g. psoriasis, uveitis, alopecia, weight gain) would make a good book too.
However, as I watched his numerous youtube videos, I bloody failed to understand the fuss around him (pun intended), most of his rambling talks went through my head at the speed of light, the one that made a bit of sense was his interview with Dr. Oz in 2018 (where he spoke of personal responsibility, suffering and meaning in life, in all his gasbag glory, more noise than substance. His best teary-eyed line: "It's unbelievable how little genuine encouragement many people need and how they had none. No one ever said and meant it 'it's not okay for you to be weak loser, you could be way more than that. It is an ethical crime for you to allow all that necessary potential to go to waste. It hurts you, it hurts your family, it hurts the world'."). The book is full of transcripts of his youtube videos, heralded by the author as momentous revolutionary steps in history, in actuality nothing more than thinly disguised promotion of the author. And it is written by an eager-beaver fan, coming across as a marketable catalogue of biographical anecdotes brimming with inflated self-importance, and biased verbal diarrhea that reads like a sponsorship-catnip promotional campaign, all of which is off-putting to me.
Memorable lines:
pgs 209-210: (against C-279/C-16, a gender identity bill also called Bathroom Bill, derogatorily) His opening gambit included three videos, the first with the innocuous title Professor Against Political Correctness: Part 1, unleashed a maelstrom of global hatred towards him, a private citizen not seeking office or personal notoriety, that was probably unprecedented in human history. He began humbly, “…..that I know something about the way that totalitarian and authoritarian political states develop and I can’t help but think that I’m seeing. a fair bit of that right now……..So I’m making this video because I don’t know what else to do. The changes to the law scare me because they put into the legal substructure certain assumptions about basic human nature that not only do I believe to be untrue, I think they’re also dangerous and ideologically motivated…..the doctrines behind the laws scare me…..the people behind the doctrines (i.e. Canadian minister of justice and attorney general Wilson-Raybould, the lawmaker, Ontario Human Rights Organization, the HR department in his University) also scare me. I think that generally they’re a very bad combination of resentful and uninformed…..their aims are destructive rather than constructive…..the claims are always for equality and diversity and that kind of thing and those kinds of words are very easy to say but a lot harder to put into practice.” The author then verbalizes Dr. Petersen’s fear that this is exactly like 1935’s Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany whereby a citizen had to demonstrate his faithfulness to Third Reich.
pg 60: Life can be meaningful enough to justify its suffering.
pg 121: ‘The individual who denies his individual identification with the heroic (the striving toward a deep, personal meaning in life as a flawed individual in an unjust world) will come to identify with and serve the tyrannical force of the past - and to suffer the consequences.“ - Petersen, Maps of Meaning.
pg 132: post-modern radical feminism
pg 132: “The exchange of ideas is nothing but a power game that’s played between groups of people who are opposing each other for predominance on the world’s stage.”
pg 132-133: Mythologically, these overbearing educators (radical feminists in University of Toronto) were also a twentieth-century incarnation of Jung’s archetypal Devouring Mother, represented in the East by the ferasome Hindu goddess Kali, and in the West by Freud’s Oedipal Mother. According to Jung, this is an all-powerful dominating mother who clings desperately to her children during childhood, controls them completely through adulthood, and insists on defending them, even against their wishes, as adults. In the process she devours every scrap of personal strength and individual initiative, and prevents her children from developing the ability to even defend themselves. She ends up killing them, either by making them too weak to survive, or by devouring them herself if they disobey.
pg 178: It was now possible to graduate from UCLA Berkeley with a PhD in history without ever studying American history.
pg 184: The irony of a government-controlled RT host accusing an American Fox News host of being corporately controlled was apparently lost on Minkovski. The further irony of Minkovski being more honest and patriotic than Beck, a publicly recognized patriot, widely trusted, even though controversial public figure, might also be attributed to her overly wrought emotional state. As Jordan might have predicted, this was the emergence of the shadow side of Internet explosion….online character assassination, threats of violence, exposure of private information (doxing), and deplatforming were becoming powerful weapons on both sides of the progressive / conservative divide.
pg 184-185: “It’s extraordinarily dangerous to drive hate speech underground. There are a lot of terrible things that people shouldn’t say, but that does not mean you should stop them from saying them, because you want to know who is saying them and you want to bring discourse to bear on their perspective.”
pg 188: “My arthritis is back, my skin is breaking out, I have body odor, my gums are bleeding, my face is puffy and I’m on the verge of hallucinating.” - Mikhaila Peterson
pg 189: “Inside the collective is a beast and the beast uses its fists. If you wake up the beast then violence emerges. I’m afraid this continual pushing by radical left wingers is going to wake up the beast.” - Jordan Peterson
pg 193: “He appointed females to 50% of his cabinet…he says, well because it’s 2015. Your job was to pick the most qualified people period - regardless of their genitalia, because they’re leading the country. (He) steadily abdicated his responsibility to make those difficult decisions and then wallpapered it over with this casual virtue of well, I’m going to promote women. It’s like, no, you’re going to promote competent people, you weasel.” - Peterson on Canadian PM Trudeau
pg 202: Jordan’s most recent research on dominant personality traits of artists versus scientists.
The story that really intrigues me - and must have its own book and narration - is the health crisis of Dr. Peterson’s daughter Mikhaila, who was on heavy medications (for severe depression, rheumatism, itching skin) since 3 years of age (at 22, she was on 20 meds) till she got better through dietary change; Dr. Peterson’s family history of severe depression (and his various inflammation-induced health problems e.g. psoriasis, uveitis, alopecia, weight gain) would make a good book too.
However, as I watched his numerous youtube videos, I bloody failed to understand the fuss around him (pun intended), most of his rambling talks went through my head at the speed of light, the one that made a bit of sense was his interview with Dr. Oz in 2018 (where he spoke of personal responsibility, suffering and meaning in life, in all his gasbag glory, more noise than substance. His best teary-eyed line: "It's unbelievable how little genuine encouragement many people need and how they had none. No one ever said and meant it 'it's not okay for you to be weak loser, you could be way more than that. It is an ethical crime for you to allow all that necessary potential to go to waste. It hurts you, it hurts your family, it hurts the world'."). The book is full of transcripts of his youtube videos, heralded by the author as momentous revolutionary steps in history, in actuality nothing more than thinly disguised promotion of the author. And it is written by an eager-beaver fan, coming across as a marketable catalogue of biographical anecdotes brimming with inflated self-importance, and biased verbal diarrhea that reads like a sponsorship-catnip promotional campaign, all of which is off-putting to me.
Memorable lines:
pgs 209-210: (against C-279/C-16, a gender identity bill also called Bathroom Bill, derogatorily) His opening gambit included three videos, the first with the innocuous title Professor Against Political Correctness: Part 1, unleashed a maelstrom of global hatred towards him, a private citizen not seeking office or personal notoriety, that was probably unprecedented in human history. He began humbly, “…..that I know something about the way that totalitarian and authoritarian political states develop and I can’t help but think that I’m seeing. a fair bit of that right now……..So I’m making this video because I don’t know what else to do. The changes to the law scare me because they put into the legal substructure certain assumptions about basic human nature that not only do I believe to be untrue, I think they’re also dangerous and ideologically motivated…..the doctrines behind the laws scare me…..the people behind the doctrines (i.e. Canadian minister of justice and attorney general Wilson-Raybould, the lawmaker, Ontario Human Rights Organization, the HR department in his University) also scare me. I think that generally they’re a very bad combination of resentful and uninformed…..their aims are destructive rather than constructive…..the claims are always for equality and diversity and that kind of thing and those kinds of words are very easy to say but a lot harder to put into practice.” The author then verbalizes Dr. Petersen’s fear that this is exactly like 1935’s Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany whereby a citizen had to demonstrate his faithfulness to Third Reich.
pg 60: Life can be meaningful enough to justify its suffering.
pg 121: ‘The individual who denies his individual identification with the heroic (the striving toward a deep, personal meaning in life as a flawed individual in an unjust world) will come to identify with and serve the tyrannical force of the past - and to suffer the consequences.“ - Petersen, Maps of Meaning.
pg 132: post-modern radical feminism
pg 132: “The exchange of ideas is nothing but a power game that’s played between groups of people who are opposing each other for predominance on the world’s stage.”
pg 132-133: Mythologically, these overbearing educators (radical feminists in University of Toronto) were also a twentieth-century incarnation of Jung’s archetypal Devouring Mother, represented in the East by the ferasome Hindu goddess Kali, and in the West by Freud’s Oedipal Mother. According to Jung, this is an all-powerful dominating mother who clings desperately to her children during childhood, controls them completely through adulthood, and insists on defending them, even against their wishes, as adults. In the process she devours every scrap of personal strength and individual initiative, and prevents her children from developing the ability to even defend themselves. She ends up killing them, either by making them too weak to survive, or by devouring them herself if they disobey.
pg 178: It was now possible to graduate from UCLA Berkeley with a PhD in history without ever studying American history.
pg 184: The irony of a government-controlled RT host accusing an American Fox News host of being corporately controlled was apparently lost on Minkovski. The further irony of Minkovski being more honest and patriotic than Beck, a publicly recognized patriot, widely trusted, even though controversial public figure, might also be attributed to her overly wrought emotional state. As Jordan might have predicted, this was the emergence of the shadow side of Internet explosion….online character assassination, threats of violence, exposure of private information (doxing), and deplatforming were becoming powerful weapons on both sides of the progressive / conservative divide.
pg 184-185: “It’s extraordinarily dangerous to drive hate speech underground. There are a lot of terrible things that people shouldn’t say, but that does not mean you should stop them from saying them, because you want to know who is saying them and you want to bring discourse to bear on their perspective.”
pg 188: “My arthritis is back, my skin is breaking out, I have body odor, my gums are bleeding, my face is puffy and I’m on the verge of hallucinating.” - Mikhaila Peterson
pg 189: “Inside the collective is a beast and the beast uses its fists. If you wake up the beast then violence emerges. I’m afraid this continual pushing by radical left wingers is going to wake up the beast.” - Jordan Peterson
pg 193: “He appointed females to 50% of his cabinet…he says, well because it’s 2015. Your job was to pick the most qualified people period - regardless of their genitalia, because they’re leading the country. (He) steadily abdicated his responsibility to make those difficult decisions and then wallpapered it over with this casual virtue of well, I’m going to promote women. It’s like, no, you’re going to promote competent people, you weasel.” - Peterson on Canadian PM Trudeau
pg 202: Jordan’s most recent research on dominant personality traits of artists versus scientists.
December 30, 2019
I’ve been hearing and seeing more of Jordan Peterson lately so I was excited to review this biography by Jim Proser. Mr. Peterson is a fascinating person, but I found many sections of this book confusing. I believe it may be more because of the writing style than the subject. The chain of thought was disjointed, causing me some confusion as I moved through the chapters. But I think the author did a good job of putting a human person behind the Jordan Peterson façade. He talks about the strong supporting relationship between Jordan and his wife and Jordan’s struggles with depression. I found it interesting that Mr. Peterson’s daughter, Mikhaila suffered from debilitating rheumatoid arthritis since her youth but has found a diet high in meat is helping her to overcome it.
A couple of years ago I watched “The Physiological Significance of the Biblical Stories: Genesis” and was able to follow, more or less, Mr. Peterson’s points. He’s light-years ahead of me in his thinking, though, obviously a very intelligent and challenging mind to follow. This may have been part of the struggle for Jim Proser, like trying to explain the Black Hole in Cliff's Notes. I’ll continue to watch for books by Proser, though. It’s obvious he dedicated a lot of time, energy and thought into this biography. The subject gets 5 stars; the disjointed writing style gets 3 stars.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.)
A couple of years ago I watched “The Physiological Significance of the Biblical Stories: Genesis” and was able to follow, more or less, Mr. Peterson’s points. He’s light-years ahead of me in his thinking, though, obviously a very intelligent and challenging mind to follow. This may have been part of the struggle for Jim Proser, like trying to explain the Black Hole in Cliff's Notes. I’ll continue to watch for books by Proser, though. It’s obvious he dedicated a lot of time, energy and thought into this biography. The subject gets 5 stars; the disjointed writing style gets 3 stars.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.)
January 29, 2020
Really excellent. The first part of Peterson’s life is dark, as is the telling. The struggles, personal and family, and then the stand for free speech are gripping and real.
January 20, 2024
Dramatiskais nosaukums un patētiskais tonis biogrāfijai nenāk par labu, vismaz man tas ilgi traucēja lasīt, un skeptiķiem diez vai palīdzēs uztvert Pītersona darbu nopietni. Bet grāmata sniedz diezgan biedējošu ieskatu, kā woke ideoloģija ieperinājās Rietumvalstu universitātēs un ko tā grib panākt tālāk, jau likumdošanas procesos.
December 1, 2024
Before you read this book make sure you have a look through the comments. There you will find the humble author Jim Proser himself in all his flaccid glory. He may have gotten confused and either forgotten how the internet works or mistook this platform for facebook, or even possibly the youtube comments section. Although none of this explains why he gave his own book a 5-star review. Nor does it explain his ranting about some Marxist agenda or whatever. I hesitate to throw accusations of fascist around, but it's become somewhat of a litmus test of sorts. Studies consistently show far-right ""thinker's"" having exceptionally low IQs. Yes, if this liberal eugenics of dumb guys holds water I suppose that might clue you in on the quality of this book. Jim Proser may not be a fascist but he's definitely lagging behind the intellectuals.
March 5, 2020
A highly readable and decent overview of Jordan Peterson's life, if you like biographies written by a fan of Ben Shapiro or Sean Hannity. I would have probably given this book more stars had it not relied on fanatical neo-conservative ideologists like David Horowitz for representing conservatism. The author also lumped Peterson in with that robotic voiced Ben Shapiro. It is ridiculous to even place Peterson on the same level as that neoconservative hack. The Russophobic author also has a barely superficial grasp on the subject of philosophy and Marxism. Proser's parts of the book on Putin were so clueless it was laughable.
Where Peterson is interesting is in his criticism of feminism, aggressive LGBT activism, and other current trends in leftist movements, but he made a fatal mistake in attributing them to Marxism and communist societies as all these things are in actuality flourishing in capitalist societies, not communist ones. Cultural Marxism is a misnomer. It should be called Cultural Capitalism or Liberalism. Outside of his Jungian psychology and courageous stance against leftist agitation and propaganda, Peterson just appears to be yet another apologist for billionaires whom also pose a subversive threat to democracy and a status quo that protects elitist class interests.
Where Peterson is interesting is in his criticism of feminism, aggressive LGBT activism, and other current trends in leftist movements, but he made a fatal mistake in attributing them to Marxism and communist societies as all these things are in actuality flourishing in capitalist societies, not communist ones. Cultural Marxism is a misnomer. It should be called Cultural Capitalism or Liberalism. Outside of his Jungian psychology and courageous stance against leftist agitation and propaganda, Peterson just appears to be yet another apologist for billionaires whom also pose a subversive threat to democracy and a status quo that protects elitist class interests.
September 6, 2023
My gosh…what a book.
I now admire Dr. Peterson. If you take the time to read this masterpiece, regardless of your politics, it’s hard not to gain a certain respect for him. He never wanted to get political but our broken world forced him into that corner. This book paints him not as an angry tyrant but as a professor who has given up part of himself for humanity.
I’m not endorsing anyone. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. This, however, is a beautiful book. That’s my opinion and thank God I have the freedom to speak it.
I now admire Dr. Peterson. If you take the time to read this masterpiece, regardless of your politics, it’s hard not to gain a certain respect for him. He never wanted to get political but our broken world forced him into that corner. This book paints him not as an angry tyrant but as a professor who has given up part of himself for humanity.
I’m not endorsing anyone. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. This, however, is a beautiful book. That’s my opinion and thank God I have the freedom to speak it.
April 7, 2023
Kā priviliģētam, baltajam pusmūža vīrietim un maskulīnam patriarhātiskās tirānijas piekritējam - šī bija bauda manām acīm. Mums visiem der ievilkt elpu un pieņem, ka politiskajā spektrā būs uzskatu dažādība un nav vienam otru jāsauc vārdos, un jāapkaro.
December 10, 2019
I received and ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.
Let's talk a moment about what I didn't like since that list is much shorter.
1) The biography jumped around in many places that didn't make sense. There were parts where I sat pondering why this information was added when it doesn't add to the story of Jordan Peterson's life.
2) I'm not huge into politics, and I believe those sections were where the story dragged for me. That one is just a personal preference and doesn't reflect on the book itself.
What I enjoyed:
1) The Dante's Inferno correlation to Peterson's life and his search for meaning.
2) All the psychological insights about his children.
3) Proof that Peterson is a flawed human, like the rest of us.
4) The Epilogue. It was unexpected and it hit me straight in the feels.
This book probably isn't for most people. If you ere on the side of conservative and/or if you're a fan of Jordan Peterson's lectures and his book "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos", and want to know more about the man himself, I definitely recommend this book.
Let's talk a moment about what I didn't like since that list is much shorter.
1) The biography jumped around in many places that didn't make sense. There were parts where I sat pondering why this information was added when it doesn't add to the story of Jordan Peterson's life.
2) I'm not huge into politics, and I believe those sections were where the story dragged for me. That one is just a personal preference and doesn't reflect on the book itself.
What I enjoyed:
1) The Dante's Inferno correlation to Peterson's life and his search for meaning.
2) All the psychological insights about his children.
3) Proof that Peterson is a flawed human, like the rest of us.
4) The Epilogue. It was unexpected and it hit me straight in the feels.
This book probably isn't for most people. If you ere on the side of conservative and/or if you're a fan of Jordan Peterson's lectures and his book "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos", and want to know more about the man himself, I definitely recommend this book.
May 19, 2023
Que homem!!!
Jordan enfrentou demônios internos e externos ao mesmo tempo e com uma bela camada de problemas de saúde na família.
É revoltante como os opositores dele simplesmente não raciocinam, agindo e falando coisas completamente opostas e sem sentido.
Jordan só cresce e melhora e fico na torcida para que isso seja cada vez mais.
A biografia é muito boa, com muita contextualização da época e dos acontecimentos. Pretendo reler com mais calma da próxima vez (li mto direto e com isso ficou mto pesado e cansativo).
Vale a pena para quem gosta das ideias dele, e também, para quem não gosta!
Jordan enfrentou demônios internos e externos ao mesmo tempo e com uma bela camada de problemas de saúde na família.
É revoltante como os opositores dele simplesmente não raciocinam, agindo e falando coisas completamente opostas e sem sentido.
Jordan só cresce e melhora e fico na torcida para que isso seja cada vez mais.
A biografia é muito boa, com muita contextualização da época e dos acontecimentos. Pretendo reler com mais calma da próxima vez (li mto direto e com isso ficou mto pesado e cansativo).
Vale a pena para quem gosta das ideias dele, e também, para quem não gosta!
August 25, 2020
I saw the title and I am a fan of Dr. Peterson. I have read his two books, listened to countless hours of his podcasts and videos. So when I saw this book I was intrigued. I read the sample and looked into who the author. I almost stopped right there but I so wanted to read the book that I let our differences be just that, differences. They are OK. Dr. Peterson and I have some common ground and in some ways, we are miles apart. It's very interesting to see Dr. Peterson through Jim Proser's eyes. My wife and kids do not share my admiration for Dr. Peterson. I forgive them. They don't know him as I do. I came to know of him through Sam Harris. I'm a big fan of Sam as well. I AM NOT a fan of Trump. That's one thing my wife and kids and I agree on. I consider myself a free thinker, a skeptic, and on my better days a philosopher. I thank Jim Proser for detailing the extremely awful of Mikhaila's living hell. I need to go back through the book and do some more highlighting. There is a lot there. I'm looking forward to Dr. Peterson's next book. And I may even read Jim's next book too. It all depends on the subject matter. "So many books, so little time." - Frank Kappa.
March 27, 2021
A helpful overview not only of Jordan Peterson’s stance and efforts in the current social and political climate but also of political and philosophical trends over the last 50 years in general. A helpful read.
February 14, 2020
I can’t get enough of anything related to Jordan B Peterson.
February 22, 2020
Dr. Jordan Peterson is one of the extremely rare public figures that you can respect in Canada nowadays. PERIOD!
November 26, 2024
I’ve been very challenged by Dr. Peterson in many, many ways. This dude does not sugar coat his opinions or the facts. That alone is fascinating to listen to. Honestly, there is a great deal of what he says that still goes over my head but the pieces I take from him is always a greatly cherished challenge to the way I “understand” life and people. Especially when I struggle to agree with him.
All that said, I am very weary of peoples words. It’s easy to manipulate when the speaker sounds intelligent and their audience is hungry at a soul level to find truth… I lean towards hesitation to believe such strongly outspoken people. So anyway, when I stumbled upon this book I knew instantly I wanted to read it. I am not a big biography person in general so I can’t speak to it in terms of how others are written, but I will say that I personally deeply enjoyed it.
I will forever admire some peoples willingness to be vulnerable enough to share one’s deepest struggles and even their story in general. Especially when it isn’t solely for more attention. I believe the author did a great job of honoring Dr. Peterson’s story. I have an even deeper respect for the knowledge that Dr. Peterson believes should be shared now. It wasn’t a fluff piece out to make people worship the dude, I truly got the sense that the goal was to simply help the reader know a bit more of the man behind all of the controversy. A way for us to better know Dr Peterson’s heart as well as his background that lead to his knowledge.
Sorry, I’m sure a lot of that was rambling. I believe it is definitely worth reading. Both the writing and whom it is written about are worth your time.
All that said, I am very weary of peoples words. It’s easy to manipulate when the speaker sounds intelligent and their audience is hungry at a soul level to find truth… I lean towards hesitation to believe such strongly outspoken people. So anyway, when I stumbled upon this book I knew instantly I wanted to read it. I am not a big biography person in general so I can’t speak to it in terms of how others are written, but I will say that I personally deeply enjoyed it.
I will forever admire some peoples willingness to be vulnerable enough to share one’s deepest struggles and even their story in general. Especially when it isn’t solely for more attention. I believe the author did a great job of honoring Dr. Peterson’s story. I have an even deeper respect for the knowledge that Dr. Peterson believes should be shared now. It wasn’t a fluff piece out to make people worship the dude, I truly got the sense that the goal was to simply help the reader know a bit more of the man behind all of the controversy. A way for us to better know Dr Peterson’s heart as well as his background that lead to his knowledge.
Sorry, I’m sure a lot of that was rambling. I believe it is definitely worth reading. Both the writing and whom it is written about are worth your time.
June 2, 2025
Grāmatu sāku lasīt ar skepsi, jo gan autora nosaukums bija izaicinošs tiem, kas ir pazīstami ar Džordana Pītersona daiļraidi, video ierakstiem utt., gan arī Džima Prozera Goodreads izlasītās grāmatas samulsina. Lai gan man bija daudz domu, grāmata man ļoti patika, nobeigums sasniedza kulmināciju, kas bija labi, jo darbs tika vērsts kā kāpšana kalnā pēc uzvaras. Arī epilogs lika pasmaidīt. Darbs bija atbilstošs Džordana personībai un interesēm, tika atspoguļoti notikumi, kas ir raisījuši interesi un vēlos apskatīt notikumus no 2015.gada un vēlāk, mazliet vairāk iedziļinoties. Noteikti vēlos izlasīt visas 5 grāmatas, ko iesaka Pītersons, bet nezinu, vai esmu gatava Solžeņicina Gulaga arhipelāgam, toties Kempbela Varonim ar tūkstoš sejām edmu gatava un noteikti paša Pītersona Map of meaning ir manā lasāmo grāmatu sarakstā. Vai grāmata būs interesanta, kas nepārzina Pītersonu, varbūt, jo varbūt sagribēsied izlasīt autora 2 pēdejos darbus labākai dzīvei, pirmie12 likumi dzîvei un nākāmie. Gaidu ar nepacietību Pītersona 5 sēriju ciklu Parenting
August 25, 2023
Savage Messiah: How Dr. Jordan Peterson Is Saving Western Civilization by Jim Proser has been classed in the psychology section at Dewey code 150.92, thus it is a biography. That is a fitting classification as most of the book deals with Peterson’s personal life, marriage, education and political activism, and therefore I didn’t find out as much about his views on pronouns and gender identity as I would have expected. That said, I did find out remarkable intimate details about Peterson’s life and his battles with depression and its relationship to his weight. I wonder if Peterson had to step onto a scale and report his weight before Proser could start a new chapter. We also learned about the painful childhood of his daughter Mikhaila and how she battled through various illnesses. She must have consented to have such personal details exposed yet perhaps she wanted to share her joy and the path she took to regain her health, as her diet seems to have helped her father embark on a healthier lifestyle as well.
Jordan Peterson certainly made his life an open book for the author. He allowed himself to be like one of his own patients as Proser analyzed and critiqued him. One cannot claim that Peterson has a different set of rules for himself when he puts himself under such a critical microscope.
At the beginning of the book Proser states:
“Decent man that he is, Jordan Peterson would never intentionally insult a person. As he has repeatedly made clear, if someone looks and dresses as a female, and has a female name, he will refer to this person as ‘she,’ whether the person is transgender or not. Likewise, if a person looks and dresses as male, and has a male name, he will refer to this person as ‘he.’ But if a bearded person wearing a skirt demands to be referred to as ‘she,’ Jordan might not acquiesce, and will not allow Ontario to tell him he must.
“Such a stance takes courage today–especially in the least open and most intolerant institution of our time, the university.”
I agree with Peterson in that I will allow no one–not a government nor my own employer, if it came to that–to tell me what terms I should use, be they pronouns, nouns or adjectives for specific groups. In the example above, I would certainly refer to the bearded skirt-wearer as “she”, but I draw the line at calling anyone by the third-person plural pronoun they. I will reword my speech and writing to avoid that singular eyesore, they. Read my recent review of the juvenile novel Rick, wherein I deliberately phrased my language to avoid that interdental monstrosity. When I see it in print, it screams at me as if it were written entirely in capital letters, halting my pace of reading as I yell it in my inner voice. And don’t get me started on the endless string of letters that continues to grow in a futile attempt to label the queer community. People can be blind to their own foolishness as they try to be sensitive to include everybody who is not straight. I will bet that their pinky fingers are paralyzed by overuse of the shift key. And who in oral discourse actually says every single letter in the queer initials string? And says it every time? I will bet that they stop at LGBT and leave it at that. I don’t even go that far; for me it’s gay or queer. You are not going to cover every orientation under the rainbow spectrum so why extend that letter string even more? When I see LGBTQIA+ or LGBTTIQQ2SA I just want to laugh at my own people.
Peterson is a disciple of the greatest feminist of our times, Camille Paglia. They both agree that in the past twenty years, universities have been acting in loco parentis, and have turned themselves into “safe spaces” while providing sensitive students with “trigger warnings” before lectures. Peterson has found himself in so much trouble because these students have lost the ability to use critical judgement. How are we supposed to raise intelligent adults if we have to coddle them until graduation? Trigger warnings and safe spaces are as unnecessary as companion animals. I agree entirely with film director John Waters, who wrote in Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder that “The only thing worse is traveling with a companion animal. If you are so mentally fragile that you can’t leave home without some poor creature you’ve condemned to a lifetime of cuddling, then you shouldn’t be allowed to mix freely in society. Don’t go to the airport; check yourself into a mental institution.” And thus if university students recoil in horror when a professor tells them that he will not use certain pronouns, you debate him, not report him to the authorities. And you certainly don’t make him attend superficial “sensitivity training” courses, all of which are useless in changing opinions or behaviours.
Peterson said:
“I think that the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal is obligated by their own tangled web to bring me in front of it. If they fine me, I won’t pay it. If they put me in jail, I’ll go on a hunger strike. [Emphatically] I’m not doing this. And that’s that. I’m not using the words that other people require me to use. Especially if they’re made up by radical left wing ideologues.” [1]
Proser certainly did his research, judging from the fifteen pages of endnotes. He is sympathetic to Peterson’s case yet I found his stereotyping of the far left to be insulting. I hold conservative views myself yet was not impressed whenever he described the physical attributes or manner of dress of protestors or witnesses. Certain haircuts (especially on women) and piercings were all demonized in his portrayal of Peterson’s enemies.
[1] The day before I finished reading this book, an Ontario court ruled against Peterson by upholding a regulatory body’s order that he undergo social media training or potentially lose his licence to practise. I can just imagine Peterson rolling his eyes heavenward as he heard this ruling. I do not believe that any kind of sensitivity or awareness training has the power to influence people to change their ways. People will sit through these obligatory classes and parrot the propaganda while counting down the minutes before they can get outta there. Peterson…undergoing “remedial coaching”! I would expect him to turn these sessions around where he coaches the coaches on common sense. I wonder how he applies the quotation above to the recent verdict against him.
November 29, 2020
During undergrad, Dr. Peterson’s lectures helped me to obtain my bachelor’s in Psychology. His Biblical lectures have helped me to understand the Bible better. His book 12 Rules for life has made a tremendous impact on my family’s life, and one of the most fascinating aspects of Jordan’s life is his ardent striving to end suffering in the world. This is the aim of Christianity as well as the study of Psychology. To see Jordan tear up when talking about people who have shown gratitude for how his work has impacted their lives honestly brings tears to my eyes.
Proser does an excellent job telling Jordan’s story, while simultaneously introducing the reader to much of Dr. Peterson’s work. Most notable is the way the author uses the mythological terminology to describe the various seasons of Jordan’s life. It is a very interesting read, especially if you want to learn more about who Dr. Peterson is and what makes him tick. It was also very well written in my opinion.
Proser does an excellent job telling Jordan’s story, while simultaneously introducing the reader to much of Dr. Peterson’s work. Most notable is the way the author uses the mythological terminology to describe the various seasons of Jordan’s life. It is a very interesting read, especially if you want to learn more about who Dr. Peterson is and what makes him tick. It was also very well written in my opinion.
May 24, 2021
My bae got me this book because he knows I despise Jordan PeePee. If you hate critical thinking and intellectualism, this book is for you. Proser regularly describes Peterson as a "healer" fighting the scourge of "neo-Marxists." I do not know what a neo Marxist is and Proser's propaganda biography failed to explain how Jordan Peterson actually healed anyone aside from descriptions of random people approaching him to cry about how he improved their life through his YouTube lectures. In addition, Proser refers to Ben Shapiro and Lauren Southern, notorious white supremacists, as sources for a newly emerging class of millennial conservatives (read: Fascists). Ben Shapiro and Lauren Southern are professional frauds funded by wealthy conservatives. I am not sure why Proser insists that the Intellectual Dark Web is immune from Big [Marxist] Brother if all of their "thinkers" are industry plants. Can someone make it make sense? Please make Jordan Pee Pee make sense to me. I'm too liberal and fragile to understand Facts and Logic.
I think what I found most horrifying about this awful book is that it is not a book at all. It is an exceptionally long Wikipedia article in an alternate universe where Wikipedia articles are exclusively written by conservatives who can't read. Please do not read this book. I laughed the whole way through about Jordan Pee Pee's all beef diet, collection of Soviet Artwork, and perverted obsession with feminists and now I fear that I have lost IQ points. I keep calling my family to accuse them of being atheists and that the West is actually becoming the Eastern Bloc because feminism.
I think what I found most horrifying about this awful book is that it is not a book at all. It is an exceptionally long Wikipedia article in an alternate universe where Wikipedia articles are exclusively written by conservatives who can't read. Please do not read this book. I laughed the whole way through about Jordan Pee Pee's all beef diet, collection of Soviet Artwork, and perverted obsession with feminists and now I fear that I have lost IQ points. I keep calling my family to accuse them of being atheists and that the West is actually becoming the Eastern Bloc because feminism.
December 27, 2019
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Briefly, "Savage Messiah" is both hagiography and demonography. The book title serves doubly as a description of Jordan Peterson's mythological self-understanding as well as of his polarized public reception. He is to most observers either a savage or a messiah. Dr. Peterson does not apply mythological importance uniquely to himself but rather accepts his responsibility to speak truthfully about the savagery and cross-bearing (messianic) competency latent in each human soul.
The author Jim Proser offers a quick-paced telling of Dr. Peterson's early life, formative education, and the flurry of events that launched him onto the world's stage. Detractors will find plenty to ridicule in the over-the-top presentation of Dr. Peterson's life in Dante-esque terms, with chapter titles like "descent into hell" and "into the belly of the beast." With only an occasional eye-roll, I much enjoyed the dramatic presentation style and found it captures well the urgency of our times and the threats to reasoned public discourse on a host of important matters. I can imagine Dr. Peterson appreciating the work done in this biography to tell his story in archetypical fashion. "Savage Messiah" tells the story of a hero's journey in which the hero contends as much with the dragon within as the dragon without.
Overall I recommend this untraditional biography if you wish to move beyond the headlines and get a bit inside the head of Jordan Peterson.
The author Jim Proser offers a quick-paced telling of Dr. Peterson's early life, formative education, and the flurry of events that launched him onto the world's stage. Detractors will find plenty to ridicule in the over-the-top presentation of Dr. Peterson's life in Dante-esque terms, with chapter titles like "descent into hell" and "into the belly of the beast." With only an occasional eye-roll, I much enjoyed the dramatic presentation style and found it captures well the urgency of our times and the threats to reasoned public discourse on a host of important matters. I can imagine Dr. Peterson appreciating the work done in this biography to tell his story in archetypical fashion. "Savage Messiah" tells the story of a hero's journey in which the hero contends as much with the dragon within as the dragon without.
Overall I recommend this untraditional biography if you wish to move beyond the headlines and get a bit inside the head of Jordan Peterson.
June 1, 2024
"Savage Messiah is at its best when Proser shows us how Peterson has helped real people, dealt with suffering in his own life and demonstrated courage in times of controversy. If only Proser had stuck to these, we might have had a short, useful, mildly interesting biography of an early 21st-century icon who will, like most of us, be forgotten in 50 years, or dimly remembered in the way of Joseph Campbell, who was the Jordan Peterson of the Sixties. Instead, we have biography as mythology, with Proser writing his own version of Peterson’s Maps of Meaning and Peterson as the solitary hero who ‘slays the dragon of chaos’." ... "But this is not an intellectual biography. It lacks any serious evaluation of Peterson’s thinking or popularity."
https://thespectator.com/book-and-art...
https://thespectator.com/book-and-art...
July 6, 2020
I really like Jordan Peterson and am very familiar with his personal stories through his lectures. There is not a ton of new info in this book, and it was written in a really fawning style, which made it hard to take seriously. Also, the author uses a lot of phrases, especially when recounting Peterson's formative years, which sound like they came straight out of Peterson's mouth. This book was of greater interest to me when it got into the more recent years of Peterson's life because it had more new information (that you wouldn't have gotten from Peterson himself listening to his lectures).
January 2, 2023
Wow, I'm so glad I read this book. I began following Dr Peterson when l seen him in an episode of Tucker Carlson. I was instantly intrigued by Dr Peterson opinions and teachings. This book gave me a deeper insight on what has helped form Dr Peterson 's views. As well as a better look at his personal life. I think any followers of Dr Peterson will enjoy this book.
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