An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West

by Konstantin Kisin

For all the West's failings - terrible food, cold weather, and questionable politicians with funny hair to name a few - it has its upsides. Konstantin would know. Growing up in the Soviet Union, he experienced first-hand the horrors of a socialist paradise gone wrong, having lived in extreme poverty with little access to even the most basic of necessities. It wasn't until he moved to the UK that Kisin found himself thriving in an open and tolerant society, receiving countless opportunities he would never have had otherwise.

Funny, provocative and unswervingly perceptive, An Immigrant's Love letter to the West interrogates the developing sense of self-loathing the Western sphere has adopted and offers an alternative perspective. Exploring race politics, free speech, immigration and more, Kisin argues that wrongdoing and guilt need not pervade how we feel about the West - and Britain - today, and that despite all its ups and downs, it remains one of the best places to live in the world.

After all, if an immigrant can't publicly profess their appreciation for this country, who can?

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook, Sociology

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2022

Reviews

[Sian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on Audible. Not what I expected at all; I thought this was going to be tales of life in the final days of the USSR. My mistake! Instead it was the author’s views on life in the West. His political views are not very similar to mine, however, I found myself interested in what he had to say. I even found myself agreeing with quite a lot of his book (I definitely also disagreed with some parts). On the whole I enjoyed this. It was refreshing to hear another viewpoint and I also think it’s good to listen to them. It’s good to have your own worldview challenged from time to time.

[David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

No doubt you'll already be aware of whether or not you are going to agree with much of this book. As a long term subscriber/ supporter of the Triggernometry podcast, I can't claim to be an unbiased reviewer - especially since I had the book on pre-order for weeks. Enough to say that I'm a big enough fanboy that you should feel quite comfortable dismissing my five star review, as long as you're equally willing to ignore the 1 star review from the person who reviewed the book three weeks before it came out.
The launch of this book coincided with my summer holiday, so I took a sunny day out to listen to the audio of this and was entertained and informed. Next, I'm going to take my time with the Kindle version. What I'd like to do now is discuss whether this book is for you by comparing it to a couple of others that are already on the market.
Interesting that this book was reviewed by Douglas Murray for the Sunday Times, because it treads a very similar path to The War on the West. However, this book has a far more conciliatory and moderate tone. Whereas Douglas set out to take a wrecking ball to the worst hypocracies of the educated left, KK shies away from the bombastic approach, querying, questioning and providing intelligent counter arguments that might actually have a chance of changing minds through reasoned argument, rather than smashing down the walls.
That said, it's not a dry read. While neither adhering to the dogma of the left or the right, KK is careful to point out the lazy assumptions, historical ignorance and false assumptions that many influencers assume we should all accept as gospel. It goes to some length to explain why the modern left's groupthink is a threat to the Anglosphere without making the reader put hours of work in to get the point. For this reason I'd say that, for progressive readers, it's as informative as Despised: Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class, but it won't go out of its way to piss you off while you're reading it.
A common problem I find with the likes of Ben Shapiro and Bret Weinstein Naomi Klein and many political authors is that their books (at least the ones I've read) completely ignore anything outside of America. I'd suggest a similar note of caution for American readers who might not have read anything aimed at an international audience. This book has a very Anglo-centric slant, but at least American writers, politicians, thinkers and institutions are referenced throughout. In balance, this is only to be expected, because KK is writing about his experiences as an immigrant in Britain.
In summary - I was always going to love this book, but I'd recommend it to anyone who is more interested in a light read that provides a respectful and reasoned argument than a rant.

[Cav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The strength or weakness of a society depends more on the level of its spiritual life than on its level of industrialisation. Neither a market economy nor even general abundance constitutes the crowning achievement of human life. If a nation’s spiritual energies have been exhausted, it will not be saved from collapse by the most perfect government structure or by any industrial development. A tree with a rotten core cannot stand."
~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West was an excellent short read. The author drops the quote above by the famous Russian Gulag prisoner, author, and dissident at the start of the book.
The art on the cover of the book is a throwback to Russian Communist propaganda posters. The book's title could also possibly be a throwback to famous KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov's 1984 book: Love Letter to America, which was penned under the pseudonym of Tomas Schuman.
I have loosely followed the author online for a few years, through his TRIGGERnometry Podcast. I generally enjoy their content, so I decided to give this one a read.

Author Konstantin Kisin is a Russian-British comedian and political commentator. Kisin regularly writes for a number of publications including Quillette, The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and Standpoint on issues relating to tech censorship, woke culture, comedy and so-called "culture war" topics.

Konstantin Kisin:



Kisin gets the writing here off on a good foot, with a very well-written preface. He talks about the recent increase in societal polarization, and the invasion of Russia by Germany in WW2 (Operation Barbarossa). He also tells the reader a bit about his early life in Russia, where he was warned to not repeat in public what was talked about in his household.

He then moves on to cover the famous story of the Russian boy Pavlik Morozov, who turned his father in to the authorities and was the subject of a massive propaganda campaign by the Russian government.
Kisin also touches on the term "useful idiot," which was reportedly coined by Vladimir Lenin, and is roughly defined as: "a term for a person perceived as propagandizing for a cause without fully comprehending the cause's goals, and who is cynically used by the cause's leaders." He cites American socialist politician Bernie Sander's 3 properties and ~$200k salary to further this point. This talk then dovetails nicely into socialism and its philosophical underpinnings, which were provided by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels.

Kisin has an excellent writing style that should have no trouble holding the reader's attention. The book has great flow. Kisin peppers his writing here with many humorous asides. This can be tough to do in a book, and I feel that he effectively pulled it off here. The audiobook version I have was also read by the author, which is a nice touch I always appreciate.

He lays out this quote early on, which states his reason for writing this book in the first place:

"I can still remember the day I arrived in the UK with a wonderful sense of promise and expectation. Twenty-five years on, that feeling of freedom has never gone away. Nor has my adopted country ever disappointed me.
Despite all the ups and downs, it has always been wonderful to me. That’s why I’ve written this love letter to Western civilisation.
In short, Britain – and the West in general – saved me from a terrible fate. Now, as people seek to destroy it, I want to save it in return."

The author also makes sure to tell the reader that this book will not be a partisan piece, however:

"I should make extremely clear at this point that I have no interest whatsoever in the false dichotomy of Right v. Left. Some of the things in this book will map neatly into the left-wing worldview, and others into socalled ‘right-wing talking points’, but I have no interest in being in either of these tribes. If there is one thing my Soviet childhood taught me, it’s that subscribing to someone else’s ideology will always inevitably mean having to suspend your own judgement about right and wrong to appease your tribe. I refuse to do so."

And cautions against the dangers of seeking a utopian society:

"...Therefore, instead of wasting time trying to create a perfection which can’t be achieved, the best we can do is deal with reality as we find it – and not as we wish it to be. And, in order to do this successfully, we must bear the cruel lessons of history in mind at every step. If we don’t, we’re doomed to repeat the worst mistakes of our forefathers. And, for all we know, we might even make a bigger hash of it all."

So, how did we get here? Partially due to the failure of our education system, which tells young, impressionable minds what to think, and not how to think. Kisin writes:

"In their book The Coddling of the American Mind Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff detail the extraordinary transformation of higher education in Western countries in recent decades. In the early 1990s, the left-to-right ratio of university professors was about two to one. Today, it is ten to one and, in many social science departments, the ratio frequently approaches and exceeds 100 to one.
This means that our education system has become a progressive monoculture in which young people are increasingly taught the ‘correct’ thing to think, as opposed to being taught how to think. Rather than equipping the next generation of students with the tools they need to analyse facts and reach their own conclusions, our universities now indoctrinate young people into a particular worldview..."

The scope of the writing here is quite broad, and many different issues are touched on. Kisin draws parallels between the Bolsheviks and modern-day western society. He also speaks to the cyclicality of civilizations, and the Russian Gulags:
"Historians estimate that 10 per cent of the total gulag prison population was killed each year..."

Some more of what is covered here includes:
• Slavery around the globe; a brief history. The inherent problems with reparations.
• Free speech – and why it matters. Recent encroachments into free speech.
• How language is used to conceal the truth; the Marxist roots of political correctness.
• Why we need journalists, not activists.
• The c-word (capitalism); the historical failings of socialist societies. Venezuela's socialist disaster. The "good" and "bad" of capitalism.
• The other c-word (comedy). The censorship of comedy ruining the art. Jesters have been around forever.
• An immigrant’s view on immigration. The racism of "diversity" policies. The myth of Britain historically being a "nation of immigrants."
• Ten ways to destroy the West; the destructive effects of far-left progressive ideology on society. Cultural relativism.
• How useful idiots handed Stalin the nuclear bomb.

This quote ties a nice knot in the writing, and could be underscored for its importance:

"On almost every issue that we claim to care about in the West, there is nowhere in the developing world that comes close to what we have. Think of any major country outside Western Europe and North America: China, Russia, Brazil, India and even Japan. Is there a single sane person who thinks ethnic minorities are treated better there than in the West? Are these countries safer? Are the people of China free to speak their mind? Is there less racism in Brazil? Less discrimination or violence in India? Do the Japanese welcome foreigners with open arms? Japan has a wonderfully rich culture, but in 2017 there were 19,628 asylum applications. Only twenty were approved. That’s the sort of ratio your favourite ‘white supremacist’ bogeyman couldn’t have dreamed of!"

************************

As mentioned at the start of this review; this was a great short book. Unfortunately, most of the material covered here will read like borderline satire to those unfamiliar with the current political climate and culture war. For that reason, books like this serve as important counterbalances to societies' pathological groupthink, and should be on the required reading list of anyone who is young and impressionable...
5 stars, and a spot on my "favorites" shelf.

[Thia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So personal and touching! I just loved this book. You so rarely hear expressions of unqualified gratitude for anything these days. It���s not political in that it’s neither right nor left, but it is a powerful critique of communism and a hopeful appeal to enlist it’s enemies to “testify” before it’s too late. Everyone should give it a listen whatever your political affiliation. This Russian immigrant’s story was beautifully told, deeply personal, and the audiobook was read by the author himself.

My favorite excerpt:
“Before the millennium arrived people in Russia had even stopped having children because there was so much instability. By 1999 the total population fell by about 3/4 of a million, which is a lot. Rates of suicide and murder were also increasing. Access to medicine was poor. I watched all this unfold on the news from my new adopted home. I also kept in touch with old school friends who’d tell me of the disturbing world they were living in. And, crucially, how lucky I was to have been air-lifted out and delivered into a place of peace and prosperity, a country where I could thrive and be equal. And, although I missed my family, I knew they were right. I can still remember the day I arrived in the UK with a wonderful sense of promise and expectation. Twenty-five years on that feeling of freedom has never gone away. Nor has my adopted country ever disappointed me. Despite all the ups and downs, it has always been wonderful to me. That’s why I’ve written this love letter to Western civilization. In short, Britain and the West in general saved me from a terrible fate. Now, as people seek to destroy it, I want to save it in return.”

[Martin Mele · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pure disappointment.
Who ever says:

‘So Bernie is a hypocrite because he is not a poor person by himself. Engels nor Marx had no right to become socialists because they had not been raised by the street.’

or

“tRuSt mE i LiVEd in USSR uP to mY aGE of 12 sO i KnoW tHe BesT”

Has none of my attention.

[Kinga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less of a love letter and more of a nostalgic whinge about the state of the West currently. I am slightly familiar with Konstantin Kisin’s TRIGGERnometry, but I found this book lacking in substance and in form. He is very grateful for the life he has had in the UK, but he does spend a lot of time complaining about the direction the country is taking. I found a lot of his claims unsubstantiated: the leftist liberal media (really? Have you seen the Daily Mail or the Daily Telegraph), remainers forming 75 percent of all panel shows on the BBC (proof, please), Texas and Florida doing much better than New York during the COVID crisis (both states have higher death rates of COVID, despite the fact that their population densities are not necessarily as high as New York’s). He takes a pop at WHO doing science things such as changing advice once more evidence is available. He bemoans the loss of “edgy” comics and signs the praises of Joan River’s quite deplorable joke about Heidi Klum looking hot. But it’s ok, because Kisin is Jewish. Maybe other Jewish people didn’t find the joke as funny, but that would probably make them “woke”.

I come from a similar background to Konstantin, having grown up under Communism. It's not a state of being which I desire to return to, and I think Kisin's insistence that much of the liberal west does, is forced and unsubstantiated. There are fringes of leftist extremists in the West, just like there are fringes of extremist rightists. The economic differences between those on gig economy and those on six or seven-digit salaries keeps growing and inequality increases, this is hardly evidence for a society headed for a Marxist paradise.

Free speech is Kisin’s great rallying cry seemingly forgetting that, in the age of algorithm-driven social media, free speech is sometimes an excuse to be abusive towards others. He alleges that all liberal voices want to force communism upon the West for which he has no actual proof. He accuses most teachers in0 the UK of being Communists. As someone who’s worked in education in the UK for well over 15 years, I find this to be one of the most absurd claims.

Kisin’s approach to things is novel and his YouTube channel certainly makes for great discussions and thought-provoking discourse. In this book, I found the content a bit fluffy and without sound proof.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meditation on the madness of the modern West by a survivor of the Soviet Union.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Разбира се, абсолютно всичко, което казва Константин Кисин е вярно. Сравненията, които прави на съвременните "културни войни" и "събуденото" ляво в западния свят с комунистите в Руската империя и СССР са съвсем точни и навременни. Самият той е добър оратор и доста забавен на живо.

И също така разбира се, в книгата си не казва нищо ново, никой от "другата страна" няма да седне да я прочете, да се удари по челото и да каже "Ебаси, ама то ние сме били като лошите болшевики, колко съм грешал досега!". Хората от едната страна на тая културна война знаят нещата, които той разказва, а на хората от другата страна не им пука за тях. Просто поредната anti-woke книга.

[Najada Zylyftari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was amazing, and it had so many valid points that people should be reminded of. However, I want to say that if the book had used a more professional (but simple) approach instead of adding phrases like 'whatever that means' or 'sure, I would know' on every page, it would honestly be a 5-star. If it had presented all those facts and arguments in a different way, it would have been such a great and important book for a reality check for everyone.

I was going to give this 3 stars, but I'm giving it 4 just because I laughed so much at the last chapter. It was very funny and very sad at the same time...

[Jennifer Maloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a relatively quick and fascinating look at Western culture through the eyes of a Russian Jewish immigrant to the UK. He has a unique perspective on our culture that we’d be wise to listen to! Plus he’s a comedian, so is able to get his points across in a way that’s funny and easy to digest.

Other than the last 40 pages (which I found off-putting - these parts were meant to be sarcastic, but didn’t come through well in written format), I found this book both fascinating and horrifying as the author laid out just how fast we’re sliding in the toxic, authoritarian, communistic culture that ruined his homeland and killed millions of people. Honestly I think everyone in the Western world should read this book. His warning is a real eye-opener!

CW: copious amounts of swearing

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

He’s a post secondary grad. He lived in authoritarian governments and lived in many countries and says lived experience, saying you know as much as we think the West is bad or is failing. It’s still better than a lot of places.

On a you tube clips he goes on to say in a dialogue with a radio host which draws a person into reading his book 📕

Human diversity….
I think could be best explained with this quote.


Why do you think it’s so difficult to publicly advocate for problems of men and boys?

Because victimhood doesn’t work For Men as it does for women we don’t feel sorry for men rightfully so …

Biological men are disposable the way women are not for obvious reasons men women in tribalism ten women go to war you’re screwed, ten men go to war one comes back you can regrow and tribalism replenish

So that we don’t feel sorry for men in the same way and not advocating to feel sorry for men because I don’t think that’s a solution to men’s problem. Solution for men’s problems is a solution to be better.

How do you mean?

How do you mean, you know what I mean your entire life is made induced into being a better version of yourself emotionally psychiatry, psychology, financially mentally you’re obsessed with performance you’re obsessed with being better you’re obsessed to being more happier, more fulfilled, and all of these things, it’s a pursuit in your own happiness

-Konstantin Kisen

[Darcy Graystock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full of simple claims, tokenstic examples and illogical fallacies which make it difficult to keep up with the ‘arguments’ made in each chapter.
If you were looking for an academic insight into the pros of the West, look again. The author makes little effort to actually promote the West but rather relies on his brief experience in the Soviet Union, routinely tokenising his ‘immigrant’ card to make weak points and jibes. What was most disappointing was the constant rhetoric of ‘well it could be worse! Look at these other countries…’, it could also be a lot better!
The author consistently makes assertions and predictions throughout, rarely supporting himself with evidence in any form which comes across as a Twitter feud more than anything. Fails to go into depth about foreign policy, imperialism or economic strategy when talking about either side, which makes for an easy but whiney read.
This book certainly panders towards daily mail readers and those who lack critical thinking skills, read at your own risk!

[Kailea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very easy read and there were certain things that I learned, but it lacked a certain something. I can't quite figure out what that something is. Perhaps it lacked depth, (it definitely lacked sources!) or a more consistent tone. It is written by a comedian, so one could expect it to be satire, but it's not fully that. It waffles between seriousness, satire, and sarcasm. There are some funny lines, and I get his point, but he often dismisses issues without really getting into the meat of them. I suppose that's not the purpose of his book, but then what is? It's definitely not a love letter, though he does love and appreciate what western culture has given him.

[Alen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile

[K M Laume]

Been following KK’s work for some years now, so know many of his political thoughts already. I found reading about his family and growing up in the Soviet really interesting and I wish there was actually more of that (perhaps next book?). My grandfather was a prisoner in a Nazi labour camp so I found the stories of his grandparents in labour camps and comments on slavery interesting. It’s important to read and learn these stories that are often left out of mainstream narratives. He backs up many of his claims with data, mentioning the one piece of data I always try to tell people about - that more people died in the Soviet at a more rapid pace during WWII (≈20mil) than from the Nazi WWII efforts (≈6mil), both of course horrific.
The book mostly flowed nicely, though the chapter on comedy seemed to come out of nowhere and take the book elsewhere - felt it could’ve been more passing comment within the rest of book or saved for another book (though I appreciate his enthusiasm to fit everything in his first book!)
Though KK claims to have wanted to write a book that anyone can read and to convince all sorts of people regardless of political leaning, I still think the way he writes often drifts into snarky stabs at activists and people on the ‘far left’ especially the final chapter where he uses sarcasm to give advice on how to ‘destroy the west’. Though I get why he wants to express in this way (and he does this a lot in his podcast too) I never feel it’s a very productive way of growing the discussion - rather it triggers defensiveness and closes down conversations between all but ‘the choir’.
One last thing - I felt a few of the examples/references he used weren’t explained enough (by in-text or footnote) and could’ve done with some explanation for those that aren’t on twitter following all the stories that he follows - eg. JK Rowling pile-on was mentioned - the story of which I know already, yet many won’t and more info would’ve been good. Sometimes it felt a bit name-drop-y for no reason, like the Ru Paul reference… a bit odd to me and I couldn’t work out why it was there.
But all and all, I’m proud of KK for writing and releasing his first book and to great success. I’d definitely recommend a read at least for the Soviet stories alone!

[Taiba Alhumaidhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book after I saw the author in a podcast, his insights were refreshing and so very true and so I thought his book would be the same. Unfortunately, there is a lot of glorification of “the west” and cherry picked negative details of the Middle East and Asia. I strongly suggest the author do some research before plugging in content without studying the cultures or even implying that they don’t work based on his point of view.

[rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d on kindle at about 8%. i really enjoy reading books about the Soviet Bloc etc from the perspective of people who lived during them, however i found the constant put down of “woke” culture and the transphobic comments in the beginning of the book incredibly off putting. i’m all for being challenged politically but this read like a downtrodden man’s monologue about cancel culture

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book everyone should read and take note of the content and concerns it highlights. We need to cherish our freedoms and stop all the hysterical wokery that is destroying the west. We are better than that.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had to level one criticism against this book, it would be that the statements “more men than women died during Covid” and “women make better leaders in a crisis” aren’t actually mutually exclusive. They do not contradict.

[Lamilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 half - adding 1 point for Kisin's humour

[Renata Barros · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great candidate for the podcast If Books Could Kill.

[James Anson · Rating 5 out of 5]

British people complaining about their lot, including elected politicians, has become as much of a ritual as a good cup of tea. It is not until some reach the point where they romanticise a life outside of a Western democracy that it compels a few, such as Konstantin Kisin, to set a few things straight. Kisin is one arm of the successful podcast Triggernometry, a stand up comedian and a one time citizen of 1980s Soviet communism. Having left Russia to attend a boarding school in the U.K., Kisin is as much grateful to the British way of life as he is nonplussed by its creeping ingratitude.

His boarding school experience might even be apparent from the occasional finger-wagging tone of the book, that sometimes slips into more sweary frustration. What is Kisin so angry about in his 'love' letter? Too many Westerners do not know how lucky they are to be living in the West. It gets worse: some believe that socialism, in whatever derivation, might actually be preferential to Western democracy, and these ideologues are really Kisin's primary target audience. Unfortunately the 'left', as Kisin often calls them, probably won't read it, and I dare say that the book will preach to the converted more often than not. For those who nod in agreement, Kisin will still entertain with his frequent stand-up, style quips and one-liners.

Kisin will have his work cut out convincing the new left that Britain is not institutionally racist or that gender has a biological foundation. In addition, the publication of his book will inevitably result in derision for the 'cancel culture' concern - after all, quite patently, Kisin has not been silenced. Meanwhile the vast majority of people whose employment is dependent on having the 'right' (but not politically right) kind of views will lower their reading eyes to the floor and hope that identity politics eats itself sooner rather than later.

Perhaps audible gives a different experience, but when read by Kisin, An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, is blessed with irony and wit, together with some sharply reasoned arguments. This is not so much a romantic love letter, but the kind of love you offer a post cardiac relative: this is how you need to do be different for your own good. If Kisin is anything to go by, his formative brush with communism has arguably liberated him to value democratic values more than his peers who grew up with an abundance of choice, freedom and safety. Learning through experience facilitates perspective, and that's one thing that the Western upbringing fails to teach.

[Aditya Patil · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The collapse of the USSR ended one threat, but another rises in the East. If you really want to destroy the West, let your soppy utopian notions get the better of you...So, there you have it. Ten efficient and impossible-to-refute ways to destroy all that's good and prosperous about Western society.

What we'll replace it with, I have absolutely no idea - and I'm guessing you don't either, but it can only be better than freedom, democracy and prosperity.

Right, comrades?"

[Nunyah Biznuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Triggernometry, so I was really looking forward to reading Konstantin's book.

This is a thoughtful outsider's look in at the current state of play in Western culture and what's going wrong. Konstantin nails it. He's from Russia, the grandson of people who lived/were born in Gulags. He has lived under communism, and now in the UK. He can compare systems with lived experience - unlike the screaming hordes on Twitter who haven't even been outside their own US state, let alone lived in another country and needed to learn a new language & culture.

Of particular note is the chapter on journalists now being activists - this is SO bloody true and really needs honest people to pull them up.

Many people in my social groups will screech that Konstantin is a right wing shill, but this is just untrue. Read the book and see for yourself.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this. It started off well, with valid insights into the development and sanctity of bastions of Western society such as free speech. However, it turned into a not very well delivered sarcastic tirade against...well, against I'm not entirely sure what, but certainly against anyone who thinks differently to the author. I appreciated the prescient warnings against communism, but a lot of this would probably land better with Daily Mail readers. That said, it provides useful insight into that mindset and I appreciate getting a better understanding of some different viewpoints to my own.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
Definitely recommend reading and listening to his podcast Triggermetry

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster's YouTube show Triggernometry, you'll enjoy this book. I'm only a casual fan and still enjoyed it immensely. But you get my point.

In An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, Kisin recounts his family history through a few generations, his childhood experience growing up in the USSR before "immigrating" to the UK [his parents pooled all their savings to send him to boarding school in England, by himself, when he was only eleven], and a little bit of his adult life in the UK as a comedian/YouTube personality. I've (casually) watched him on YouTube for a few years, yet knew nothing about his biography; Kisin's personal and family stories are fascinating, and you can see where he gets his political views and certain perspectives. I know it's outside the scope of the book, but I'd love to hear more about his journey as a comedian and then to his YouTube show. But you get my point.

Kisin's thesis is that because he grew up in the USSR and hails from a family with both sides experiencing incredible suffering and persecution in the USSR... Kisin is an expert on communism, socialism, democratic socialism, and "liberalism." And, he's a smart guy! His personal and family history gives him another "side" of understanding UK politics that you won't often find at the local pub. It's why he's a card-carrying member of the hetereodoxy. Still, he's not a scholar or learned expert. But you get my point. Furthermore, he's not the best writer, and writes like he's addressing a crowd at a comedy show. Not a negative, but needs to be noted, but he over-uses a few phrases. But you get my point.

I read this book on a plane (it's under 200 pages--the perfect length book for a flight). I could hear Kisin's voice in my head narrating the book, almost like I was watching his YouTube show. He over-simplifies, employs logical fallacies, appeals to emotion, accuses others of not fact-checking while using stories he obviously hasn't fact checked... but which YouTube personality we watch guiltily while drinking cheap wine and painting our nails doesn't occasionally do these things?

Bottom line, however, is that Kisin is a very intelligent guy and makes some excellent point, bolstered by his LiVeD eXpErIeNcEs. He's not [insert your favorite high quality news source here] but he's fun. And you get my point.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

[CopaSribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to unpack in these pages that I don’t even know where to start (it's easy enough to do the research on your own to confirm quotes and statistics).

Mostly, I appreciated seeing the West from the perspective of an immigrant who has lived in a communist regime. His personal stories were woven perfectly with his narrative, and so much of what he pens is simply common sense, which we Westerners seem to be grappling with these days.

I listened to the audio book, which was great because Konstantin narrates it. Bonus points for quoting one of the greatest Americans--Thomas Sowell.

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new here, but Kisin does effectively elucidate the left’s threat to democracy, liberty, and culture in the UK and Western civilization while defending the unique qualities of the West that make it (for now) the best place to live in the world. He does so with humor and insight, and from the perspective of an immigrant from the old USSR who knows what the leftist alternative to our society is really like.

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read

An easy, pleasant and humoristic read, while passing on a serious message: woke culture has gone too far.
While not everything he says seem to be correct, there are quite some thought provoking comments.