Guest post by Jay Stone. I find it amusing that, in less than a week since its release, Mike Cernovich’s MAGA Mindset is outselling all of Hillary Clinton’s books put together. To understand why this simple book is performing so well is to understand the book’s core message.
Trump is a cultural phenomenon. MAGA Mindset is a short-and-sweet book that explains the rise of Trump from an insider’s perspective. It’s the kind of book I want to buy for friends and family members who still don’t get it. “To get up to speed,” I would say, “just read this.”
MAGA Mindset embodies the Trump cultural phenomenon as much as it explains it. It’s not politically correct. It’s rhetorically simple. Like the Trump movement, the book is reaching people through the grassroots. People are learning about it through Twitter and Periscope and independent bloggers, not The New York Times.
The book is divided into three sections: culture, media, and mindset. In the culture section, Cernovich argues that there are four engines driving the Trump train forward: 1) Trump is a nationalist; 2) Trump has rejected the concept of white guilt; 3) Trump is unapologetically masculine; and 4) He stands against political correctness. Cernovich goes on to explain each of these and the rise of terms like “cuckservative.”
Cernovich is most passionate when writing about masculinity and mindset. He pleas for people — particularly men — to get some backbone. “Stop being so apologetic,” he writes. “Stand up for yourself. And most of all, never, never, never apologize for being a man.”
As a follower of Mike Cernovich on Twitter (@cernovich), I found myself nodding through the media section, recalling Michelle Fields and other media hoaxes he writes about. His insights on the news cycle are interesting, but I wish he’d gone into more detail.
The mindset section was particularly insightful. For example, I didn’t realize how core mindset is to Trump, beginning in his childhood. I also liked his analysis of the “10 principles of the Trump mindset.” One of them is to use affirmations. Another is to think big. I couldn’t help but feeling pepped up after reading this section.
For Cernovich, a MAGA mindset is essential to saving America and Western Civilization. He offers a worldview that connects the personal to the political.
“MAGA Mindset” isn’t perfect. It’s not particularly deep. It feels disjointed at certain points. But Cernovich effectively synthesizes a lot of information in a cohesive manner that makes it easily understandable.
Cernovich says Trump would easily win the election if everyone read this book. This writer agrees.
MAGA Mindset: Making YOU and America Great Again
By Mike Cernovich
Castalia House, 102 pages
$7.99 kindle, $9.99 paperback
