Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 246 ratings

Price: 18.37

Last update: 12-20-2024


About this item

A shockingly frank memoir from a prize-winning economist, reflecting on his remarkable personal odyssey and his changing positions on identity, race, and belief.

Economist Glenn C. Loury is one of the most prominent public intellectuals of our time: he's often radically opposed to the political mainstream, and delights in upending what's expected of a Black public figure. But more so than the arguments themselves—on affirmative action, institutional racism, Trumpism—his public life has been characterized by fearlessness and a willingness to recalibrate strongly held and forcefully argued beliefs.

Loury grew up on the south side of Chicago, earned a PhD in MIT's economics program, and became the first Black tenured professor of economics at Harvard at the age of thirty-three. He has been, at turns, a young father, a drug addict, an adulterer, a psychiatric patient, a born-again Christian, a lapsed born-again Christian, a Black Reaganite who has swung from the right to the left and back again. In Late Admissions, Loury examines what it means to chart a sense of self over the course of a tempestuous, but well-considered, life.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Oliver
    5.0 out of 5 stars Personal Reflection on Life and Society
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024
    As a longtime follower and subscriber to The Glenn Show, I came into Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative with a solid understanding of Glenn's intellectual and public persona. His temperament and worldview, particularly in conversation with thinkers like John McWhorter, often resonate deeply with my own. However, what I did not expect was the level of personal vulnerability and openness that Late Admissions offers.

    Glenn’s candid recounting of his life’s struggles, particularly the self-inflicted wounds of his early years and his later reflections on his humanity, is both compelling and humbling. His willingness to share his intellectual and personal journey—warts and all—makes this memoir a gripping read. I found myself eagerly anticipating every opportunity to pick it up.

    The book’s structure is well thought out, making it easy to follow Glenn’s evolution from a young man grappling with addiction and personal failures to a leading conservative intellectual grappling with how to contribute to man's search for meaning more broadly. His writing style kept me fully engaged, often leaving me amazed at the depth and breadth of his life experiences.

    Beyond his personal story, Glenn’s critique of society’s current norms and confusion surrounding race and identity was something I found to be in alignment with my own thinking. His nuanced perspective on how reconciliation in our society will require more clarity than what our current dialogues offer is one of the most thought-provoking aspects of the book and Glenn's current work.

    In summary, Late Admissions is more than just a memoir; it's an honest, reflective account of a life lived with both triumphs and failures. Reading this book left me with a deeper appreciation for the complexities of human nature and the courage it takes to face one’s past. It offers valuable insights into race, politics, and personal responsibility, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in these themes, particularly those who appreciate an intellectually rigorous yet deeply human narrative. This is a must-read for those who value intellectual honesty and personal growth. Bravo!
  • John deLacy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dad?
    Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2024
    What actual courage and boldness looks like. Hard to put down. Expertly crafted. Such gut wrenching honesty. An invigorating read. The reader will experience empathy then cringe in disappointment only to exhale in appreciation and admiration within just a few pages of anyone of these chapters of insight into the development of one of the greatest minds and most important intellectuals and academics of our time.
  • DennyOR
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
    Well written, tell most autobiography of a narcissist. I only recommend it to those who are interested in the personal life of Mr. Loury. It's a 3.5 for me, since I wasn't.
  • Sofia Panera
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and insightful challenge to American liberal orthodoxy
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
    This is a great read which offers critical insights into Glenn Lowery's perspectives on race and culture, all grounded in his lived experience on the South Side of Chicago and deep insights from economic theory and the ways of academia. Prior to reading Late Admissions, I heard of Lowery, but never read anything he had written. I saw him as a marginalized academic, the Black conservative. This book helped me better understand his views on race and American policy. It seems that only John McWhorter and Gelnn Lowery have the credibility and skills to challenge orthodoxy. American social policy is a critical tool for improving the lives of Americans. However, sometimes it seems like our policies are not supported with evidence. Lowery makes strong arguments that challenge liberal orthodoxy, and certainly challenge current progressive stances on race and economy. Of course he paid a price for his views. In fact, the NY Times book review seemed slanted and certainly would not have encouraged me to read this book. I'm glad the perspectives page picked this up first. Well-written and insightful!
  • Elizabeth D. Thomas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intense confessional
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2024
    I enjoy Glenn's podcast, and have for over 4 years. I also try to read nearly everything he mentions. Those books alone have been dramatically expansive for me, almost like I'm getting a second masters degree.

    That said, the book itself was emotionally exhausting. I don't have first hand experience with addiction, and really respecting Glenn, it was tiring to see his own mindset and headspace keep repeating itself disastrously. In that way, it hooked me, to great effect.

    It is a really solid book with a great premise if laying everything out, and accepting all judgments (including gaming out what his "real goal" was in all his confessionals.)
  • Richard A. Nagel
    3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
    Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2024
    I concur in Laura’s review 100%. I used Prof. Loury’s work in my own classes and was interested in research of his of which I was unaware. There is not enough on his work and TMI ( too much information) on his failures as a man, husband and father- hundreds of pages too much. After reading of his ideological peregrinations and ultimate sympathy for Trump voters and Clarence Thomas I wished I had not bought the book. I finished iy not liking the man.

    He makes one very important point: the Black Lives Matter movement, to be true to its putative purpose should be concerned with aspects of Black lives in places such as the South and West sides of Chicago and the crime, lousy schools, poverty and isolation afflicting them.

    Curiously, in this regard, he mentions another highly respected economist who also is Black, Roland Fryer. Fryer has shown that while Blacks are more likely to be assaulted unjustifiably by the police than Whites, they are LESS likely to be shot, or shot and killed. This finding astounded Fryer, confirms Loury’s contention that the movement is targeting the wrong phenomenon, but goes unmentioned. Instead we get another of the many episodes of Loury’s dissolute narcissism, which don’t cease even when his faithful wife, Linda, is dying from cancer.

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