Thank you to NetGalley and Agenda Publishing for this free/advanced copy of Lost in Ideology: Interpreting Modern Political Life by Jason Blakely in exchange for an (honest) review.


When I was describing the overall summary of this book to a friend I realized how much it had taught me and how much I still have to learn about politics and ideologies and how they are often woven together. I’m grateful for the inclusive writing style Jason Blakely used, as political books can get very convoluted with jargon the average person doesn’t understand and point fingers at differences instead of focusing on similarities. I also can see this book being applicable in the present and future as it can apply to every phase and style of government.

This book sets out to define and explain different ideological maps that people operate under in modern day societies and ones of the past. A large point of this book is that people that operate under different ideological maps see things so vastly differently it can be very difficult for them to understand each others points of view. It talks about how each map views things and how people from different maps might be able to relate to each other.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Each map was well explained and when I read it I could tell that a lot of time had been put into research for each topic. The book is very well written and is easy to understand even for someone like me who isn’t all that into politics.

The main reason I’m not giving the book a higher star rating is it didn’t have very much staying power with me. I will admit I’m writing this review a couple of weeks after I finished the book (shame on me I know) and I don’t remember much beyond general impressions.

Overall I do recommend this book though. It has a lot of good info for people looking to get into reading more about politics.

So, in Parts 1 and 2, the book discusses the history and early philosophical origins of various dominating philosophies. However, considering the title "Interpreting Modern Political Life," it felt somewhat inadequate. There was very little focus on the evolution of ideology and more on accounting for the most prominent ideological and political phenomena happening in contemporary times. Although the discussions on fascism and socialism were very illuminating.

In Part 3, liquidized ideologies broke from the tradition of being solely confined to earlier times, and we got more discussion on contemporary issues. However, the lack of inclusion of ideological mashups in cyberspace made it seem unfinished.

Overall, I liked the book quite a lot, even though I had a hard time getting into some of the chapters. The author did a good job explaining some of the most dominating ideological beliefs.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

This book should be a must-have pocket book for those who discuss politics in any dimension and an important read for the ones who are present in online spaces where ideologies are deliberated. I would recommend it as those important books you keep on your shelf for consulting as you go, rather than reading it all in one streak.
In a time where we are all so divided by different sects, ideologies, schools of thought and political views, it is important to seek counsel from a source like this - one that will show you the ups and downs of each ideology in a neutral way.
For those who are not well-read in politics and sociology, it offers essential perspective and base knowledge. For those who are well versed, this offers a grounding experience.
The criticism I have of this book is that whenever it argues a point of view is wrong, there was a missed change to explore why such point of view is wrong.
It is a short and easy read, making it quite accessible even for the laziest learners to the busiest political enthusiasts.
The link to my video review is attached to this.

‘Comparative Religions’ For US Politics Should Be Required Reading For Every Voter In An Election Year. The title of this review basically sums up the entire review. This truly is a well written “comparative religions” type text, except for US political thought rather than the various global religions traditions. Showing the history and development of each “map”, as Blakely calls them, (but without much documentation – more on that momentarily), Blakely does a remarkably balanced job of showing each school of thought in as close to a neutral fashion as may be possible – extremists within any given school may think he didn’t present “their” side good enough, or perhaps shows “their” enemies in too good of a light, but from an objective-ish position, I stand by my statement of just how neutral he really is here. And yes, I really do think this should be required reading for every US voter before really even deciding who ultimately to vote for in any given election, as this book is truly a solid primer on the various ideologies used throughout the US and their various offshoots and intersections. Truly, it will allow each individual to better understand even those they disagree vehemently with, and ultimately a voter that better understands everyone is a better informed voter, period, who ultimately would at least have the ability to make a more fully informed decision.

Indeed, the *only* problem with this book – and thus the star deduction, as it *is* something I deduct for in all instances – is the lack of documentation. Even if I were willing to slide from my 20-30% standard (and as I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, I am openly considering this with every new book), this book clocking in at just 12% documentation still feels a bit light for all of its claims, no matter how well balanced.

Still, again, every voter should absolutely read this book before making any electoral decisions going forward, whether that be in 2024 or for the next several years – until this book is invalidated by future changes, whenever that may be. Very much recommended.