Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America

By Sam Tanenhaus

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Politics & Social Sciences

Buckley (Random House, 2025) is Sam Tanenhaus's biography of William F. Buckley Jr., founder of National Review and host of Firing Line. Buckley chose Tanenhaus, biographer of Whittaker Chambers, in 1998, granting interviews and access to his papers. The book follows Buckley from his wealthy Connecticut childhood and God and Man at Yale through his 1965 New York mayoral run, his CIA work and his feuds and friendships, showing how he shaped postwar conservatism and paved the way for Reagan.

Recommended by 1 person

• Ryan Holiday: “I know a 900 page biography about a right-wing reactionary conservative writer is probably not high in your list, but this is the best biography I read in 2025. It earns every single page and it explains so much about what's happening in the world right now.”