On Democracies and Death Cults

Murray doesn’t disappoints! Sharp, factual, engaging, and so knowledgeable. If you are ready to learn facts, understand the true evil and danger our western world and society is facing (not just Israel), this is a book you’d want to read! Sure, ignorance may be bliss for some, but we’re at a point where we just can’t afford ignoring what’s happening behind closed doors, especially if we want to keep our freedom, values and way of life. With so many mediocre “journalists” out there, THANK YOU Murray for your outstanding and factual journalism work.

This book offers an outstanding counterbalance to the biased and sensationalized coverage that has flooded the internet. In a world turned upside down, it provides an honest, sincere, and informed account of the rupture in humanity that occurred on October 7—an event far too many have chosen to ignore. It also presents clear historical context and background, of the complexities of the Middle East, the longstanding challenges surrounding Israel, and the broader struggle over democracy in the region.

This book is precisely what one should expect from journalists with a strong moral compass. It is well-researched and presented in a way that is easy to read and understand. Since October 7th, I've listened to many interviews and podcasts featuring Douglas Murray, including the ones promoting this book. So I didn't have many "aha" moments while reading. Still, much new information brought home many of the points he has spent almost 600 days making, especially regarding the responses to these attacks by the 18-24 demographic in the West. It's also very refreshing to read a book written by someone who has been to the region and has spent time with both the Palestinians and Israelis, before the attacks on October 7th. If I had any criticism, it is that I wanted more; I wanted to hear some more about the people he met while researching for this book. Not the vague 2-page non-interview with Bibi Netanyahu, but the people he broke bread with in the Druze community, the members of the Christian Arab communities, the Palestinians from Hebron and Ramallah, the Israeli people on the left, center, and right, the soldiers and survivors, and the returned hostages and their families. He has access that many people do not have; it would be nice to hear more about the people embroiled in this horrific conflict, especially those who don't have a platform for their voices to be heard.

Great price for an AMAZING book! Read people, just pick up this book and read. Douglas Murray is amazingly brilliant and even more courageous. You can read this book in an evening and you owe it to the world to do it. It’s fearless!

Murray's book does make many excellent points and has good insights. On the other hand, some of this book is common knowledge for those who have been closely following the news about the war in Gaza, and the reaction in Europe and the U.S. to that war. When I was about two-thirds of the way through the book and came to a full stop on page 138 where Mr. Murray writes the following: "Americans have the luxury of never having experienced the kind of attempted invasions or successful invasions that Europe had in centuries past. America has fought existential wars on behalf of its allies, but not since its founding has it had to fight an existential war for its very survival." Douglas, tell me you're a Brit without actually saying so. It occurs to me that the people of Atlanta, GA; Vicksburg, MS; and Charleston, SC might beg to differ with you as to whether American Southerners have ever experienced a "successful invasion." And to argue that the American Civil War, with nearly as many casualties as all other American wars combined, was somehow not "an existential war for its very survival" is a mind-blowingly ignorant statement. Murray then segues into arguing that Americans “cannot even imagine such a fantastical situation” as an “invasion of the homeland” (pp. 138-139). It is very ironic that I am writing a review of Murray’s book on April 19, 2025, the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Murray would do well to remember the actions of Generals Nathaniel Greene, Francis Marion, and Andrew Jackson, who each fought off British invasions. In arguing that Americans cannot imagine “an invasion of the homeland,” Murray seems not to understand the culture of the American South, in general, and of the prepper community, in particular. Still, the book is pretty decent, and quite good in places. The insights it provides from Vasily Grossman and Gitta Sereny are particularly helpful. It's last chapter, "From Defeat Into Victory," is more sourced from firsthand observations and is quite good. But Douglas, if you do end up revising or editing future editions of this book, please be a dear and clean up pages 138 and 139. Thanks in advance.

This book is a cry of outrage--- albeit a well-researched cry of outrage. I share his feelings. I learned a lot of history from this book. And just hearing from ordinary Israelis was so interesting, and so refreshing. The American news coverage of this conflict has been just terrible. I am not Jewish, but I was horrified by the attack of Oct. 7. Israel is in a can't-win situation vis a vis public opinion in the West. The amount of venom displayed towards Israel in the US and elsewhere in the West is shocking. Mr. Murray explains why that is happening, historically speaking, and his analysis seems right. That said, I think even he is at a loss to completely make sense of the irrational piling-on and extreme condemnations of Israel otherwise sensible people are indulging in. I have a friend who I thought was pretty intelligent until he freaked out on Facebook about the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, actually saying and I quote, that "the US has been around about 45 minutes," compared to Iran aka Persia which has a rich, long history. So Persia, presumably hearkening back to the glory days of Xerxes, will justly crush the upstarts US and Israel. Good grief. Lots of likes for that "skimming-Wikipedia to sound well-informed" opinion. I never realized how much of that kind of thinking is going on until Mr. Murray pointed it out. Thank you for writing this. The book is well-written and devastating. If you want to understand the other side of the story, read this book.

An excellent book. The author went in the conflict zone, have seen it all with his own eyes and talked to many people. A must read for anyone who wants to know what is is really going on in the Middle East and what does it mean for the rest of the world.

This isn’t a dry political analysis; it’s a wake-up call. Murray argues convincingly that the clash isn’t simply about land or power, but a deeper struggle between a thriving democracy rooted in life-affirming values and a death-obsessed ideology bent on destruction. His on-the-ground reporting—meeting survivors, soldiers, and even captured terrorists—brings a raw humanity to the page that’s impossible to ignore. Yet, he never loses sight of the bigger picture: what’s at stake isn’t just Israel, but the very principles of Western civilization. What I admire most is Murray’s refusal to pander. He challenges the lazy narratives of the campus left and international elites head-on, exposing their contradictions with precision and wit. You might not agree with every word—I didn’t—but you can’t walk away without rethinking your assumptions. His prose is as elegant as ever, blending urgency with a deep sense of purpose that makes this a book you feel as much as you read.