Mary Eberstadt is an American author, essayist, and cultural critic known for her work on issues related to religion, family, and contemporary social trends. An observant Roman Catholic, she has written extensively about the impact of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, secularization, and the decline of traditional family structures on society. Eberstadt's works often examine the intersections between faith, culture, and policy, and she has been a prominent voice in conservative intellectual circles. Some of her notable books include How the West Really Lost God and Primal Screams, where she explores the consequences of cultural shifts on individual identity and societal well-being.
Eberstadt is married to author and demographer Nicholas Eberstadt. They reside in Washington D.C. and have four children.[5]
Professional career
Eberstadt has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers. New York Times columnist David Brooks has twice awarded Eberstadt's writing a "Sidney," his annual award for best essay writing of the year.[6] Columnist George Will has called Eberstadt "intimidatingly intelligent,"[7] and author George Weigel has called her "our premier analyst of American cultural foibles and follies, with a keen eye for oddities that illuminate just how strange the country's moral culture has become."[8]
In 2023, Eberstadt released Adam and Eve after the Pill, Revisited, with a Foreword by the late CardinalGeorge Pell. The book outlines the effects of the sexual revolution on society, politics, and Christianity, arguing that the decline of organized faith across the advanced countries of the so-called West has resulted in common divisive trends, including identity politics, acrimonious and ever-more polarized political life, and churches increasingly crippled by efforts to compromise with post-sexual revolution mores.
In his Foreword, the late Cardinal called Eberstadt “perhaps the most perceptive” of living Catholic writers in the Anglosphere, adding that the book “affirm[s that] secular modernity causes multiple forms of suffering that we can often ameliorate when we understand their true origins.” R. R. Reno, editor of First Things, called the book “essential reading for anyone who wants to navigate out of the wreckage of our present age.”
In 2019, Eberstadt released her book Primal Screams, wherein she argues that fallout from the sexual revolution of the 1960s contributed to identity politics. The book claims that record rates of premarital sex, abortion, fatherless homes, family shrinkage and family breakup sharply reduced family members and associated social trust in the lives of many people born after the 1960s. She connects the numerical decline of the extended family to the numerical decline in role models available to young people, and thus a breakdown of understanding between genders. The simultaneous declines of family and religious life are deemed to be causes driving newly atomized people into substitute communities of identity politics.[9]
Leon R. Kass, professor emeritus at the Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago, called Primal Screams “an indispensable book for understanding our time.” Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University, endorsed it as a “deeply thought-provoking reflection on human nature and the fate of our republic.” The book includes commentaries on Eberstadt’s argument by Rod Dreher, Mark Lilla, and Peter Thiel.
In 2016, HarperCollins published Eberstadt's book It's Dangerous to Believe: Religious Freedom and Its Enemies, which chronicles the rise in discrimination against religious believers in the United States and elsewhere during an era of ascendant secularism.[10] The book argues that the sexual revolution has inadvertently generated a new, rival, secularist Western faith, complete with quasi-religious ritual and theology; and that this new secularist faith must learn to coexist in civility alongside traditional Judeo-Christianity, rather than seeking to drive other men and women of faith from the public square.
Thomas Farr of the Religious Freedom Project said that "every man and woman of the left should read this book." Robert P. George called it "a powerful manifesto." Russell D. Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention said that "this book will equip you to know what's happening to America's first freedom and will inspire you to act."[10]
In its review of the book, Publishers Weekly both praised the volume and took issue with what its reviewer perceived as limitations: "Casting believers almost entirely as innocent victims without any political or cultural power causes the work to lose some nuance.... For traditional Christians, Eberstadt provides a language to defend their position, a comforting sense that their persecution is real, and a view of the irony of progressives curtailing freedom....[T]he final chapter's call to attend to rhetoric and avoid generalization powerfully makes the case for more civility in the midst of intense disagreement."[11] Writing in the Weekly Standard, Jonathan V. Last called the book "brilliant" and a "tour de force, essential reading for anyone wondering how our civilization can survive the current moment."[12]
Eberstadt is the author of several other books, including How the West Really Lost God, published in 2013. How the West Really Lost God, fortified with an intensive study of both historical data and contemporary popular culture, proffers the original thesis that the undermining of the family in Western culture has in turn helped power religious decline. Francis Fukuyama wrote of the book, "Mary Eberstadt is one of the most acute and creative social observers of our time. She is not afraid to challenge received wisdom and her insights are always well worth pondering."[13]Rodney Stark called the book "A brilliant contribution to the really big question about the future of the West, and a pleasure to read."[13]
Michael Novak wrote that the book “strikes far deeper into reality than any rival argument in the field.” The review in The Economist said that the "elegantly written book repeatedly shows that strong families help to keep religious practice alive, and that too many people see a causal connection running exclusively in the opposite direction."[14] Writing in The American Conservative, Rod Dreher called How the West Really Lost God "stunning," adding that "Eberstadt's contribution is to make an argument that not only does religion cause family formation, but family formation causes religion."[15]
Eberstadt also authored Adam and Eve After the Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution, published in 2012. The book examines how the sexual revolution has produced widespread discontent among men and women, and has harmed the weakest members of society. Eberstadt explores the portrayal of post-1960s norms in pop culture voices, pinpointing "a wildly contradictory mix of chatter about how wonderful it is that women are now all liberated for sexual fun--and how mysteriously impossible it has become to find a good, steady, committed boyfriend at the same time."[16] A review in the Washington Times stated that "in this concise, elegantly written book, Eberstadt marries brilliant analytical power with wry wit" and called it "an enormous contribution to understanding both modern moral culture and the significance of current political debate."[17]
Eberstadt's first book, Home-Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs and Other Parent Substitutes, argued that separating children from family members at early ages is linked to childhood problems such as obesity and rising rates of mental and behavioral disorders. The book also connected these problems to popular culture, particularly as reflected in adolescent music (including the award-winning chapter, "Eminem is Right"). R. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, called it "a book that should be read by every concerned parent, pastor, and policy maker."[18]
Eberstadt served as a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution from 2002 to 2013. From 1990 to 1998, Eberstadt was executive editor of National Interest magazine. From 1985 and 1987, she was a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the US State Department and a speechwriter for then Secretary of State George P. Shultz. From 1984 to 1985, she was a special assistant to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. Eberstadt was also a managing editor of the Public Interest.[19]
Eberstadt is also the founder of the Kirkpatrick Society, named after her late mentor, Jeane Kirkpatrick. Founded in 2011, the Kirkpatrick Society is based in Washington, D.C. and is a professional and literary society for women working in journalism, government, television, radio, book editing, think tanks, and foundations. The Kirkpatrick Society is made up of over 300 women. As of January 2017, the American Enterprise Institute assumed responsibility for the management and operations of the Kirkpatrick Society.[20][21]
Other professional and public service activities
In addition to her commencement addresses, media appearances, and annual lectures at the Tertio Millennio Seminar in Kraków, Poland,[22] Eberstadt has given widely attended public speeches inside and outside the United States.
In 2023, Eberstadt spoke in Warsaw, Poland, at the annual Polska Weilki Project conference.[27] She addressed the Edmund Burke Foundation's inaugural National Conservatism Conference in July, 2019, and at the National Conservative Convention in Miami, Florida in 2022.[28] These speeches appeared in print at First Things,[29] and the Wall Street Journal, respectively.[30]
In October 2024, following the attacks by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, Eberstadt gave a keynote at a historic conference at Franciscan University in Ohio, inaugurating the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism, a newly created group sponsored by the Philos Project.[31] Her speech was published at First Things.[32]Our Sunday Visitor, a flagship American Catholic publication for over a century, noted, “Mary Eberstadt’s commitment to combating antisemitism, as demonstrated through her leadership in the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism, encourages us to renew our alliance with Jewish people throughout the world.”[33]
Eberstadt served as a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution from 2002 to 2013. From 1990 to 1998, Eberstadt was executive editor of National Interest magazine. From 1985 and 1987, she was a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the US State Department and a speechwriter for then Secretary of State George P. Shultz. From 1984 to 1985, she was a special assistant to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. Eberstadt was also a managing editor of the Public Interest.[19]
Eberstadt is also the founder of the Kirkpatrick Society, named after one of her late mentors, Jeane Kirkpatrick. Founded in 2011, the Kirkpatrick Society is based in Washington, D.C. and is a professional and literary society for women working in journalism, government, television, radio, book editing, think tanks, and foundations. The Kirkpatrick Society is made up of over 300 women. As of January 2017, the American Enterprise Institute assumed responsibility for the management and operations of the Kirkpatrick Society.[20][34]
Animal welfare
Eberstadt is known for her writings on animal welfare, and the moral connections she draws between the anti-abortion and pro-animal movements. Her widely discussed 2009 essay in First Things, "Pro-Animal, Pro-Life,"[35] was followed by a number of other, related pieces on the subject, among them "The Truth About Religion and Animals,"[36] "Support for Animal Welfare Grows on the Right,"[37] "Why Animal Lovers Should Abhor Planned Parenthood,"[38] and “Blessed are the Merciful: The Widening Case for Animal Welfare.”[39]
The Loser Letters
Eberstadt published her first work of fiction in 2010, The Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism. The book satirically follows the experiences of a young Christian converting to atheism. P. J. O'Rourke wrote that "Mary Eberstadt is the rightful heir and assignée of CS Lewis, and her heroine in The Loser Letters is the legitimate child (or perhaps grandchild) of 'the patient' in The Screwtape Letters."[40]
Playwright and director Jeffrey Fiske[41] adapted the book for the stage, which had its world premiere at The Catholic University of America in September 2016 starring World Champion and Olympic Gymnast Chellsie Memmel. According to Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review, "The timing of this adaptation by playwright Jeffrey Fiske may just be an opportunity to catch millennial "nones" with an invitation. It's also a nudge to conservatives and others to get creative. Polemics alone won't change the world."[42] Writing also for National Review, Stanley Kurtz noted that this play could serve as a test of free speech on other college campuses. "What if The Loser Letters were to go on a tour that included some secular colleges?," he asked. "I'd like to believe the play would be courteously received at any school, but I can't help feeling that heads might explode—with protests or worse to follow. I only hope we get a chance to find out."[43]
Recognition
Eberstadt has twice been awarded honorary doctorates of humane letters, including by Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts in 2022.[44] Her commencement address, “The Next American Awakening Starts Here,” was published in the online magazine thecatholicthing.org.[45] In 2014, Eberstadt gave Seton Hall University's commencement address and was awarded an honorary degree.[46] The choice of Eberstadt as the school's commencement speaker brought dissent from some faculty members, who objected that her values were not consistent with those of the university.[47]USA Today listed Eberstadt's address in its compilation of notable 2014 commencement speeches, alongside the speeches of John Kerry, John Legend, and Eric Holder.[48]
Her speech, “You are More Important than You Know,” was published in National Review.[49]
In 2022, the Tepeyac Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to civic education for lay Catholics, awarded Eberstadt its annual St. Juan Diego Leadership for the World award.[50] Her acceptance remarks, “Juan Diego Great and Small,” were published at thecatholicthing.org.[51] In 2021, Eberstadt received the annual Pope Pius XI Award from the Society of Catholic Social Scientists. Her acceptance speech, “The Cross Amid the Chaos,” was published at thecatholicthing.org, and was adapted for inclusion in her 2023 book, Adam and Eve after the Pill, Revisited.[52]
In 2014, the Siena Symposium for Women, Family, and Culture at St. Thomas University in Minnesota awarded Eberstadt a Humanitarian Leadership Award.[53] She also received a Leadership Award from the Catholic Lawyers' Guild of Nebraska that same year.[54] In 2009, Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland awarded its Presidential Medal of Honor to Eberstadt and her husband, Nicholas.[55]
Books
Eberstadt, Mary (2004). Home-Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs, and Other Parent Substitutes. New York: Sentinel Books. ISBN978-1595230041.
Eberstadt, Mary, ed. (2007). Why I Turned Right: Leading Baby Boom Conservatives Chronicle Their Political Journeys. New York: Threshold Editions. ISBN978-1416528555.
