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Michael Knox Beran

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Michael Knox Beran
EducationColumbia University (BA)
Cambridge University (MPhil)
Yale University (JD)
Occupation(s)History writer and lawyer
Known forWASPS: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy (2021)
Websitemichaelknoxberan.com

Michael Knox Beran is an American lawyer and author of American political history. He is known for authoring WASPS: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy (2021).

Early life and education

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Beran attended Columbia University where he earned his bachelor of arts magna cum laude in 1988. He subsequently received a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge University in 1990 before earning his JD degree from Yale Law School in 1993. He practiced law at various New York law firms afterwards.[1]

Writing career

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Early career

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In 1998, Beran published his debut book The Last Patrician: Bobby Kennedy and the End of American Aristocracy, a biography of Robert F. Kennedy. It was published to coincide with the anniversary of Kennedy's death.[2] The book received mostly positive reviews,[3][4] but was noted for its controversial stance on the life of Kennedy. George F. Will, in a review for the New York Times, wrote that it "has an unusually high ratio of provocations per page. Some readers will angrily throw it across the room. But they will retrieve it, and continue reading, avidly".[5]

He published Jefferson's Demons: Portrait of a Restless Mind in 2003, which received mixed reviews.[6][7][8] Andrew Burstein of The Journal of American History considered the book to be a work of Classical prose rather than a history, and wrote that "one comes to wonder, when does informed speculation become mere pretense?".[9] This was followed by Forge of Empires: Three Revolutionary Statesmen and the World They Made, 1861–1871 in 2007.[10][11]

WASPS

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In 2021, Beran published WASPS: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy. The book is based around the concept of WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) in the United States, but uses a looser definition that includes non-Protestant from affluent, colonial backgrounds.[12][13] Karen Sandstrom summarized Beran's definition of WASPs as being "typically found at the intersection of patrician bloodlines, political and cultural influence, and a desire for completeness."[14]

It follows the rise of WASPs in American culture and politics during the Reconstruction era and their decline into the 21st century. The book argues that the postwar generation of WASPs were wracked with mental illness and addiction, which contributed to the fall of the American upper class and families like the Kennedys and Roosevelts. The book received a mostly positive response from critics for its humor, writing style, and research.[3][14][12][15] However, it received some criticism for its pacing and "chaotic" chapter organization.[16] Mark McGinness of The Spectator praised Beran's depth of research and "acerbic asides and witty one-liners".[13] Paula Byrne of The Sunday Times described it as "meticulously researched, exhaustive, slightly bonkers, a smorgasbord of delicious and outrageous details".[17] It was included on Town & Country's Best Releases of August 2021.[18]

Bibliography

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  • WASPS: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy. Pegasus Books. 2021
  • Pathology of the Elites: How the Arrogant Classes Plan to Run Your Life. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010
  • Forge of Empires 1861-1871: Three Revolutionary Statesmen and the World They Made. Free Press, 2007
  • Jefferson's Demons: Portrait of a Restless Mind. Free Press, 2003
  • The Last Patrician: Bobby Kennedy and the End of the American Aristocracy. St. Martin's Books, 1998

References

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  1. ^ "Michael Knox Beran Archives". Manhattan Institute. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  2. ^ THE LAST PATRICIAN | Kirkus Reviews.
  3. ^ a b "WASPs: The Splendors and Miseries of an American Aristocracy by Michael Knox Beran". Publishers Weekly. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  4. ^ Will, George F (Fall 1998). "The Last Patrician: Bobby Kennedy and the End of the American Aristocracy". Biography. 21 (4): 557. ProQuest 215632698.
  5. ^ Will, George F. (1998-05-24). "Kennedy Family Values". New York Times. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  6. ^ "JEFFERSON'S DEMONS: Portrait of a Restless Mind by Michael Knox Beran". Publishers Weekly. 2003-07-28. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  7. ^ "JEFFERSON'S DEMONS". Kirkus Reviews. 2003-08-15.
  8. ^ McClay, Wilfred M. (March 2004). "Jefferson's Demons: Portrait of a Restless Mind | Wilfred M. McClay". First Things. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  9. ^ Burstein, Andrew (2004-09-01). "Jefferson's Demons: Portrait of a Restless Mind. (New York: Free Press, 2003. xxii, 265 pp". Journal of American History. 91 (2): 611–612. doi:10.2307/3660729. JSTOR 3660729 – via Oxford University Press.
  10. ^ "Forge of Empires: Three Revolutionary Statesmen and the World They Made, 1861–1871 by Michael Knox Beran". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  11. ^ FORGE OF EMPIRES | Kirkus Reviews.
  12. ^ a b Goldman, Samuel (2021-08-04). "How the WASPs won by losing". The Week. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  13. ^ a b McGinness, Mark (2021-09-02). "To the brownstone born: WASPS, by Michael Knox Beran, reviewed". The Spectator. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  14. ^ a b Sandstrom, Karen (2021-08-19). "Review | Privilege, duty and despair among America's WASPs". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  15. ^ Blaikie, Thomas (September 2021). "No Catholics or Californians". Literary Review. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  16. ^ Weiner, Lauren (2021-11-09). "Beran's 'WASPS' Catalogues the Rise and Fall of American Aristocracy | RealClearPublicAffairs". Real Clear Public Affairs. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  17. ^ Byrne, Paula (2021-07-31). "Wasps by Michael Knox Beran review — a history of 'Mayflower screwballs'". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  18. ^ "A Revealing Look at How America's Richest Kids Learn is One of August's Must-Read Books". Town & Country. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
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