Dear Readers,

There have been a lot of new subscribers lately, and I want to welcome them to the Unpopular Front community. This newsletter is now almost 5 years old. I never thought it would reach such a large audience and get such an enthusiastic response. It has been enormously rewarding as a writer to see what began as a very modest little blog on a niche topic grow and thrive. In a world that has few good opportunities for writers and fewer and fewer actual readers, I feel especially grateful for all your interest, engagement, and support. I periodically get messages from subscribers praising my work. I don’t share them out of embarrassment, but please know they mean a lot to me, and I find them very encouraging.

Special Offer

I like to keep most posts available to as broad a public as possible and not add a paywall. This is good for you because you can read for free. And it’s good for me because I can reach readers who may not know my work and participate in a larger conversation. But, unfortunately, this model requires periodically asking dedicated readers to chip in. Unpopular Front is completely reader-supported: I’m proud to say I didn't receive a deal from Substack, and it’s organically grown over the past five years. If you read, enjoy, and share Unpopular Front with friends and family, particularly if you are a journalist, academic, or political professional who uses it for work, please do consider a paid subscription. When you opt for paid, you’ll get my weekly film and reading recommendations and join the brilliant Unpopular Front community, which adds a layer of insightful commentary to the posts. You’ll also get videos of my Live events with other great writers, like my friend Max Read.

Special Offer

I happen to think this newsletter is a pretty good deal: for 5 dollars a month, you get commentary, historical context, movie and book recs, and now, podcast interviews with interesting authors. That’s less than 20 cents a day. Here I have to boast and promote myself a little… How should I put this? Well, let me just say, I think my analysis has a pretty, pretty good track record of accurately describing the course of events in a complex and unpredictable environment. And I think it’s presented in a pretty entertaining way! But if that wasn’t enough of a bargain, I’m also offering a special “Black Friday” deal from now until Monday—20 percent off for annual subscriptions, which already represent a discount from the monthly price.

Special Offer

I understand not everyone is comfortable with supporting Substack. If you still want to support my work, I have two options for you: Buy a copy of my book When the Clock Broke, or subscribe to my podcast with the New York Times’s Jamelle Bouie. If you really like me, you can do all three! And if you find this message annoying, you can never see one like it again when you subscribe!

Okay, commercial over. Once again, thank you for your generous support, and have a wonderful holiday season.

John