Interview: “Savage Messiah: How Dr. Jordan Peterson Is Saving Western Civilization”

“I was surprised at the depth of their depravity in attacking this innocent academic. He also provoked quite a bit of outrage by refusing to be silenced by them—and thank God for that.”

Jim Proser is the author of Savage Messiah: How Dr. Jordan Peterson Is Saving Western Civilization, which was published in January of 2020. Prior to authoring his recent book on Jordan Peterson, Proser published a biography of General James Mattis, No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy: The Life of General James Mattis, in 2018, as well as I’m Staying with My Boys: The Heroic Life of Sgt. John Basilone, USMC in 2010. I’m Staying with My Boys partly inspired the 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific. In this interview, Proser joins Merion West and Kambiz Tavana to discuss his most recent book, how he came to write it, and to comment on the general state of discourse around Jordan Peterson, the simultaneously beloved and controversial Canadian psychologist and author.

Mr. Proser, thank you for your time today. Could you begin by describing how you came to write Savage Messiah?

I was just impressed by the fact that Jordan Peterson has voluntarily taken on the argument for traditionalism in our society—and how he defends Western civilization. I found that so appealing and timely that I felt I had to write this story. I also wanted to understand what drove him to be such a staunch defender of the values that many of us hold as dear.