In "The Rise of the New Puritans," Noah Rothman embarks on a provocative exploration of the contemporary left, tracing its evolution from the bastion of free spirits to a landscape dominated by the ideologically rigid and joyless. Rothman argues that today's progressives, in their zeal for reforming society, have inadvertently erected a new moral orthodoxy that scrutinizes and often condemns the minutiae of personal choice and expression. From what we wear and watch to whom we associate with, no aspect of life remains untouched or unjudged by what Rothman terms the 'New Puritans.' This book is not merely a critique but a journey through the cultural and historical underpinnings of a movement that seeks to regulate happiness itself, laying bare the consequences of a world where every pleasure is policed. With sharp wit and rigorous research, Rothman unveils the extent to which the pursuit of a 'better world' has led to the impoverishment of public life, where digital witch hunts and verbal tripwires stifle the very freedoms once championed by the left. "The Rise of the New Puritans" challenges readers to question the cost of progressivism's moral ascendancy, offering a compelling argument for reclaiming the joy and liberty at the heart of the American spirit. This is not just a critique of the left's war on fun, but a clarion call to resist the encroachment on personal freedoms and to celebrate the diversity of human experience with open hearts and minds.