Destructive Generation: Second Thoughts About the Sixties (also styled as Second Thoughts About the '60s) is a 1989 book co-authored by Peter Collier and David Horowitz, both former participants in the 1960s New Left movements. The work provides a critical retrospective and insider's critique of the radical politics of that era, including the New Left, the Black Panthers, and other revolutionary groups, portraying these movements as fundamentally destructive and arguing they left a lasting negative legacy on American society, politics, and culture. Drawing from the authors' personal experiences as former radicals and their evolving perspectives, the book combines memoir elements with political analysis, recounting stories of key figures and events. It reflects on the failures of the New Left, its hedonism, revolutionary passions, and zeal, contending that these led to tragic consequences, eroded trust in American institutions, and fostered division, moral relativism, and a pervasive cynicism toward national values. The authors position the work as a 'second thoughts' narrative from ex-radicals who shifted to more conservative viewpoints, renouncing their past affiliations. This intellectual shift was signaled earlier when, in 1985, Collier and Horowitz published a Washington Post cover story titled 'Lefties for Reagan' and organized the Second Thoughts Conference in Washington, D.C., which influenced the book's content. The publication, released by Summit Books in New York, compiles articles and essays written by the authors about their departure from radicalism, offering a retrospective analysis of the 1960s counterculture. It portrays the era as a time of frightening upheaval, where groups like the New Left and Black Panthers threatened the survival of the United States by opposing its foundational structures. Upon its release, Destructive Generation became a controversial bestseller, often compared to Whittaker Chambers' Witness for its confessional tone and ideological shift. It has been noted for its role in the broader intellectual shift among some former leftists toward neoconservatism and in challenging romanticized views of the counterculture. Critics and supporters alike have debated its candid revelations and harsh judgments on progressive movements and figures from that decade. The book has been reissued, maintaining relevance in discussions of cultural history, conservative critiques of liberalism, and the long-term consequences of 1960s activism. Overall, Destructive Generation serves as a key text in understanding the disillusionment of former radicals and their critiques of the cultural and political upheavals of the 1960s, influencing subsequent debates on American political history and ideology.