Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name by Leah Libresco. Ignatius, 2018. Paperback, 163 pages, $17. Reviewed by Gracy M. Olmstead Nobody was meant to be a loner. In the Garden of Eden, God said that it was “not good for...
Cræft: An Inquiry into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts by Alexander Langlands. W.W. Norton & Company, 2018. Hardcover, 352 pages, $27. GRACY OLMSTEAD What does it mean to be a craftsman? To us, the word is often caught up in artistry: the...
The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax. PublicAffairs, 2016. Hardcover, 304 pages, 25. Reviewed by Gracy Olmstead In the popular 2014 film The Hundred-Foot Journey, Indian immigrant Hassan Kadam journeys from his homeland to the French...
The Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and Think, by Julian Baggini. Granta Books, 2014. Paper, 280 pages, $14. There are few areas of life as difficult to navigate or moderate as eating. It’s necessary for existence—one of the most primal acts in which we partake. And...
The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics: The Modest Republic, edited by Michael P. Federici, Richard M. Gamble, and Mark T. Mitchell. Palgrave MacMillan, 2013. Hardcover, 236 pages, $95. Reviewed by Gracy Olmstead In times past, the word “modesty” spoke...
Please say a prayer for @ubookman editor Gerald Russello on his third anniversary. Join us next week in NYC to honor him: @rrreno6 to give the third annual lecture. @baseballcrank @JamesPanero @jackfowler @NRO @newcriterion