An Unflinching Theological Aesthetic
The Hanging God By James Matthew Wilson. Angelico Press, 2018. Paperback, 85 pages, $14.95 Reviewed by Steven Knepper Many of the poems in James Matthew Wilson’s The Hanging God are well-executed narratives. There are narratives, for instance, about an impoverished...
A Hope Beyond Our Sight
The Fall of Gondolin by J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. Hardcover, 304 pages, $30. Reviewed by Ben Reinhard The Fall of Gondolin is, appropriately enough, the story of endings: the end of the mythical kingdom, to be...
For Liberty or Tyranny?
John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court by Richard Brookhiser. Basic Books, 2018. Hardcover, 324 pages, $30. Reviewed by Addison Del Mastro Historian and biographer Richard Brookhiser offers here a moderately short, easy to read, and quite in-depth review of...
Best of Bacevich
Twilight of the American Century By Andrew J. Bacevich. University of Notre Dame Press, 2018. Paper, 469 pages, $25. Reviewed by Mark G. Brennan I read everything written by Andrew Bacevich with a maniacal obsession. His work provides a glimmer of hope for a return to...
Create Your Own Tradition?
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley. IVP Books, 2019. Paperback, 204 pages, $18. Reviewed by Casey Chalk “There is nothing new except what has been forgotten,” observed Marie Antoinette. Many such forgotten things that...
A Great Yarn
From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faithby Sohrab Ahmari. Ignatius Press, 2019. Hardcover, 240 pages, $23. Reviewed by Matthew Hennessey If you’re going to write a book about your religious conversion it’d better be a great yarn. And if you’re going to...
Tension and Freedom for Catholics in Britain
The King and the Catholics: England, Ireland, and the Fight for Religious Freedom, 1780–1829 by Antonia Fraser. Nan A. Talese, 2018. Hardcover, 336 pages, $30. Reviewed by William Anthony Hay Often the most contentious political issues of one era cease being issues at...
On Fascists and Anti-Fascists in Spain
Varela: El general antifascista de Franco by Federico Martínez Roda. La Esfera de los Libros, S.L., 2012. Paperback, $41. Reviewed by Alberto M. Fernandez Fascism is in the air in Spain. Actual fascists seem hard to find but you wouldn’t know it from the political...
Catholics and America: A Question of Loyalty
The Catholic Writings of Orestes Brownson Edited by Michael P. Federici. University of Notre Dame Press, 2018. Hardcover, 452 pages, $70. Reviewed by Richard M. Reinsch II A question that most had thought long answered has returned to stir and prick the conscience of...
There are metaphorical hills on which I would be willing to die. The Oxford comma is one of them.
So easy to forget that the best way to educate yourself is to read great works of literature and philosophy, then talk about them. Bring back the salon!