The University Bookman
Reviewing Books that Build Culture
Principle and Pragmatism in Law
“Mixing experience with ‘balancing’—the idea that judges must weigh the pros and cons of a legal problem by attributing to ideas or interests a value—Dershowitz puts forth a jurisprudence of prevention. He embraces Holmes’s idea that ‘prevention’ and not retribution—the idea of just deserts—is ‘to be the chief and only universal purpose of punishment.’”
The Collapse of Constitutional Consciousness
“…Huq sees a pattern of injustice where those who ‘bridle against government regulation tend to have an easy glide path into federal court,’ while those who contend that individual rights have been violated find the courts ‘less hospitable.’ He asks meaningful questions about the nature of justice and whether the Constitution supports a just society, yet he subordinates the procedural and structural elements of the Constitution, which give it a backbone and endow it with its strength, to ideological notions of fairness, equity, and cherry-picked rights. He misses the irony in that the very qualities he claims to champion are lost in any system that fails to adhere to procedural norms, including those which set limits to remedies by those acting on behalf of the government.”
Localism is Americanism
“In this fine collection of essays there is not so much as a single hint that any sort of top down solution is the answer, much less a top down solution that requires either a big government or a political figure with something between near-dictatorial and dictatorial power. For localists, it’s bottom up all the way.”
A Theological Virtue in the Earthly City
“Through the lens of hope, Lamb shows how Augustine allows individuals to belong to the City of God and the Earthly City simultaneously, since all worldly concerns and endeavors are shaped by the love of God and contribute to man’s proper end of union with Him.”
Should We Be Good Bankers?
“Pakaluk argues that the Gospel of Matthew can be understood as two major parts: the crediting and the debiting of salvation by Jesus Christ.”
Aspirational Conservatism
“Developing an expansive vision of aspirational conservatism is the chief theme of Wilsey’s Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer.
Educating in the Good, the True, and the Beautiful
“This fine study by Louis Markos… discloses the strengths of classical Christian education and the weaknesses of progressive education.”
Out of Many, One
“If we could summarize Fredriksen’s Ancient Christianities under one rubric it would be ‘context reveals content.’”
Editors’ Summer Reading
Spring is drawing to a close. Summer is upon us. That means it’s time for summer reading. Luke C. Sheahan, Editor nce final grades are submitted, and I’ve rested, I begin my trek through a summer booklist. At the top is always Cormac McCarthy’s...
The Book Gallery
A collection of conversations with Bookman editor Luke C. Sheahan and writers and authors of imagination and erudition. Click on the icon in the upper right corner of the video to see more episodes in this series or check out our YouTube page.
Register for our next book gallery on June 22, 2026:
Russell Kirk On America: How to Understand the Legacy of 1776
Shop through Creed & Culture
Support the Kirk Center
& University Bookman
