The University Bookman
Reviewing Books that Build Culture
Join friends of the Bookman in New York City on December 8, 2025 for the Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture.
Help Yourself
“All Shrier does—and does well—is to put into words, with ample sourcing, the feelings parents have been sharing with each other online and at the morning bus stop. The kids aren’t growing up. They’re a mess. And so are the therapists. “
The “Art of Being” and “The Art of Becoming”
“For Wilson… the best poems are seasoned reflections that develop in waves and ‘become’ informed by faith…”
The Paradoxical Ideology
“Rousseau’s ideas have influenced both theorists and practitioners of democracy, such as Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, George W. Bush, John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, and Jacques Maritain. For Finley, the common thread in this group is belief in the ideology of democratism. For each of these figures, democracy is perceived as the ultimate end for society, akin to religious salvation, and only an elite-controlled oligarchy can represent society’s ‘general will.’ The irony is that this oligarchy employs undemocratic means in the name of democracy to achieve its objectives.”
Democratism and False Equivalence
“Finley argues that advocates of ‘democratism’ have always argued for democracy not as a regime of popular government but as a set of political norms of enlightened public sharing commitments to further liberation from traditional bonds.”
Churchill in His Element
“The River War was not just an adventure for Churchill; it was a foundation for his burgeoning thoughts on the strategy of war.”
Retaining Humanity in the Age of A.I.
“…a more important consideration is how schools can teach students to focus on the value of connecting with other human beings instead of disproportionately focusing on electronics.”
Roosevelt’s Revolution
“The New Deal which emerges from Beito’s narrative is nothing less than a revolution against the American constitutional order.”
Recovering the Idea of Statesmanship
“The originality of Burtka’s approach lies in his effort to restore an even more old-fashioned approach, that of the ‘mirror of princes,’ as the key to taking statesmanship seriously once again.”
Sowell’s Summary Argument
“Chipping away at elite consensus over the progressive agenda… requires a cultural turn…”
The Book Gallery
A collection of conversations with Bookman editor Luke C. Sheahan and writers and authors of imagination and erudition.
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