The University Bookman
Reviewing Books that Build Culture
What We Should Have Known About Pandemics and Politics Before COVID
“What was missing from much of the media coverage of this most recent pandemic was a sense of history. It represented not a novel human catastrophe but instead merely the latest of a long series of pandemics that have beset humankind, going back to the beginnings of recorded history and beyond.”
Wielding Weighty Words to Salvage the World
“Not unlike a prime Bordeaux, this collection of essays, originally published in hardcover in June 2012, has suffered not at all from the passage of time.”
When Virginians Ruled (or, Against Political Nostalgia)
“Like previous critics of the Jeffersonians Henry Adams and Forrest McDonald… Gutzman highlights the perils of the ideological political style.”
The Inspiration We Need
“In sharing their beautiful journeys towards becoming Catholic, these theologians teach us that conversion is not a ‘process’ in the manner of producing a machine. Rather, choosing to embrace the Lord is the climactic moment of a love story that features God as the lover and us as the beloved.”
A Very American Historian
“,,,the South had something to teach other Americans, especially those Americans of the twentieth century who had an ‘oversized faith in American progress, American prosperity, and American invincibility.’ At least that was the idea of this ‘idea man’ as he dwelt on both the ‘irony’ and the ‘burden’ of southern history.”
Arguing the Unarguable Thing
“If one considers oneself to be pro-life, but is going by a ‘gut feel’ more than by facts, this book might be of considerable value.”
Why We Need Beauty
“This is an erudite and beautifully written book about a neglected thinker who deserves more attention in this age of ugliness and vulgarity.”
What Makes a Classic?
“Just what constitutes a classical work? Style, setting, language, acclaim…what are the criteria?”
Where Is Home?
“…’Who will keep our stories alive, no matter where we go?’ Perhaps that is a question even more poignant than ‘Where is home?’ especially for those who are either dispossessed of a homeland or simply feel rootless in a thousand small ways as they struggle to navigate this dizzyingly complex world.”
The Book Gallery
A collection of conversations with Bookman editor Luke C. Sheahan and writers and authors of imagination and erudition.