The University Bookman

Reviewing Books that Build Culture

Support the University Bookman during our annual Kirktober Fundraiser, and receive an audio copy of Kirk’s short story, What Shadows We Pursue.

Kirktober 2025: James Panero and Adam Simon on the Haunted House

October 28, 2025

On Tuesday, October 28, at 6:00 PM, you are invited to join University Bookman editor Luke Sheahan, Hollywood screenwriter Adam Simon, and New Criterion executive editor James Panero, as they explore the theme of the haunted house in gothic literature and its relationship to conservative thought and imagination.

Register for this free webinar here.

Defending the Christian Faith

“In 100 Tough Questions For Catholics: Common Obstacles To Faith Today… David G. Bonagura, Jr. gives bite-sized answers to dozens of big questions about the faith.”

The Other Greek Woman

“Felson’s Penelope, who seems, in all probability, very close to Homer’s Penelope, is the faithful wife of Odysseus, but she is also the independent and flirtatious matriarch who rules over her household and teases the suitors, whom she views as her ‘geese.’”

Following Dante’s Footsteps

“For Krause, poetry has always been about love—about the heavens and the burning passion of the human heart that thirsts after the embodiment of Love itself. This longing, he argues, anticipates the coming of Christ… All of literature and poetry, in this view, gesture toward incarnation…”

Suicide Narratives and the Goodness of Being

“Lockerd, drawing on the literary resources of the Catholic tradition, suggests a different tack: perhaps the essential goodness of reality does not always demand a leap into the unknown, a venture of faith against all odds. Rather, that goodness might be glimpsed everywhere around us.”

The Novel: We Need It

The Novel: We Need It

“What is at stake is the development of a sense of humane understanding, and the decline of this form of understanding surely has much to do with the mounting divisiveness and partisanship in our society today.”

Good Economics on a Human Scale

Good Economics on a Human Scale

“Alexander Salter has written an important book, examining how the political program of distributism can inform contemporary debates about political economy.”

Reading Alone

Reading Alone

“[Maspero’s] book, complete with close readings of scripture and heavy helpings of theological and sociological insight, dives deep into the mystery of what it means to be human and how to heal after a trauma like lockdowns.”

How to Turn Back the Clock on Constitutional Law

Recovering the Founders’ Constitutional Order

“The founders, in their affirmation of the rule of law and the principle of consent, resoundingly rejected modernity’s embrace of unlimited and largely arbitrary state power. Such a rejection depends ultimately on man being made in the image and likeness of the Christian creator God…”

The Book Gallery

A collection of conversations with Bookman editor Luke C. Sheahan and writers and authors of imagination and erudition.

A great review of my collection of poetry @ubookman which highlights that "poetry has always been about love—about the heavens and the burning passion of the human heart." Read the review, then read and enjoy the music of poetry and let your heart soar!
https://kirkcenter.org/reviews/following-dantes-footsteps/

Suicide Narratives and the Goodness of Being
@johnehrett on "Suicide in Modern Catholic Literature" by Martin Lockerd. @CascadeBooks

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