The University Bookman

Reviewing Books that Build Culture

What the American Revolution Secured: Order, Justice, and Freedom

Throughout the semiquincentennial year celebrating America’s independence, The University Bookman will invite a range of writers and speakers to contribute to a series drawing upon Russell Kirk’s work on the American Revolution and the constitutional order it secured.

And I Will Go to the Altar of God

“Jonathan Sheehan’s [book] provides a rich and expansive history of the phenomenon of human sacrifice, exploring variant forms of sacrifice in a host of religions and secular movements. The biggest question that remains, however, is whether there is a right and fitting form of sacrifice, and maybe that form has been with us all along.”

A Liberal Who Met the Cancel Mob

“Biggar sees this aversion to reason and evidence (at least when they interfere with a politically useful narrative) to contain ‘the springs of tyranny,’ since once those are abandoned, the only means left to resolve disagreements is power. Thus, ‘postcolonialists and other “progressive” zealots assume an aggressive, intimidating, repressive, tyrannical posture.’”

The Midwestern Gothic Stories of Eric Cyr

“It is an unabashedly Midwestern endeavor in every way—a collection of short stories set entirely in the Midwest, written by a Midwestern author, and published by a proudly Midwestern independent publisher that has been producing top-quality books since its inception in 2013. “

Cities, as Social Science Sees Them

Cities, as Social Science Sees Them

“Whatever hope… American cities might have depends on time-tested, filtered wisdom, not on a haughty, overpaid consultants’ findings or ivory tower social scientists’ musings.”

Upcoming Event: The Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture

Upcoming Event: The Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture

On November 15, The University Bookman and friends will hold a memorial lecture in honor of Gerald Russello, longtime editor of The University Bookman. Dr. Dermot Quinn, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Seton Hall University, will speak on Gerald Russello and the Art of Memory.

The Lost Art of Memento Mori

The Lost Art of Memento Mori

“To acknowledge and respect the end to which we are destined, to meditate and learn to bear the thought of it—this is one of the ancient disciplines which we have, beyond all argument, let fall into oblivion, and which we must, past all denial, dedicate ourselves to recovering.”

Fundamentally Religious and Catholic

Fundamentally Religious and Catholic

“…a comprehensive portrait of Tolkien’s religious life and thought has been lacking. Holly Ordway supplies that needed ‘spiritual biography’ decisively. Through exhaustive research and insightful analysis, she recounts Tolkien’s lifelong, tested, textured engagement with Roman Catholicism, and thereby establishes how fundamental it was to his identity as a person and a writer.”

Must the University Be Political?

Must the University Be Political?

“Should academic departments and scholarly societies issue position statements on current political matters? The practice is increasingly common today, but it still sparks debate…
This current debate has roots in the late 1960s, as Ellen Schrecker shows in her sprawling book…”

What Do Fungi Have to Do with Athens?

What Do Fungi Have to Do with Athens?

“[Sheldrake] hasn’t produced a polemic against the ideal of the self-sufficient liberal political subject, or even a policy brief in favor of honoring our interdependence with the natural world. Instead he just invites readers to consider whether, perhaps, they are lichen.”

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.

Joseph Story and the Politics of the Early Republic
John Grove on "Contending for American Nationhood: Joseph Story and the Debate Over a Federal Common Law" by Benjamin Clark. @BloomsburyPub @Liberty_Fund

Listening to the Law, and Now Speaking It
James V. F. Dickey on "Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution" by Amy Coney Barrett. @slf_liberty @SCOTUSblog

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