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.”

Wielding Weighty Words to Salvage the World

by David Hein | Apr 30, 2023

“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)

by Adam L. Tate | Apr 30, 2023

“Like previous critics of the Jeffersonians Henry Adams and Forrest McDonald… Gutzman highlights the perils of the ideological political style.”

The Inspiration We Need

by Thomas Griffin | Apr 23, 2023

“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

by Chuck Chalberg | Apr 23, 2023

“,,,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

by Nicole M. King | Apr 16, 2023

“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

by Lee Trepanier | Apr 16, 2023

“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?

by John Tuttle | Apr 9, 2023

“Just what constitutes a classical work? Style, setting, language, acclaim…what are the criteria?”

Where Is Home?

by Ashlee Cowles | Apr 9, 2023

“…’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.”

Russell Kirk vs. Fusionism: A Conflict in Name Only?

by Jason Jewell | Apr 9, 2023

“Kirk called ideology the ‘negation of prudence’ and the ‘foe of imagination.’ Both prudence and imagination are key ideas in Kirk’s political thought. For him, prudence is the preeminent political virtue, and all good politics is inspired by the moral imagination.”