The University Bookman
Reviewing Books that Build Culture
Watch James Panero of the New Criterion discuss “The Urbanity of Russell Kirk” at the 2025 Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture.
Why America’s Foreign Policy Needs John Quincy Adams
“Much of the book finds Codevilla channeling Adams in order to determine just what might constitute an interest-based foreign policy for the United States in the twenty-first century.”
The Celebrity-Industrial Complex
“Beaty points to a widespread spiritual hunger, a desire for intimacy and connection to something larger… In the absence of deep attachments to the real people around you, celebrity provides the façade of intimacy.
The Death and Life of Jane Jacobs’s Hometown
“Jane Jacobs is arguably not the main “character” of the book, however. It is Scranton itself, whose struggle to develop and survive in an ever-changing global economy makes it emblematic of American economic history.”
The Destruction of American Social Cohesion
“A crucial element of the plot that Gonzalez exposes is the division of Americans into discrete groups based on race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, class, and other features.”
Ted McAllister’s Place: A Memorial Tribute
“Ted will, of course, be remembered most for his scholarship. But it is a testament to the right order of his soul that he lived in a manner that prioritized his faith, his family, and his primary vocation as a teacher over worldly success.”
Losing Homer
“…while Homer is… critical of elements of battle, he is not necessarily an anti-war poet. War is awful, but it activates certain deeply human qualities that demonstrate true human greatness.”
The Story Behind “Hitler’s Greatest Strategic Error”
“…Simms and Laderman have written the definitive study of the four days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.”
Psalms for Heaven, Earth, and Everywhere In Between
“…the anthology amply demonstrates that there has been a revival of serious poetry by serious Christian believers.”
In Defense of Maintenance
According to Vinsel and Russell, “The Innovation Delusion is the false belief that the pursuit of innovation and novelty will lead us into the promised land of growth and profit when, in reality, it will lead us to ignore the ever-accumulating pile of deferred maintenance and infrastructural debt—and, in the process, lead individuals toward burnout and our society to accelerating levels of exploitation and inequality.”
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.
