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.

One Man’s Journey to Faith

“Regardless of one’s beliefs, Charles Murray’s [book] must be acknowledged as a notable work. It is a heartfelt account of one man’s (actually, one couple’s) acceptance of religious faith and of Christianity in particular, and while not a work of scholarship, it is informed by extensive reading and decades of thought. Like the work of C.S. Lewis, which inspired Murray’s turn toward Christianity, it is written in an admirably direct and accessible style.”

Yearning and Collapsing

“Joshua Hren has already demonstrated his mastery of probing and satirizing contemporary pathologies in this novel’s predecessor… which was also a tragic drama but filled with more comedic interludes. In this loose yet independent sequel, Hren focuses on three major characters whose broken lives exhibit three cultural phenomena…”

Our Lives in the Panopticon

“Sophisticated and pervasive information manipulation softens the target, and the target is we the people. The goal? Progressivism, of course…”

The Celebrity-Industrial Complex

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

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.”

Ted McAllister’s Place: A Memorial Tribute

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

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.”

In Defense of Maintenance 

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.

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