Language, Chance, and Science

Language, Chance, and Science

The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language by John H. McWhorter. Oxford University Press, 2016. Hardcover, 208 pages, $20. Reviewed by Gene Callahan John H. McWhorter is a linguist at Columbia University, and a fascinating and sometimes...
The Function of Criticism in a Time of Entropy

The Function of Criticism in a Time of Entropy

American Audacity: In Defense of Literary Daring By William Giraldi. Liveright, 2018. Hardcover, 462 pages, $30. Reviewed by Oliver Spivey William Giraldi, author of the critical prose collected in American Audacity: In Defense of Literary Daring, is that rarest of...
Psychedelic Utopia

Psychedelic Utopia

Outside Looking In: A Novel by T. C. Boyle Ecco, 2019. Hardcover, 400 pages, $28. Reviewed by Scott Beauchamp “Honesty and wisdom are such a delightful pastime, at another person’s expense!” —Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Blithedale Romance It isn’t too much of a...
Americans’ Dignity, and the Nation’s Shame

Americans’ Dignity, and the Nation’s Shame

Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America by Chris Arnade. Sentinel, 2019. Hardcover, 304 pages, $30. Reviewed by Addison Del Mastro It is an understatement to say that Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America, is an important book: it is a must-read. And the...
An Invaluable Bit of Aquinas

An Invaluable Bit of Aquinas

The Human Person: A Beginner’s Thomistic Psychology by Steven J. Jensen. The Catholic University of America Press, 2018. Paperback, 296 pages, $35. Reviewed by Casey Chalk How would our society be different if all Americans had just a little bit of Thomas Aquinas?...