When Democracy Came, It Came in a Flurry

When Democracy Came, It Came in a Flurry

The Coming of Democracy: Presidential Campaigning in the Age of Jackson By Mark R. Cheathem. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018. Paperback, 248 pages, $25. Reviewed by John Bicknell “I have been charmed to see that a presidential election now produces scarcely any...
Your Political Opponent Might Be Human

Your Political Opponent Might Be Human

The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis by Martha Nussbaum. Simon & Schuster, 2018. Hardcover, 249 pages, $17. Reviewed by Anthony M. Barr In the preface to her recent book The Monarchy of Fear, philosopher Martha Nussbaum observes that...
The Presence of the Counterkingdom

The Presence of the Counterkingdom

The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis by Alan Jacobs. Oxford University Press, 2018. Cloth, 280 pages, $30. Reviewed by Adam Schwartz John Henry Newman once dubbed the Christian Church a “counter-kingdom.” As the historical embodiment of...
The Unexpected Political Philosopher

The Unexpected Political Philosopher

Faith and Politics: Selected Writings by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Ignatius Press, 2018. Paperback, 269 pages, $19. Reviewed by Casey Chalk Poor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The retired pope isn’t even dead yet, and pundits speak endlessly of his legacy....
The Last Years of Theodore Roosevelt

The Last Years of Theodore Roosevelt

TR’s Last War: Theodore Roosevelt, The Great War, and a Journey of Triumph and Tragedy by David Pietrusza. Lyons Press, 2018. Hardcover, 424 pages, $35. Reviewed by Carl Rollyson TR’s Last War is about an ex-president who believed he could not retire from history. Too...