The Russell Kirk Center

This book is timely and useful but is bogged down by its inclusion of liberal ideology according to reviewer Sarah Reardon. Reardon reviews "Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of Our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age" by professors Rachel B. Griffis, Julie Ooms, and Rachel M. De Smith Roberts. She says of her differences and uncertainty over their conclusions, "Would they have interpreted such a discussion as one plagued by distraction and hostility towards the past, by shallow reading? Or might they have understood it to be a “justice-oriented” conversation? I’m not sure, but, after reading Deep Reading, I do believe that Griffis, Ooms, Roberts, and I are operating under somewhat different understandings of virtue and vice." Read her full article review here: https://buff.ly/4edK8DJ

JP O'Malley interviews author Maurice Samuels on his book "Alfred Dreyfus The Man at the Center of the Affair". O'Malley points out the crux of Samuels' book, that antisemitism was at the center of the case. “The rise of antisemitism in France at this time was partially in reaction to the fact that France had been so good for the Jews, who, by the nineteenth century, were by far the most integrated Jews in the world,” says Samuels. “That aroused a reaction from various segments of society, who were left behind by modernity.” Read the full article here: https://buff.ly/3Mvh8eP

Chuck Chalberg argues in his review of the autobiography "The Controversialist" by Martin Peretz that the book came out one year too early and that Peretz, while intriguing and compelling, lacked the depth to stand out in the world of intellectualism. "Still, what is here is well worth the read. A leftist who loves America. What’s not to like? Peretz was also a leftist who voted for Nixon in 1972 because he was certain that a President George McGovern would abandon Israel, not to mention a leftist who publicly commended Nixon for his support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973." Read Chalberg's nuanced look at Peretz here: https://buff.ly/3Ta6KN9

"This book shines in its ability to showcase what the leading minds of the Church, all speaking anonymously, truthfully believe about Catholicism’s state of affairs while also presenting the impact of remaining faithful to a Christ-centered Church. There are fires in the Church, as there always have been. Jesus is the only one who can put them out—but he needs our help." Reviewer Thomas Griffin shares anonymous stories found in "True Confessions" by Francis X. Maier in an effort to candidly remind the church who it follows, and that less has changed in the world than we think. Griffin's full review can be read here: https://buff.ly/3T8gCqF

This week's article review by Jesse Russell on "Adventurers: The Improbable Rise of the East India Company, 1550-1650" lives into its namesake with riveting storytelling. "The precedents of the East India Company include the Muscovy Company, chartered by Mary Tudor. One of the most important figures of the Muscovy Company was Anthony Jenkinson whose story begins the second chapter of Adventurers as well as the overall story of the exciting and adventurous exploration of the East India Company and the birth of the modern world. In December of 1558, Jenkinson was surrounded by raiders near the Caspian Sea. However, he was equipped with the four wheel-lock pistol. Read on for a look into the adventurous past and (boring) counterpart, the present: https://buff.ly/3YSKawf

"What is to be done at this late date? Slack proposes two alternatives. We can either return to the “founder’s citizenship revolution,” which would require sound policy moves like the abolition of the oxymoronic dual citizenship, a freeze on immigration, and an America-First economic agenda. Unfortunately, the other alternative has already begun." This is Mark G. Brennan's closing thought in his book review of "War on the American Republic: How Liberalism Became Despotism" by Kevin Slack. Read Brennan's full article for a look into the failings of both the left and the right: https://buff.ly/3YRbPOc

Michael Yost reviews "The Achievement of Cormac McCarthy" by Vereen M. Bell and walks through the ever-changing style of McCarthy from "The Orchard Keeper" to "The Road." A case is made for the simplicity and practicality of McCarthy's works alongside a counter-argument for further depth and ambiguity, leaving room for an honest look at his representation of both good and evil. "Bell’s thesis may be true as far as it goes, but it still has to contend with the fact that McCarthy chose to represent both evil and good, both demonic vice and human goodness, both life and death in his work." See Michael Yost's article here: https://buff.ly/4dZHBwT

Daniel James Sundahl reviews "T.S. Eliot: Culture and Anarchy" by James Matthew Wilson. Sundahl retells Wilson's examination and progress of T.S. Eliot's thought: "Wilson notes that these influences deepened Eliot’s interest in classicism and humanism. What was slowly emerging were binding foundational truths which for Eliot led to the theological root of things, the permanent things." Read Sundahl's review at: https://buff.ly/46OSX4b

John Rodden writes, "Week after week, decade after decade, you opened TIME and encountered not just a “news digest” but a cavalcade of ideas and images collated by the magazine’s staff and circulated to an audience in the hundreds of millions throughout the globe." Rodden uncovers the history of TIME and the brain behind the publishing giant in his article on the lasting impact of the journalistic work of Henry Robinson Luce through the biographical work "The Publisher: Henry Luce and His American Century" by Alan Brinkley. His full article can be found here: https://buff.ly/3M2yz5W

"Every account of the story, as is the way with myths and legends, tells it a little differently. Yet the moral remains the same: hubris is dangerous." Isaiah Flair highlights this particular myth used by Christopher M. Bellitto, author of "Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue." It's one of many stories that Bellitto uses to illustrate his emphasis on the importance of training humility in ourselves to replace the hubris that creeps near. Read his full article entitled, The Missing Virtue, here: https://buff.ly/3WDwkuT