George Orwell’s crusade against the misuse of language resulted in his name becoming an adjective—and his writing becoming more and more relevant in our age.
James T. Keane
James T. Keane is a Senior Editor at America.
Posted inScripture Reflections
How to be both a teacher and a healer
A Reflection for Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time, by James T. Keane
Posted inLast Take
Baptizing the lie about ICE and the killing of Renee Nicole Good
Renee Nicole Good made for an easy culprit for those desperate to justify ICE’s actions. After all, she was already dead.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Roald Dahl, the literary magician, reluctant atheist—and theologian?
Roald Dahl’s reputation has taken some hits over the years, but the magical quality of his children’s books endures.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Another year over, a new one just begun: ‘America’ on N.Y.E.
Over 117 years, the editors of ‘America’ offered plenty of advice and exhortations (and warnings) for New Year’s Eve…but also reminded readers always to have hope.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Knute Rockne and the legacy of Notre Dame football
To Notre Dame fans as well as to a certain portion of the American Catholic populace, Knute Rockne remains a mythic figure—the founding father of the legend of the Fighting Irish.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
‘Gaudium et Spes’ and the optimistic final days of Vatican II
Vatican II closed 60 years ago this week. One of its final documents, “Gaudium et Spes,” has also proved to be perhaps its most influential.
Posted inScripture Reflections
How sheep protect each other
A Reflection for Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent, by James T. Keane
Posted inCatholic Book Club
What William Kennedy’s writing did for his hometown of Albany
William Kennedy did for his hometown what Joyce did for Dublin, what Bellow did for Chicago, what Faulkner did for his fictional Yoknapatawpha County. He became the bard of a particular time and place and, through it, continues to explore universal themes.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
‘Lumen Gentium’: The master work of Vatican II
Some of the most resonant and memorable phrases of Vatican II come from “Lumen Gentium,” including the description of the church as the people of God.