Of Many Things
The gift of reading: ‘it consoles, it distracts, it excites’
Books about books were of special interest to George W. Hunt, S.J., and so, in his honor, we reprint this Of Many Things column from Feb. 20, 1993.
Ideas
The Case Against Sentimentality
Abstraction is fundamentally inhuman, even anti-human.
Toni Morrison made living in this world more bearable
Morrison’s work conveyed the pain, sacrifice and trauma that exemplifies so much of the African-American experience.
Books
George Orwell and the fight against ‘alternative facts’
The fear of deceit was the foundation of Orwell’s work.
Review: Francis Fukuyama on the need for broader identities
Identity is at the heart of much of today’s political conflicts. In his latest book, Fukuyama traces a brief history of how identity came to occupy such a center.
Young adult literature has a lot to say about social justice (and we all need to hear it)
Members of Generation Z are proving themselves to be resilient and thoughtful activists, and current young adult books are following their gaze toward social justice issues.
Jaron Lanier: an unlikely prophet of the digital age
In his latest book, Lanier argues that all forms of social media treat human beings as if they were basically a bundle of nerve endings.
The surprising true story of Pietro di Donato, the bricklayer turned author
In Pietro di Donato’s “Christ in the Concrete” we find a portrait of immigrants and laborers, so essential to the growth of the United States then as now.
Why Micheal O’Siadhail is an epic poet for the 21st century
“The Five Quintets” is a narrative we need, a jazz concert performed by hundreds of instruments, a single symphony sung by many voices.
Review: Ann Patchett’s liars and questionable saints
In this book, Danny commits lies of omission as he does not tell his sister how much he hates their mother for essentially leaving them to whatever fate throws their way.
Review: A modern-day pilgrimage with Timothy Egan
The question of what a pilgrimage means in the modern day loops throughout Timothy Egan’s ‘A Pilgrimage to Eternity.’
‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ offers hopes for our suffering planet
Published in 1953, the children’s book can act a parable for coming to grips with climate change.
Poetry
‘The Translation of the House of Loreto’
You bet it takes a miracle to explain
Tripping on Metaphors
metaphor is to logic what analogy is to twins
Catholic Book Club
The Catholic Book Club: From ‘Catholic Modern’ to ‘Say Nothing’
Kevin Spinale, S.J., the moderator of the Catholic Book Club, led discussions of two very different books this spring and summer. The first, ‘Catholic Modern,’ by James Chappel, is a heady look at how the church remade itself at a time of social and political upheaval. The second, ‘Say Nothing,’ by Patrick Radden Keefe, is…
Faith
Review: Ann Patchett’s liars and questionable saints
In this book, Danny commits lies of omission as he does not tell his sister how much he hates their mother for essentially leaving them to whatever fate throws their way.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts