Why We Have Lost the Word for Loneliness
“I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who […]
The Strength that Comes from Stories in Childhood
One of the most memorable reads of 2023 for me was E.B. Sledge’s “With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa.” By […]
Sheldon Vanauken’s “A Severe Mercy” and Our “Appetite for Eternity”
So great is our longing for experience beyond the ordinary crushing tide of mortal time that suburban moms are now resorting to […]
Childless, Childfree, and Being Around Children
As reactionary “trad-isms” and “anti-feminisms” proliferate there are more calls for “every woman to have a child.” Really! This is uttered by […]
Unintended Profundity: Paris Hilton on Birth, Death, and What We Fear Most
Well, folks, she’s done it again. An oracle of our age, a woman whose uttered wisdom exceeds the limitations of her public […]
A Word from Charlie Munger on Luck
This year, as with every rotation around the sun, the world lost many lights. Jimmy Buffett and the other Buffett’s long-time business […]
Patricia Polacco’s “The Butterfly”: A Story of Hope in Cruel Times
Patricia Polacco’s picture book “The Butterfly” strikes a rare balance: grim and gritty and yet hopeful. The story is based on real-life […]
Laura Shapiro’s “What She Ate” and What it Means that Hitler was a Vegetarian
After trawling the library offerings for the works of Barbara Pym, I came across a wonderful book of food history: Laura Shapiro’s […]
Ken Guidroz’s “Letters for my Son in Prison”: A Father’s Love Shared Through Stories
We tend to think of reading to children in utilitarian terms: better SAT scores and verbal skills, improved abstract thinking and reading […]
A Lively Conversation on the Catholic Current
Earlier this month, I had the great pleasure of conversing of an hour with the sharp-as-a-tack Fr. McTeigue of the Society of […]