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Lupine Lessons

From the October 2022 Print Edition

The wolves behind the fence at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, were lithe and rangy. They weren’t big. They didn’t slaver. They trotted up and down as our human guide told us charming tales of wolf-­ambassadors, wild creatures who trusted their handlers enough to come out . . . . Continue Reading »

Confession in America

From the February 2019 Print Edition

Confession:  Catholics, Repentance, and Forgiveness in America by patrick w. carey oxford, 392 pages, $34.95 In the 2013 Joseph Gordon-­Levitt romantic comedy Don Jon, the porn-obsessed title character hits the confessional, reels off his ­usual list of sins against chastity, and then . . . . Continue Reading »

Be Literal

From the January 2018 Print Edition

A Book of American Martyrsby joyce carol oatesecco, 752 pages, $29.99 A Book of American Martyrs, Joyce Carol Oates’s novel about the shooting of an abortionist by a Christian “Soldier of God,” is perfectly unempathetic. Lately we’ve heard a lot about how important it is to feel empathy . . . . Continue Reading »