Various

The Life of Humanae Vitae Mary Eberstadt (“ The Vindication of Humanae Vitae ,” August/September 2008) does an excellent job reporting the disastrous results of widespread contraception. But she doesn’t answer a question that might be honestly posed by a married couple: Why . . . . Continue Reading »

Phenomenology of the Human Person by Robert Sokolowski Cambridge University Press, 360 pages, $26.99 paper Robert Sokolowski is held in ut­most respect among philosophers working in phenomenology. He is also recognized as an accomplished contributor to philosophical theology in a broad sense. . . . . Continue Reading »

Protestant Christendom Joseph Bottum’s article, “ The Death of Protestant America: A Political Theory of the Protestant Mainline ” (August/September 2008) is, as usual, a tour de force. He rightly notes that the Mainline Protestant establishment churches, and the cultural consensus they . . . . Continue Reading »

Terror & Tragedy In “Amis Amiss” (June/July 2008), Alan Jacobs asks, “When it is time to talk about terror, tragedy, and world-historical occasions, what do writers”precisely as writers ”bring to the table?” Might I suggest that what writers as poets have to . . . . Continue Reading »

The Way of Life John Paul II and the Challenge of Liberal Modernity by Carson Holloway Baylor University Press, 189 pages, $29.95 The late John Paul II, no systematic political thinker, nonetheless mounted one of the late twentieth century’s most sophisticated, if critical, affirmations of . . . . Continue Reading »

My Words Fly Up, My Thoughts Remain Below I was disappointed in reading Robert Miola’s article on “Shakespeare’s Religion” (May 2008) to see the truths of Shakespeare’s plays muddled in the debate of whether they are Protestant or Catholic. Intent audiences will find . . . . Continue Reading »

The Satires of Horace translated by A.M. Juster University of Pennsylvania Press, 160 pages, $34.95 Satire is supposed to be the one native Roman contribution to the literary genres, but it remains hard to define. Satire itself means something like “farrago”: a medley of different subject . . . . Continue Reading »

The ABCs of AIDS The First Things article “AIDS and the Churches” underscores a sad reality in the HIV/AIDS community: that communication and dialogue are ferociously difficult no matter what the intent. Our response here thus aims to frame the issues Edward C. Green and Alison Herling . . . . Continue Reading »

Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream by Ross Douthat & Reihan Salam Doubleday, 244 pages, $23.95 After publishing “The Party of Sam’s Club””their much acclaimed 2005 Weekly Standard cover story”the Atlantic Monthly . . . . Continue Reading »

Nobility of Spirit: A Forgotten Ideal by Rob Riemen Yale, 160 pages, $22 This is an admirable but rather feckless attempt to erect a bulwark against the tide of egalitarianism that has been running so strongly for the last century. But nobility of spirit, like other kinds of nobility, is not really . . . . Continue Reading »