I heard of this book recently, and it appears you can read it online. If not, you can at least read several pages of John McWhorter’s Doing our own thing: the degradation of language and music and why we should, like, care. I think the media-saturated world has given great influence to people who care more about being cool and comfortable than being eloquent, educated, or edifying. How did valley girl slang spread throughout the country? Because the pretty, young hedonists live near one of the media-centers of the world.
Category Archives: Non-fiction
Loving the Unlovely
Amy Henry has a post on the new book, Same Kind of Different as Me. I doubt this kind of Christian unselfishness can be taught in sermons. It has to be modeled, challenged, and inspired by those around us.
WWI Reading
Here’s a link to an archive of World War I poetry.
And here’s what soldiers in trenches were reading.
An Interview with Hunter Baker
To the Source, a weekly email on cultural issues, has interviewed Hunter Baker about his new book, The End of Secularism. Hunter says:
I think Christians should kindly refuse the invitation to take their religious activity and speech private. They should maintain the validity of the faith for their approach to community life and politics. They should point out that secularism provides little guidance for dealing with big political questions and that the values have to come from somewhere. Too often, secularists selectively crib Christian values without acknowledging the source. We didn’t just get here by accident. We don’t appreciate things like liberty, equality, and democracy by sheer accident. Christianity has been a major civilizational force.
Serious Biography on Louis Armstrong
Terry Teachout has a copy in hand of his new biography on Louis Armstrong. He writes that his book is a bit different than other biographies on jazz musicians or popular figures. “I’ve sought to write a narrative biography of Louis Armstrong that is comparable in seriousness, scope, and literary quality to a ‘definitive’ high-culture biography of a great novelist–or a great classical composer,” he says. Bravo, sir.
Cool Notice
I’ve been occupied away from the blog lately, so I have not yet linked to this cool post by world famous author Hunter Baker on the reception of his book by ubercool and famous author Andrew Klavan. Klavan said, “I’m startled to report I glanced at it while laying it aside, then picked it up again, then read it through. This is a very well written, concise and learned primer on the secularization of the public square.” I love it.
What’s your next book going to be, Dr. Baker?
Leaving the Country
Vampires, Burial, and Death by Paul Barber
I made some comments about vampires in this space a while back, and a friend lent me a copy of Paul Barber’s Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality
I know much more now. I’m not sure I’m happier for it.
And—especially for the sake of those of you with weak stomachs—I’ll pass the gist of it on to you, so you won’t have to read this often entertaining, but generally depressing and unappetizing, book. Continue reading Vampires, Burial, and Death by Paul Barber
A Life of Prayer
Sean Michael Lucus reviews and recommends Paul Miller’s book A Praying Life, released this year.
Tim Challies also reviews the book, noting a caution about quotations from Thomas Merton. In the comments, Paul Miller responds to that concern and critics the mystics on prayer.
“Bach’s Smackdown of Fredrick the Great”
Dr. Gene Edward Veith recommends a book about Bach and Frederick the Great. Having read it, I immediately sought approval to acquire it for the library.