Let's start with two simple facts. All of us have limited time. Most of us have limited funds. Based on those facts, encouraging people to read a certain book or books is not a neutral act. Of course, it's a long way from the sort of counsel on which planets turn. But time wasted is time lost, permanently. And likewise, discouraging people from reading good and fruitful material is a form of dishonesty. It's a kind of theft—especially when contempt for the content of a book substitutes for intelligent criticism. Drive-by shootings are easy. Thinking is hard.
With that in mind, let me strongly encourage readers to buy, read, and thoroughly absorb two important new books: Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option and Anthony Esolen's Out of the Ashes. Dreher (Orthodox) is an articulate, provocative, and insightful social commentator. Esolen (Catholic) is a distinguished scholar and educator whose English translation of Dante Alighieri's majestic Divine Comedy ranks among the finest available anywhere.
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