Category: books

Book Review: ‘The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization’

If you are looking for a nice pick-me-up book, this is not the one for you. However, if you want to know what is going on in the world, what is going to happen around the globe, and why those things are going to happen, then this is a book that you’ll want to pick…


Rights Groups Worry Over Philippines’ Ban of ‘Subversive’ Literary Books

A state commission in the Philippines has ordered to ban five books deemed to have “subversive” contents, drawing outcry from human rights groups who viewed the move as repression of free speech. The Commission on the Filipino Language (KWF) issued a memorandum in August calling for a halt to the distribution of the books in…


Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for Sept. 16–22

This week, we feature a marvelous slew of new Miss Marple mysteries and a comprehensive journey through the history of space exploration and navigation. Fiction Agatha Christie’s Marple Returns ‘Marple: Twelve New Mysteries’ By Various Authors Miss Marple fans will be thrilled—with 12 thrills, to be exact. Twelve authors have created new cases for the…


Book Recommender: “Valor,” an Astonishing Tale of Defiance and Triumph During the Pacific War

Lt. William Frederick “Bill” Harris was an officer with the China Marine, the elite 4th Marine Regiment stationed in Shanghai, China, prior to World War II to protect American citizens. In the summer of 1941, with war clouds gathering, Harris and the 4th Marine were withdrawn from China to the presumably safer Philippines. “Valor: The…


Book Recommender: “Destiny of the Republic,” the Medical Drama Behind President James Garfield’s Assassination

In 21st-century modernity, air conditioning, antiseptics, and ultrasound are commonplace. Yet the three were hardly dreamed of in the late 19th century. Proving that necessity is the mother of invention, scientists and inventors worked round the clock for 80 days to provide both comfort and lifesaving measures for the suffering, newly elected president, shot by…


Book Review: ‘The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth’ 

The idea that college is a scam and not worth the steep price has been hotly debated for years. Now, it is in the forefront of the news with Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan. Many people believe that the plan is morally and fiscally wrong. Canceling student debt will not stop universities from charging…


Book Review: ‘The Great Passion’: A Youth’s Introduction to the World of Bach

Classical music fans will relish this read. Anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one will understand the depths of grief portrayed. Together, the two major themes of glorious sound and unbearable sorrow fuse to create a heartfelt and moving narrative. Readers will be refreshed and renewed by this inspiring and faith-filled story…


Stephen Vincent Benét’s Essay, ‘Freedom From Fear’: Author Illuminates Norman Rockwell’s Painting, ‘Freedom From Fear’

In 1943, The Saturday Evening Post commissioned the eminent American poet Stephen Vincent Benét to write an essay to accompany Norman Rockwell’s painting “Freedom From Fear.” In Rockwell’s painting, we see a husband and wife tucking their son and daughter into bed. This picture seems to represent safety and comfort. The children look peaceful in…


In the Classroom with Clio: A Review of ‘1942: Winston Churchill and Britain’s Darkest Hour’

On February 15, 1942 the city of Singapore fell to the Japanese. Fifty-five thousand British and Australian troops were taken captive. Of the 45,000 Indian troops allied with them, some 40,000 took up an offer to join the Indian National Army, created by the Japanese to fight against the British. This was the largest military…


Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for Sept. 9–15

This week, we feature a charming farce set in a small Italian town and a biography about a remarkable oilman who protected the environment. Fiction A Suite Summertime Sizzler ‘The Hotel Nantucket’ By Elin Hilderbrand Part mystery, part romance, and all fun, this novel follows Lizbet Keaton, who lands a job as the general manager…