The Worthy House (Charles Haywood)

Dani Rodrik's book disappoints, since he is unable to escape the old and tired neoliberal frame, and doesn't even try very hard. (The written version of this review was first published April 21, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here .)

A thrilling tale of the brief, but spectacular, Portuguese efflorescence between 1490 and 1520, featuring a cast of characters we could use today.  (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here .)

This is the book that made William Manchester, later the biographer of Churchill, and it is both a book well worth reading, and one that could only have been written when it was, 1968. (The written version of this review was first published April 20, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here .)

Barry Strauss's latest book doesn't offer anything particularly new, but it does offer food for thought. And I predict our November future! (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats, can be found here .)

As the Wuhan Plague has exposed many jobs as substantively valueless, Matthew Crawford's classic work on work, manual labor, and craft has assumed more relevance.  (The written version of this review was first published April 17, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats, are available here .)

As it is said, history does not repeat, but it does echo. This book narrates those echoes, which grow louder every day in 2020 America, in the history of the late Roman Republic. (The written version of this review was first published August 3, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

Of the most aristocratic of the Founding Fathers, a man whose views have been proven right over time. (The written version of this review was first published April 11, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

Back when Christians heeded the command to proselytize, tools for conversion were many and varied. The gospel harmony analyzed in this book was one such, and it offers insights into both their culture, and our culture.  (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

In which I excoriate Pope Francis as stupid and Pope Benedict as weak, and call for a wholesale purge within the Roman Catholic Church. (The written version of this review was first published March 30, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

The grossly defective character of a 1950s Italian village is of more relevance to twenty-first-century America than we might like to believe. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

Of things analog, from vinyl to film to books, and their importance.  Good, but somewhat obtuse about the corrosive class implications of a return to analog. (The written version of this review was first published March 28, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

As violence looms, it is worthwhile to understand what violence means. (The written version of this review was first published March 27, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

Of the German hyperinflation of 1923, something much better understood now than it was then—but still an event with important lessons for our society today. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

Jordan Peterson has been taken off the board, apparently permanently, by himself or by his enemies, but that does not change the essential value of his work. (The written version of this review was first published March 23, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

Thoughts on whether the Enlightenment was necessary for the material progress we enjoy today (though perhaps not tomorrow).  (The written version of this review was first published March 14, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

An analysis, meant to be a complete evaluation of why we, as a society, should not generally wear face masks in response to the Wuhan Plague. (The written version of this analysis, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

Relevant in these days of incoherent hysteria about (exaggerated chances of) death, a famous Roman philosopher's reflections on death, collected by an outstanding modern classicist.  (The written version of this review was first published March 13, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

It's a book about bricks, but more importantly, it's a book about automation, something that is grossly oversold to us today.  But why is it oversold to us?  (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

A detailed evisceration of Left attacks on democracy in Hungary and Poland, along with much discussion of Left attempts to desperately hold on to their power in America. (The written version of this review was first published March 8, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

On limitations of the franchise, and the role of women in the military, through the lens of a famous work of science fiction. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

No politics here, in this examination of what used to be standard Christian theology, now often lost in the sea of liquid modernity. (The written version of this review was first published March 1, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

In which I spend little time on Scientology, and a lot of time on the religious principles of a well-run state and society. (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)

Thoughts from 2018 on energy, a topic in turmoil in the past few weeks—along with analysis of the risible Paris Accords, yet another stupid attempt to hoodwink Americans. (The written version of this review was first published February 27, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

Of the Front-Row Kids and the Back-Row Kids, specifically as represented among our ultimate masters, the federal judiciary. (The written version of this review was first published February 24, 2018. Written versions, in web and PDF formats,  are available here .)

A modern exploration of the Spanish Civil War through a familial historical lens; a missed opportunity to honestly explore the political rifts in places far from the centers of power.  (The written version of this review, in web, PDF, and ebook formats,  can be found here .)