Miguel at the Gun Free Zone blog posted recently about a new book by a Texas police officer called Jesus Christ on Killing. I expect to see evangelical Christians taking this position, but Miguel brings to light some interesting passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that I had not previously read: The seldomContinueContinue reading “Official Catholic View of Use of Lethal Force in Self-Defense”
Category Archives: Books
Enter to Win a Free Copy of My Book “Becoming Catholic” from Goodreads
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Q&A With My Friend Black Hawk Hancock on His New Theory Book
My friend and I did an on-line Q&A about his new theory text, Social Theory: Continuity and Confrontation. The University of Toronto Press put it on their blog last week. Check it out HERE. I’m looking forward to using the text next spring in my theory classes.
Reflections on Walter Benjamin’s “Unpacking My Library” on the Occasion of Unpacking My Library
I spent my winter break this year packing up my office and moving to a new building. The biggest part of moving offices for me is always packing and unpacking my hundreds of books acquired over the past 25 or so years. Each time I move offices, I read Walter Benjamin’s essay “Unpacking My Library:ContinueContinue reading “Reflections on Walter Benjamin’s “Unpacking My Library” on the Occasion of Unpacking My Library”
What I’m Reading: Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones, and Butter”
I decided to “read” (i.e., listen to) Gabrielle Hamilton’s Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef solely based on the blurb written by Anthony Bourdain: “Magnificent. Simply the best memoir by a chef ever. Ever.” As the author of what many consider the best memoir ever — Kitchen Confidential — IContinueContinue reading “What I’m Reading: Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones, and Butter””
What I’m Reading: Grant Achatz’s “Life, On the Line”
I had heard of but did not know anything specific about Grant Achatz and his Chicago restaurant Alinea prior “reading” (i.e., listening to) Life, On the Line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat. The book is cleverly and accurately titled, as it tells the story of Achatz’sContinueContinue reading “What I’m Reading: Grant Achatz’s “Life, On the Line””
Why are my students so DOUR?
Dour. If I had to use one word to describe my students, that would be it. Maybe I’ve already blogged about this. I can’t remember. But it bears repeating. On more than one occasion, I have looked out at a room full of students and yelled, “Why are you so DOUR? You have EVERYTHING!” IContinueContinue reading “Why are my students so DOUR?”
No reading, bad writing
Everyone I know who is a good writer is also a good reader. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, then, helps to explain why so many of the students I teach are (to put it bluntly) bad writers. The article reports on a study released by the National Endowment for the ArtsContinueContinue reading “No reading, bad writing”
Spare Prose PLEASE!!!
Somewhere along the way, probably in high school, college students learn that “good” writing means long sentences and big words. But in my experience, most students don’t have the linguistic dexterity to pull this off. It just becomes an overwrought jumble of words and punctuation. Not that I can do much better myself, but IContinueContinue reading “Spare Prose PLEASE!!!”
Girls Gone Wild. . . What’s the attraction for women?
I think we can understand the attraction of “Girls Gone Wild” to men. Men, after all, are pigs. But what’s the attraction for the women (or, rather, “girls”)? Is this sort of soft-core porn exhibitionism empowering for these women? Or is it just more of the same? Listen to the author of Female Chauvinist Pigs:ContinueContinue reading “Girls Gone Wild. . . What’s the attraction for women?”