March 2024 Book Reports

The Art of Conflict Management: Achieving Solutions for Life, Work, and Beyond by Michael Dues (Great Courses audio lecture series) - When First Daughter and I met for lunch with a local lawyer to learn about law school and law careers, the lawyer recommended learning conflict management skills. I found this series of recorded lectures from the Great Books program to add to her civics course. The 24 lectures cover a wide range of strategies for understanding conflict and communicating within relationships (or as a mediator) to find win-win solutions. I personally found it helpful in my own relationships and thought it was a great addition to the civics course. (purchased audiobook)

A Severe Mercy: A Story of Faith, Tragedy, and Triumph by Sheldon Vanauken - I read this with my book club. It was my second time reading the book, and I still didn't like it. Vanauken writes of the tragic loss of his young wife to illness after their conversion to Christianity, a conversion he didn't experience fully until after her death. More than anything, I think their love was flawed from the beginning when they decided children would come between them, so they wouldn't have any (though I acknowledge that decision might have changed after they became Christians if Davy hadn't already been suffering from her long illness). I guess it seems like the book is inward focused rather than other-focused, which is odd for me for such a *Christian* book. My favorite part is the afterward in which the author reveals Davy gave a baby up for adoption before their marriage. It completely changed my perspective on Davy and made me wish to understand her better from her own point of view, rather than her husband's. Overall, I think there are better books exploring the meaning of our faith in the face of suffering. (purchased copy) 

Two in the Far North by Margaret E. Murie - Murie was the first female graduate of the University of Alaska in 1924. She married a biologist, Olaus Murie, and together they worked and traveled in the wilds of Alaska. In later years, they traveled all over the world. In this book, she writes lovingly of their adventures in Alaska and the wilderness. Sometimes she and her husband traveled and worked alone; other times with colleagues and even their children. I am not an adventurous woman, but I love to read these kinds of adventures. Murie's describes the natural world with joy and a great thankfulness to be a part of it, even when they struggled. This is a classic of the conservation movement. (an older edition from PaperBackSwap.com)

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez - This historical fantasy romance was recommended in a local book group I follow just when I was looking for a light read for between book club books, so I requested it from the library. A young woman travels to Egypt after hearing of her parents' tragic deaths and ends up attacked by those who seek to pillage Egypt of its ancient treasures. Honestly, I found the writing painful, the plot convoluted, and the characters uneven. I suffered through the book to give myself closure, only to be disappointed because the author is planning a sequel (or a series). (library book)

Transforming Your Life through the Eucharist by John A. Kane - I have recommended this a number of times since I first read it. I didn't find it quite as striking the second time through, but it's still a good solid book on the Eucharist. (purchased copy)

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon, Bookshop, and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Making Money off the Poor: Poverty, By America

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

Matthew Desmond argues America has a higher level of poverty compared to most other rich nations of the world because people and companies in America make money by providing services to the poor and by requiring them to pay more for many things simply because they are poor.

It's a tight knot of social maladies. It is connected to every social problem we care about--crime, health, education, housing--and its persistence in American life means that millions of families are denied safety and security and dignity in one of the richest nations in the history of the world. (p. 23)

He explores how our society, laws, and communities exploit the poor by:

• driving down wages
• increasing costs of housing (higher mortgage rates, rents higher than mortgage payments)
• forcing the poor to pay more for credit or to use payday loans
• creating tax cuts for property owners rather than programs for the poor
• excluding the poor from areas that provide the best education and job opportunities

It's easy to blame these problems on huge corporations and billionaires, but they benefit all stockholders, and many of us (myself included) invest in retirement accounts, accounts that purchase and hold stocks. We are also complicit when we oppose higher density housing or integrated economic housing near our neighborhoods.

Poverty isn't simply the condition of not having enough money. It's the condition of not having enough choice and being taken advantage of because of that. (p. 78)

For example, providing more money for housing without providing more affordable housing means rents will increase. The money benefits the landlords, rather than the poor.

The author makes bold claims and doesn't shirk to note what it might take to address poverty in dramatic ways.

Sharing opportunities previously hoarded doesn't mean everyone wins. It means that those who have benefitted from the nation's excesses will have to take less so that others may share in the bounty. (p. 118) 

The author provides some possible ways to address poverty in meaningful ways, most of which I think would be interesting to discuss in our public policy debates. 

We can't just spend our way out of this. Over the past fifty years, we've tried that--doubling antipoverty aid per capita--and the poverty line hasn't meaningfully budged. A big reason why is that we insist on supporting policies that accommodate poverty, not ones that disrupt it. (p. 137) 

I am including this book in a Modern Government class organized around Catholic Social Teaching. It's a year-long course, but most of my students will spread it over two years in Level 6 (eleventh and twelfth). 

I first checked this book out of the library, but only skimmed it before deciding to buy our own copy.

I have received nothing for this post. I purchased the book. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Ending Homelessness: Grace Can Lead Us Home

Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness
by Kevin Nye

Kevin Nye has lived and worked among the unhoused populations in Los Angeles for many years. In this book, he describes the intractability of the problem, the tragedy of the lives of people without secure housing, some suggested ways to address the situation, and what he sees as the most effective solutions, including responses to those who may not agree with him.

What I appreciated most about this book was how he presented clear policy suggestions that make sense from a financial point of view, but focuses most on what solutions treat people without housing as men and women (and children) with inherent worth and dignity, regardless of their actions, their mistakes, and even their sins.

If grace means that God gives us good things because of who God is, not because we deserve it, then who are we to base our approach to homelessness on whether those on the streets have earned or qualified for our help? If God's grace is enough for us, then it is enough for anyone experiencing homelessness, whether they are in that position because of moral failures, difficult circumstances, or any combination of reasons. (p. 24)

Mr. Nye reminds himself and us of the dangers of separating ourselves from those who are unhoused (or hungry or incarcerated or anything else). Many who serve in shelters experience a kind of "saviorism," seeing themselves as heroes for the work they do each day.

Especially for those who work with the economically vulnerable, it sets up a dichotomy of "us," the financial and moral superiors, who graciously serve "them," the people who need our help. It's a power dynamic that gets reinforced by the gratifying nature of service--we feel good about ourselves when we serve and help others, regardless of whether our impact is long-lasting or even remotely liberating. (p. 34)

One of the ways the author combats this tendency in himself is to meditate on the 25th chapter of Matthew. 

 ...if each unhoused person I meet is Christ, then not only am I called to be kind and to offer help, but I am called in may ways to sit at their feet--to listen, to learn, and to change. (p. 36)

The author doesn't shy away from the "costs" associated with ending homelessness. The work is difficult. We are likely to feel uncomfortable. Our housing investments will not earn as much financially. These are sacrifices, the kind of sacrifices Christians make when we love each other as God calls us to love. 

The idea that "it could have been me" is rooted in the myth that we all start from the same place and are products only of the choices we make along the way. (p. 147)

Those who are unhoused often suffer a fate that has as much to do with their environment as their choices. When we fail to recognize that fact, we place blame where it does not belong and justify our reluctance to provide justice. 

This book is everything I wanted in a book on the Christian response to homelessness. It acknowledges the pain, suffering, complications, and uncomfortableness of the problem without shrinking from carefully and clearly outlining what seems to me what we should do about it. I found the authors arguments entirely persuasive, but I mostly agreed with him before reading the book, so I encourage everyone to get a copy and let me know what you think.

I am tossing around ideas in my head for a senior level high school course focusing on big problems of modern life, like homelessness and high incarceration rates, and how we as Catholic Christians should think about them and what kinds of policies we should support from our government officials, not from an economic point of view, but from a Christian point of view. This book will definitely be on the list for that course.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. I read a library copy of this book, but will certainly purchase a copy for our home.

What they Mean: The Federalist Papers

Books that Matter: The Federalist Papers
by Joseph L. Hoffmann

First Son used the Mater Amabilis beta government plans, which included lots of primary source reading like some of the Federalist Papers. Sometimes he seemed to struggle to understand the context of the essays, especially ones in response to other essays. He would have benefitted from a lot more structure and support around them. He was reading other books, but they were more things read side-by-side with the primary sources rather than anything to hold them all together. At some point, I bought this audiobook (probably during a sale), thinking it would be just the thing.

This series of twelve lectures of about thirty minutes discusses many of the Federalist papers, the reason they were written, clearly explains what some of the more complicated language meant, and applies the arguments to the ongoing conversations of modern government.

The current Mater Amabilis government and civics plans have been revised, but now that I have this audiobook and The Birth of the Republic, I think I'm going to make a course focusing on the Constitution for a semester of government credit for First Daughter. I'm not sure she needs it, because she has already read extensively on the Constitution, but she'll love it. If she has time later one, I'll follow it up with a modern government course focused on current issues.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this audiobook. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

Addition to Modern Government for High School: Just Mercy

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson

Kansas Dad has assigned this book in his college courses. He recommended it when I wanted to cover some modern issues in First Son's government course. It's a powerful condemnation of our justice system, pointing out many ways in which some groups of people consistently do not receive equal treatment under the law.

Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Finally, I've come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned. (pp. 17-18)

Mr. Stevenson often defends people who claim to be innocent, who face an uphill battle to prove their innocence, in a country where we should all be innocent until proven guilty. But he also defends those who are guilty, but have not been treated justly. Sometimes, our laws are good and must be enforced equally. Sometimes, our sentencing laws deserve to be repealed or modified.

So many of us have become afraid and angry. We've become so fearful and vengeful that we've thrown away children, discarded the disabled, and sanctioned the imprisonment of the sick and the weak--not because they are a threat to public safety or beyond rehabilitation but because we think it makes us seem tough, less broken. I thought of the victims of violent crime and the survivors of murdered loved ones, and how we've pressured them to recycle their pain and anguish and give it back to the offenders we prosecute. I thought of the many ways we've legalized vengeful and cruel punishments, how we've allowed our victimization to justify the victimization of others. We've submitted to the harsh instinct to crush those among us whose brokenness is most visible. (p. 290)

Some of the most powerful stories in the book are those in which the author feels intimidated or fearful. He is a lawyer, but he's also a black man, and often, more often than most of us would care to admit, he is presumed threatening. In one instance, a judge and prosecutor encounter him in a court room and assume he is the defendant. Their behavior toward him is deprecating and generally disrespectful. 

Of course innocent mistakes occur, but the accumulated insults and indignations caused by racial presumptions are destructive in ways that are hard to measure. Constantly being suspected, accused, watched, doubted, distrusted, presumed guilty, and even feared is a burden borne by people of color that can't be understood or confronted without a deeper conversation about our history of racial injustice. (pp. 300-301) 

Though Mr. Stevenson points out many instances where our laws and our justice system are flawed, he asks much more important questions than whether we treat people fairly. He asks if we treat people mercifully. I think this concept is so important for Christians.

I told the congregation [at Walter's funeral] that Walter's case had taught me that the death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?

Finally and most importantly, I told those gathered in the church that Walter had taught me that mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven't earned it, who haven't even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion. (pp. 313-314)

If we see Christ in all people, even those who are criminals, who have in some cases committed terrible crimes, how should we behave towards them? What should be our response as individuals, and what should we be asking of our lawmakers and judges? This book will be a great addition to our modern government course.

 I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. Kansas Dad purchased our copy.

Exploring What Works: The Frontlines of Peace

The Frontlines of Peace: An Insider's Guide to Changing the World
by Séverine Autesserre

Ms. Autesserre has served around the world in organizations supporting peace efforts. She shares her own experiences and failures in highlighting those efforts that have successfully decreased violence and how those successful efforts often employ methods at odds with the standard NPO strategies.

The very concept of work at the grassroots to address tensions that may affect only a few hundred people (but are connected to broader conflicts) was utterly foreign to them. So was the idea that the individuals most affected by violence--and not outsiders--should figure out what it would take for them to feel safe and how they can achieve this goal. (p. 8)

The successful projects are those that move slowly, include all local voices, and do not impose expectations or restrictions. These grassroots efforts should not replace traditional top-down negotiations and strategies; they should work in concert. To support her assertions, Ms. Autesserre provides a kind of portfolio of these successful projects in places like Democratic Republic of Congo and Somaliland.

Contrary to what most politicians preach, building peace doesn't required billions in aid or massive international interventions. Real, lasting peace requires giving power to ordinary citizens. (pp. 18-19)

Ms. Autesserre doesn't claim such a response is easy or without its own complications. For example, sometimes local responses withhold full rights from women or minorities. The author is writing from a modern political viewpoint that includes rights for actions or groups in ways Catholics may not support, but this difference in opinion does not detract from her argument. When an organization provides financial and bureaucratic support to people, it is difficult to allow them to make decisions that conflict with the principles of funders. Yet, this is exactly what Ms. Autesserre says best supports lasting peace.

The people who have to live with the consequences of a decision should be the ones making it.

This simple principle provides a moral compass for the dilemma that regularly haunts on-the-ground interveners: How can they possibly choose between, let's say, peace and democracy in Congo, or peace and women's equality in Somaliland? My answer: Let their intended beneficiaries decide, even if the result is unpopular, unfashionable, and uncomfortable, and even if it turns off some well-intended donors. (p. 163)

I find myself again thinking about Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate. This encyclical doesn't provide any easy answers, but asks that we allow those who are suffering to talk while we listen, and that we support them in providing their own answers to the problems they face. If I remember correctly, it's focus is the poor and marginalized (who are certainly those who suffer the most in conflict zones), but I believe its precepts could be useful in addressing war-torn regions of the world.

Chapter 7 provides some thoughtful insights into how these same grassroots methods have been applied successfully in the most dangerous areas of American cities. I found it useful, if a little uncomfortable, to see how listening and allowing local participants to shape their own solutions could be better employed in our own country.

This book is an excellent look at successful programs around the world. I'm seriously considering adding it to a modern government course I'm rolling around in my head for twelfth grade. Modern governments are inter-related through trade, commerce, and charitable programming with countries all over the world. Understanding how our actions and decisions promote peace in other countries is an important part of our democratic responsibility.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I checked this book out from the library. 

The Story of American Government: The Birth of the Republic

The Birth of the Republic, 1763-89

by Edmund S. Morgan

First Son is studying American Government this year, working roughly from the new Mater Amabilis™ high school American Civics and Economics. He had already done some reading based on the previous beta plans so I was mixing and matching a bit. I have been thrilled with all the primary sources selected and scheduled in the MA plans, but I found I was having trouble putting them all in context, so I have been looking for a more narrative text telling the story of American government. 

This book was mentioned in one of the linked articles early in the course. Our library had a copy. Once I'd read enough to know I liked it, I requested a copy from PaperBackSwap.com. (My copy is the third edition; I read online the only difference in the fourth edition is the new introduction.)

It's a thorough but readable account of the events, debates, speeches, and essays leading to the development of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It describes prominent people in both Britain and America, allowing their voices to speak out more clearly in the primary sources we were reading. The author is not afraid to share his personal opinions, but he does a decent job of revealing conflicts and blind spots of the founding fathers while still respecting and admiring the dedication they had to the founding of a new country and the substantial contributions they made to our country.

First Son will not reap the benefits of this book. He's doing the readings and narrating them adequately, if not necessarily understanding as well as he might. He's not particularly interested in government, and I don't want to add to his current load. My younger three kids will definitely read this book. First Daughter will love it!

I am hoping to pair this with an additional supporting text just on the Federalist papers. I believe First Daughter will start this course her sophomore year, so I have a year in between to solidify in my mind what I'd like to create. I really just want to add this to what is in the MA plans, but I am cognizant of the need to balance civics and government with all the other things, so there might be some adjustments on other readings to make room for it.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. The link to Bookshop is an affiliate link.

Philosophy of Government: A Socratic Introduction to Plato's Republic

A Socratic Introduction to Plato's Republic

by Peter Kreeft

I selected this book based on Mater Amabilis™ recommendations in the beta high school plans for Government. Kansas Dad skimmed it and thought it was a fine book on the Republic.

First of all, though the dust cover for this book looks a little odd to me, not as well-designed as one might hope, the book itself is bound well and with good quality paper.

The formatting is awkward, though. Translations from The Republic are in bold, which is fine, but there's no indication in the text of who the speakers are. Because the dialog alternates between Socrates and other speakers and between different points of view (even from the same speaker), the formatting does not allow a reader to clearly understand who is speaking and how what they're saying relates to the rest of the text. I feel like a clearer formatting would do much to clarify a difficult text for a reader new to philosophical thinking.

In at least two places, I found the wording so confusing I could only conclude some text was accidentally left out. In one particularly egregious place, the missing word "not" flipped the entire meaning of the sentence. I'm glad I read ahead and had a philosopher-theologian at hand (Kansas Dad) to confirm my suspicions and help me adjust the text before First Son read it.

Peter Kreeft's style often does not appeal to me. Many of his metaphors and examples make me feel like I want to roll my eyes. For example, he explains one of the ideas using two cavemen, Og and Glog. The whole story seemed ridiculous, maybe even childish, but First Son (in tenth grade) enjoyed it and found it helpful.

If you like Peter Kreeft's style and are interested in Plato and Socrates, you may find this book helpful. I'd recommend you try to find a revised edition of it, if they ever release one. I had already decided my younger children wouldn't read it in high school even before the new Mater Amabilis™ high school plans were posted this past summer. First Son is working through a truncated version of the new Government plans, in order to finish in two years instead of three or four, and they are much better.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links. I purchased this book new.

Ideals of American Government: The American Cause

The American Cause

by Russell Kirk

with a new Introduction by Gleaves Whitney

The American Cause is the spine of the new high school Government course for Mater Amabilis™. (Click Civics, Government, and Economics on the main high school page.) I'm adjusting these plans a little for my oldest as I need to fit government into two years instead of three or four, but he's going to read The American Cause and all the amazing primary source documents linked in the course. Combined with American History, this is going to be an excellent foundation in Foundations of American Government.

This book proposes to better understand "the American cause" by exploring the moral, political, and economic principles upon which our government and society are based. It is important to note that Dr. Kirk is not attempting to "convert" anyone to the American point of view, merely define and explain it. He does, however, hope to inform Americans of the principles of their own nation in order to provide a defense (within the individual) against what he saw as the treat of Communist propaganda.

One of the most important and beneficial aspects of our American tradition, indeed, is toleration: and this toleration extends to a sympathetic approval of variety, national and private rights, and freedom of choice, both at home and throughout the world. The American mission is not to make all the world one America, but rather to maintain America as a fortress of principle and in some respects an example to other nations. (p. 12)

Dr. Kirk traces modern American society to three "cardinal" ideas: "the idea of justice, the idea of order, and the idea of freedom." He identifies what those ideas meant to the founders of the United States, including their historical roots in Western civilization and Christianity.

This book is a wonderful explanation of the ideals of American ideas of justice, order, and freedom. I tend to believe we often stray far from those ideals, especially when confronted with the tenets of Catholic social justice. I like that this book provides a counterpoint to what my children may hear from me or the media, and that it identifies the measures we should use when determining what the Constitution meant in the past and how it should be applied in modern life.

The book was originally published in 1956. I think the American economy was closer to our ideals than it is today. I assigned a few articles about the distribution of wealth in 2020 to read alongside chapter 8. His chapter on justice is also a little suspect given what we know of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. I think his assertion that America was the most just society (in 1956) may be true, but it's also true that it was not as just as we would hope. I think we can say that about today as well. 

What really creates discontent in the modern age, as in all ages, is confusion and uncertainty. People turn to radical doctrines not necessarily when they are poor, but when they are emotionally and intellectually distraught. 

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this book used. Links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. 

How to Live as an American: Strangers in a Strange Land

Strangers in a Strange Land: Living the Catholic Faith in a Post-Christian World

by Charles J. Chaput

Charles Chaput, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, writes eloquently and clearly about how Catholics are called to live in the world as the light of the world.

This book was recommended in the Mater Amabilis™ high school Facebook group as a good addition to a high school American government class. I intend to assign it in the senior year. It doesn't cover the machinery of American government. Instead, it explores what it means to remain firm in the faith as an American today and how that faith directs our actions, not just in the voting booth but every day.

Early in the book, Archbishop Chaput briefly outlines the development of democratic government in the American colonies, showing how the leaders drew on the historical Christianity of Western civilization.

Christianity is a restless faith. It points us beyond this life, but also seeks to remake the world in holiness. Christians honor the past as part of salvation history. The past sets the stage for our own small parts in God's story. But the Gospel can't be satisfied with the world as it was, or is. Rather, the disciple serves God in "renewing the face of the earth."

In contemporary American politics, this goal to "remake the world" is separated from the historical frame of "holiness." It has transformed into political movements sustained by "almost 'religious' zeal. In my own life, I've seen people who abandon the faith, but then embrace this kind of zeal for issues like the environment.

Our laws and courtrooms declare people are equal even though we are obviously not equal by any measurement we have. And those inequalities are sustained by the lives we lead - the education we receive, the illnesses we suffer. So how are we equal? It's an ideal of equality that grew naturally from our Christian heritage but it now fraught with difficulty when separated from the God of creation.

Only God's love guarantees our worth. And therein lies our real equality. In him, our inequalities become not cruelties of fate, but openings that lead us to love, support, and "complete" each other in his name. 

Archbishop Chaput never insinuates we should be anything but beacons of truth when confronted by a society that is blurring the lines of gender, sexuality, or marriage, but he insists we must always speak out of love.

[T]he most powerful kind of witness...grows naturally out of the lives of ordinary people--parents and spouses and friends; people confident in the love that God bears for them and eager to share it with others; people who know the world not as a collection of confused facts but as a symphony of beauty, truth, and meaning.

He emphasizes that we cannot stand on the periphery and complain about everything we see around us. We cannot withdraw from the culture and hide in an enclave. Our beliefs, our actions, our love must directly impact the society of which we are a part.

But the fact remains that "the culture" is little more than the sum of the choices, habits, and dispositions of the people who live in a particular place at a particular time. We can't simply blame "the culture." We are the culture.

His advice does not translate into a specific formula or easy answers; we must immerse ourselves in the liturgy and tradition of our Catholic faith and translate that into a life of joyful sacrifice. We must show Christ's love for the world through our words and our actions, but the particular words and actions of our lives are a matter of individual discernment.

Knowing "about" Jesus Christ is not enough. We need to engage him with our whole lives. That means cleaning out the garbage of noise and distraction from our homes. It means building real Christian friendships. It means cultivating oases of silence, worship, and prayer in our lives. It means having more children and raising them in the love of the Lord. It means fighting death and fear with joy and life, one family at a time, with families sustaining one another against the temptations of weariness and resentment.

I have received nothing in exchange for this honest post. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. Kansas Dad requested this book through inter-library loan for me.