One thing we'll be trying to do, beginning this second year of A Maiden's Wreath, is to recommend to the readers books and films that I think can be considered excellent, and that promote the values that we Catholics strive for. Hopefully we can bring to your attention some worthy and well-done books and movies!
Escape from Scepticism: Liberal Education as if Truth Mattered
by Christopher Derrick
I feel just a little bit odd reviewing this book, as I'm only two chapters into it at present. Generally I like to finish a book before writing a review of it, so I have the whole picture to reflect on. However, I'm so enthusiastic about this book that I just had to stop by here to share that enthusiasm with you all!
There is a great emphasis these days on going to college to get a degree, and by that means getting a good job, and by that means making a lot of money, and by that means becoming successful. Derrick began to write this book upon a visit to Thomas Aquinas College, where the focus is the liberal arts.
Derrick tackles first the Student Predicament... the frustration of a young person heading off to a college hoping to find wisdom and encounter great thoughts, and being disappointed. The growing cynicism, the growing scepticism. Reading that first chapter was like reading a transcript of my own thoughts. Those hopes and high expectations, and those disappointments, I have felt many times. That was when I began to get excited... Derrick understands the young and eager mind.
He proceeds to define a liberal education, proceeds to support it, proceeds to explain way it is so vital to our Catholic life. I think fans of the C.S. Lewis style will appreciate the style of this book. Derrick was a student of Lewis', and you can hear those echoes in this book.
The book is not only important for the young person moving on towards college, but, I think, for the population at large. A highschooler would certainly benefit, and be set on the right track right away. A homeschooling mother would be presented with a very beautiful image of a very wonderful form of education, to inspire her children. The book is not exactly a 'guide to choosing the right college.' It is a clear-sighted look at education in general, and inspires a person to make the best use of the great gift of reason and intellect, whether they're at the formal education stage of their life, or spending the free hours after the kiddies have gone to bed curled in a chair with a stack of books on hand.
Just as the introduction to a written piece sets the tone, so the conclusion is very important in wrapping everything up and leaving the reader with a strong image in his mind. Derrick ends his book with the perfect quote for his subject: "Seek first the Kingdom."
Read, absorb, contemplate. There is much wisdom in this book. I absolutely recommend it.
Escape from Scepticism: Liberal Education as if Truth Matteredby Christopher Derrick
I feel just a little bit odd reviewing this book, as I'm only two chapters into it at present. Generally I like to finish a book before writing a review of it, so I have the whole picture to reflect on. However, I'm so enthusiastic about this book that I just had to stop by here to share that enthusiasm with you all!
There is a great emphasis these days on going to college to get a degree, and by that means getting a good job, and by that means making a lot of money, and by that means becoming successful. Derrick began to write this book upon a visit to Thomas Aquinas College, where the focus is the liberal arts.
Derrick tackles first the Student Predicament... the frustration of a young person heading off to a college hoping to find wisdom and encounter great thoughts, and being disappointed. The growing cynicism, the growing scepticism. Reading that first chapter was like reading a transcript of my own thoughts. Those hopes and high expectations, and those disappointments, I have felt many times. That was when I began to get excited... Derrick understands the young and eager mind.
He proceeds to define a liberal education, proceeds to support it, proceeds to explain way it is so vital to our Catholic life. I think fans of the C.S. Lewis style will appreciate the style of this book. Derrick was a student of Lewis', and you can hear those echoes in this book.
The book is not only important for the young person moving on towards college, but, I think, for the population at large. A highschooler would certainly benefit, and be set on the right track right away. A homeschooling mother would be presented with a very beautiful image of a very wonderful form of education, to inspire her children. The book is not exactly a 'guide to choosing the right college.' It is a clear-sighted look at education in general, and inspires a person to make the best use of the great gift of reason and intellect, whether they're at the formal education stage of their life, or spending the free hours after the kiddies have gone to bed curled in a chair with a stack of books on hand.
Just as the introduction to a written piece sets the tone, so the conclusion is very important in wrapping everything up and leaving the reader with a strong image in his mind. Derrick ends his book with the perfect quote for his subject: "Seek first the Kingdom."
Read, absorb, contemplate. There is much wisdom in this book. I absolutely recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for stopping by CYW! Comments are always welcome, and we appreciate your thoughts. CYW is meant to be a community of like-minded Catholic women, so hearing from our readers always make us smile.
Disagreement is permitted, but we require that some sort of name be attached to the comment rather than simply leaving it anonymous and that charity always be maintained. And, though criticism of a post is acceptable, any derisive remarks about the personal lives of the contributors are considered unacceptable.
Comments are moderated for the sake of our young readers.
God bless!