Historians in Trouble. By Jon Wiener Historians' violations of common standards of ethics -- lying, harassment, plagiarism, and fraud -- are not to be taken lightly. But, why do some cases of plagiarism and other academic misconduct make headlines, while others do not? This is one of the intriguing questions Jon Wiener poses in Historians in Trouble. Wiener, a professor of history at the University of California in Irvine, delves into the well-publicized cases of Michael Bellesiles, the historian of gun culture accused of research fraud; accused plagiarists and "celebrity historians" Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin; Pulitzer Prize-winner Joseph J. Ellis, who lied about having fought in Vietnam; and the allegations of misconduct by Harvard's conservative historian Stephan Thernstrom. Perhaps of greatest interest to Catholic readers is the case of Catholic feminist Elizabeth Fox-Genovese of Emory, accused of sexual harassment and discrimination by female students and colleagues. -- July 27, 2007 [ Available at Amazon.com ]
	God and Evolution. By Jozef Zycinski In 1996, Pope John Paul II delivered his controversial address on evolution to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in which he stated, "Rather than the theory of evolution, we should speak of several theories of evolution. On the one hand, this plurality has to do with the different explanations advanced for the mechanism of evolution, and on the other, with the various philosophies on which it is based. Hence the existence of materialist, reductionist and spiritualist interpretations. What is to be decided here is the true role of philosophy and, beyond it, of theology." Inspired by the Pope's message, Archbishop Jozef Zycinski of Lublin, Poland, set out to carefuly analyze the true role of philosophy and theology with respect to the various theories of evolution. In doing so, Zycinski provides excellent critiques of two opposing "fundamentalist" approaches to evolution: "creation science" as popularized by Philip E. Johnson and "atheistic evolutionism" as advanced by the likes of Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins. An important addition to the ongoing battle over evolution vs. creationism. -- July 24, 2007 [ Available at Amazon.com ]
	ISI Guide: All-American Colleges. Too many colleges these days are in the grips of professors and administrators in thrall to esoteric ideologies that make reasoned debate on campus difficult and turn the classroom into a political battlefield. By the same token, too many college guidebooks have lost their esteem for true liberal arts education, favoring instead fashionable and trendy schools that preach the newfangled dogmas of moral and religious liberalism. With this is in mind, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which has worked for decades to preserve true "academic freedom," has produced a "niche" college guidebook for "conservatives, old-fashioned liberals, and people of faith" -- a splendid resource for parents and students looking for a college that builds both character and resume. The 50 schools included, ranging from orthodox Catholic campuses like Thomas Aquinas College and Christendom to classical liberal arts colleges like Princeton and the University of Chicago, all believe that education ought to be grounded in a "core curriculum" that recognizes the Classics and other important contributions to Western Civilization. Highly recommended. -- July 19, 2007 [ Available at Amazon.com ]
	The Bad Catholic's Guide. By John Zmirak According to the word on the grapevine, many Catholic bookstores are refusing to stock John Zmirak's The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey & Song; perhaps because its title includes the words "bad" and "Catholic" in such close proximity. Rest assured, this "spirited look at Catholic life and lore, from Apocalypse to Zinfandel" (as it is billed) is as good as it gets on the subject of drinking, feasting, and carrying-on -- Catholic-style. Though its entries, ranging from "Amaretto: His Madonna Brought Him a Bottle" to "Zima and Other Culinary Inventions from the Devil," are cloaked in ribaldry and irreverence, this alternative Catholic dictionary is an indispensible guide to understanding the lost art and practice of truly Catholic culture. Bonus: includes priceless drinking songs in several languages. -- July 16, 2007 [ Available at Amazon.com ]
	Chewing Gum in Holy Water. By Mario Valentini Actor and scriptwriter Mario Valenti was born in a hilltop village in the mountains of the Abruzzo, in the heart of Italy. With money short at home and his father working in a foreign land, at four years old he was sent to live with his uncle, a traveling priest. Thus began a life of marvelous adventures. For the mischievous boy, who loved nothing so much as swordplay, tales of Romans and Crusaders, and American chewing gum, every new town meant new friends and getting into trouble. From confronting a hungry wolf at dusk to pretending to be his uncle in the confessional, from drinking in the fumes of an enormous empty wine barrel to challenging a bull in an open field, Valentini provides a nostalgic look back into a golden childhood where, in Valentini's words, "even the misery was sweet." -- July 12, 2007 [ Available at Amazon.com ]
	Basilica. By R.A. Scotti Both a brilliant failure and an extraordinary feat of architecture and engineering, St. Peter's Basilica was the most monumental undertaking of the High Renaissance. The story of its construction as recounted by R.A. Scotti is a clash of titans in cassocks and artists' smocks, a sprawling saga of magnificent imagination, petty jealousy, magnanimous collaborations, and incalcuable cost. The project fused the genius of the greatest artists of the Renaissance and the Baroque, most notably Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernini. They were audacious and ambitious men who tore up each other's plans and imposed their own contenting visions. As the basilica rose slowly stone upon stone, the city of Rome grew with it, from the dust and neglect of the Middle Ages to become what Byron would call "the city of the soul." -- July 9, 2007 [ Available at Amazon.com ]

previous reviews...

Great Britain
An exhumation of Cardinal John Henry Newman's grave has revealed that his bones have disintegrated, hampering plans to turn his final resting place into a center of Christian pilgrimage.

Vatican City
Pope Benedict has opened a worldwide synod of bishops at the Vatican to discuss the relevance of the Bible for contemporary Catholics.

India
As anti-Christian violence continues in the eastern state of Orissa, bishops in India are demanding a ban on fanatic groups that spread terror and hate in the country.

Northern Ireland
The crisis in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government deepened this week as Protestant leaders defeated plans for an all-Ireland summit.

Minnesota
Paul Zachary Myers, a science blogger and biology professor at the University of Minnesota at Morris, is promoting YouTube videos of a person purporting to desecrate the Eucharist.

Massachusetts
Hundreds of devout Catholics and curious onlookers have gathered to pray, weep and chant outside a hospital window where an image that some say looks like the Virgin Mary has appeared.

Vatican City
A top Vatican official said that the world's financial crisis is the result of the search for short-term profits as a goal in itself.

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