Category Archives: books

I was excited about reading Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher because we’re crunchy and ideologically conservative, and the subtitle intrigued me. We got on the list at our local public library and waited it out. From the preface, the book caught and kept my attention. Dreher is a gifted and personal writer who is easy to read. Because crunchy cons are my kind of people, I often wanted to cheer as I read along.

Many of the ideological emphases of the book are ones we value in our family. We care about more than just the bottom line when we shop and are willing to pay more for products we “believe in” such as locally grown and organic foods, things that are well crafted, beauty and not just utilitarian function, etc. The process is important to us and not just the end result. I enjoyed reading the book because the many anecdotes reminded me that there are others out there who care about the things that we do, which can be hard to find the suburban South.

However, when I finished the book I was disappointed with it on several levels. First, it wasn’t very persuasive and it relied on ad hominem attacks and emotionalism to make points. If I didn’t already agree with Dreher, I probably would not have been swayed by him. Some of the chapters were weaker than others, for example, the chapter on home was mostly about buying a smaller, older house. Even though we are in the process of buying our first house and it is a small, 70 year old bungalow, it may not be the most crunchy thing to do for every family. Older homes aren’t as energy efficient, for example. Some aren’t laid out well for entertaining and building community with others. Also, the chapter on homeschooling wasn’t very grounded in reality and I think it might have been better tackled if he had emphasized that crunchy con families realize that education isn’t neutral and emphasized the many crunchy choices out there (alternative schools, coops, classical Christian schools, etc) along with homeschooling.

I think what disappointed me the most about the book is that Dreher didn’t fufill the subtitle which reads: “How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party.)” How are we saving America? I’d like to know that, myself. I’ve seen that the paperback version that will be released in the fall has a new subtitle, according to Amazon, and I’d suspect it’s for that reason. If you are looking for anecdotal, warm writing about those in the Republican Party who “act lefty,” Crunchy Cons delivers. But I think I was expecting just a little bit more. (6.5/10)

Carol asked me what books I’ve read this year would I read again. That seemed like a good enough place to start my reading round-up. I’ve already posted briefly about Sophie’s World, so I’m not going to write about it now.

Three of the books I’ve read so far this year are ones I’ve read before: The Great Divorce, Jane Eyre and My Name is Asher Lev. I anticipate I’ll read all of them again, as I enjoy all of them. I reread The Great Divorce because I gave it to my little sister for Christmas and Jane Eyre and My Name is Asher Lev for book clubs. My Name is Asher Lev is actually my favorite novel of all time. I’m odd like that. Continue reading →

Subtitled “A Novel About the History of Philosophy,” Sophie’s World is a a unique and intriguing book that blends a basic history of philosophy with an enjoyable story, a philosophical mystery. The history of philosophy is very basic and most appropriate for those without much exposure to the field or a very rusty and rudimentary knowledge of it. The upper school where Mike teaches owns a class set and used it in a Western Civ class last year, which is how I was introduced to the book. I would recommend it to homeschoolers (appropriate for teenagers) and adults who are ashamed of their grasp of the history of the big questions. At the very least, it will give you a rubric and help to direct you to philosophical movements you might want to investigate more deeply. Borrowed from the School. (9/10)