Free Republic

Last summer, Carl E. Olson at Catholic World Report, exposed the horrendous state of Catholic high school summer reading lists by highlighting one particularly smutty and ludicrously vulgar novel assigned to incoming freshmen at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland.  And St. Ignatius wasn't alone - a quick google search revealed that dozens of other Catholic schools had assigned the same poorly written piece of garbage.  We really don't want to revisit here all the gratuitously lewd, crude and lascivious passages in this very unfortunates selection for teen reading. But for purposes of background and so that others can grasp the gravity...

It's definitely time, past time, to update this annual list of heat-beaters. Feel free to clip and save, mix and match, or add your own. 1. Delete all unwanted emails without opening them. Especially if they're from types who are always a bit hot under the collar anyway. If you must open any, under no circumstances reply. Soon you'll be on their heated level. Last year I heard from a Satanist -- no, actually he said he was a pagan -- and, you guessed it, he was hot as hell. 2. Forget talk radio and 24/7 television news. Switch to...

The Summer Reeducation Program Spencer Irvine, June 8, 2010 A study conducted by the National Association of Scholars (NAS) analyzed the college reading lists assigned to incoming freshmen, and found some interesting results. The study covered 180 books and 290 college summer reading programs. The study shows that the overwhelming number of books chosen “reflect themes congenial [or favorable towards] the academic left.” “Of the 180 books, 126 (70 percent) either explicitly promote a liberal political agenda or advance a liberal interpretation of events.” On the other side, the study found “only three books (less than 2 percent) promote a...

BreakPoint Commentaries Books Summer Treat By Chuck Colson 7/3/2007 BreakPoint Book Recommendations Here at BreakPoint, summer usually means one thing. No, I don’t mean it’s time to go to the beach. I mean it’s time for us to start talking about books for summer reading and sharing our recommendations. After all, what better companion could you have at the beach than a good book? Joking aside, we know that this is the time of year when kids, and we adults as well, often have a little extra free time and are in the market for something good to read. That’s...

Each year about this time, some parents write in to ask for suggestions of things for their children to read during the summer, in order to counteract the steady diet of liberal-left indoctrination they have been getting in schools and colleges.This year there is a new book that is almost tailor-made for that purpose. Its title is "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies" by Gregory Jackson. In it, all sorts of political and media spin are shot to pieces by hard facts.If you think that the Constitution of the United States provides for "separation of church and state," that George W....

During the lazy, long, hot days of summer, which activity would you rather see your son or daughter engaged in – playing a video game or reading a book? A silly question, right? After all, nearly every parent will say, "Reading a book." But whether that's truly the better activity depends on what book your child is reading. And as I've told readers of this column before, plenty of books designed for today's pre-teens and teenagers undermine the traditional moral values most parents struggle to teach their children. This time of year, kids of all ages come home with...

Hello FReepers. I am done with my grad school classes for the summer so I have some time to get back to reading for enjoyment.Just looking for some suggestions. I am a 30 year old male btw, so no romance novels. Are you reading anything interesting? Let me know. Fiction, nonfiction, whatever. I love Tom Clancy but am looking to diversify.Thanks for you help!tf...

Are you the type who just can't seem to settle for the latest pulp novel at the beach or by the poolside? Cruxnews.com gives an overview of some recommended heavy reading for those not content to be summer lightweights.

2006 is author Jack Cashill's first novel. Known for his political commentary and documentaries, Cashill has successfully woven a believable futuristic political scenario into a first-rate thriller. The hero, T.J. Conlon, is roused from his day to day existence with the news of his father's mysterious death. Conlon, at this juncture in his life, is settled in a job as sports editor for the Boston Globe. He has, for the most part, coasted through life with little more thought than it takes to make a selection on a menu. His father's demise, however, brings T.J. back to his familial roots...

Loose framing Books for walking on treadmills or beachesBy Marvin OlaskyThe builder of my house once told me it was loosely framed, which I don't think was a good thing. My guess is that the person who designed the house and lived in it for several years changed her mind a few times as the house was under construction, leaving it with some curious angles. It's a wonderful, odd house, but it could have been a disaster, and some books—including Dave Burchett's When Bad Christians Happen to Good People (WaterBrook, 2002)—are like that. Mr. Burchett's book has problems but also...