Note: These articles are a raw riff. They will likely have grammatical errors. But I read, riff, and publish. The first part is for everyone, the second part is for paid members.
A quick announcement:
I’ve selected my next book club topic. This topic will likely be ongoing. In fact, I’m going to make it its own section. I will have articles in it that are both free and for paid members and that are a mix.
The next topic: Catholicism.
I’ve returned to my Catholic faith. I’ve spoken of my journey back to God, and a little of returning to my Catholic faith. The Catholic canon is rich and deep. The number of classic works is endless. I hope to scratch the surface of a few. Also, the works will not be explicitly Catholic per se. Many will be on faith or belief. For instance, C. S. Lewis was not a Catholic, and I will read Lewis. The works on intelligent design by Stephen C. Meyer are not explicitly Catholic either, and I will read him. The same goes for fiction. Dostoevsky is often an author read who brings people into the Catholic faith. He was Russian Orthodox. But his works bring people to the Catholic faith. I will read him.
I’m not a Catholic expert, nor am I a theological expert. But the journey back and my journey going forward, I want to write about it, and I hope to discuss some great books with those interested.
I will start this alongside the America topic. Articles are likely to come out first. One is in the works. I’m not going to read two books simultaneously. I read one at a time (though my adult confirmation class requires me to read more than one book right now). But I will jump into it. When I start a book for you to join in with, I will pick a book and announce it the closer I get to finishing A Patriot’s History of the United States. And when I get to Tocqueville and reading Pierre Manent as a primer, that might be a blend of both.
More on this in time.
“How do you engage with a work?”
“How do you converse with a work?”
These are common questions I get when people want to get into more substantial works of nonfiction.
The simplest guidepost for your conversation with a work is the author’s thesis. Often the thesis is a single sentence stating the author’s core position, aim, or goal of the work. But it’s not always a single sentence. Sometimes it’s a paragraph, sometimes it’s an entire introduction or chapter. Or in the case of some authors, like Andrew Roberts’s The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, you get most of the thesis in the title.
I’ve found with most works of nonfiction written from around 1950 on, the introduction features the thesis. Yet I’ve seen it in prefaces, new introductions to a new edition of the book, and still sometimes in the first chapter.
Some authors are explicit: in this work I argue that ____. Others will flow out their ideas, their conceptions, and it’s not as neat. One version is not better than the other, despite what the writing “experts” on social media claim. They always prefer the short, Hemingway-prosed, explicit call-out. Some writers lay out a super clear thesis and then walk the reader into a morass of ambiguous and shoddy arguments. Some lay out pages of a thesis, what comes across as conceptual rambling, to then have an airtight, concise, and crystal-clear exposition.
As the reader, you read a work out of your own curiosity, enjoyment, and perhaps to take on the intellectual challenge of a certain work. But to engage with it, to have that deeper convo, look for that thesis. Mark it, or if it’s a longer one, see if you can encapsulate the argument or goal of the author. From there, as you read, take note of how or whether the author articulates, expands, or strengthens his case. Also, use it as a signpost. Some works, especially doorstop books, easily fire up a reader’s insecurity that they’re not remembering enough, or reading fast enough, or engaging with it enough. That’s natural. Just keep reading, and look for the thesis expanded on or themes of it in the work. This works like a set of highway signs on a long stretch of highway. You see the mile marker or the exit or what’s up ahead. Seeing the themes or the thesis expanded, you have an idea where you are going. You might not have a counterargument. Your marginalia might be just repeating a passage. That’s OK. Just look for that thesis, and if you can, reflect on it a bit. You can just see the highway sign, know where you’re at, and consider some of the scenery. This helps to keep you going, and helps to keep you engaged.
The thesis of A Patriot’s History of the United States, the current book being read for the American Book Club, is the key principles of what makes America exceptional:
Common Law
Christian Tradition
Property Rights
Capitalism
Each chapter weaves in how these principles play out, are strengthened or weakened, are protected or attacked. It gives perspective to the arguments and historical analysis. It also gives light to difficult arguments in American history, such as property rights during the Civil War and leading up to the war, where Southern Democrats, particularly the aristocratic elite, viewed blacks as property and inferior and incapable of laying claim to rights. And the Republican Party saw the institution of slavery as an evil, yet they kept getting hit with states’ rights as a way to argue for property rights. The debates that ensued are, when just looked at debate-wise, fascinating.
Any questions or comments on this, reply below.
With that, members, let’s take a look at the consequences of kicking the can down the road.