Dakota Beacon

Dylan Thomas credits his love of reading as follows. “My education was the liberty I had to read indiscriminately and all the time, with my eyes hanging out.” Christmas ‘tis the season for giving! What better way to say “I love you” than with the gift of a book? Books as gifts may be edifying, instructive, or just plain entertaining. Suggested books which follow are all quite readable but are not superficial.

Every home should have a Bible. Consider the New King James Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, American Standard Bible, or New Revised Standard Version. If that were the only book in the house, and read diligently, it would be the cornerstone for a future library.

A good point of reference for establishing context would be “A History of Histories: Epics, Chronicles, Romances, and Inquiries from Herodotus and Thucydides to the Twentieth Century” by John Burrow illustrates how the past influences the present. It also shows how the record of the past was viewed and written through the fallible eyes of historians.

An important genre of books traces the decline of Western culture in general, and that of the United States in particular. John W. Whitehead, founder of The Rutherford Institute, wrote “Grasping for the Wind: The Search for Meaning in the 20^th Century” (2001). He analyzes 20^th century Western civilization, the historical and cultural forces that have shaped it, and where it is headed. Christian theologian and philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer wrote “How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture” (1976). Like Whitehead, he analyzes key moments in history and the thinking of the men who brought those moments to pass. Schaeffer’s parallel book “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” exposes the rapid and subtle decline of America’s human rights.

The following series of books underscore the small downhill steps toward the demise of the West’s foundational heritage. They illustrate points made by Whitehead and Schaeffer. In the words of the publisher, “For Beginners is a graphic nonfiction series that deconstructs complex ideas and makes them accessible to the everyday reader. Every book in the series serves one purpose: to present the works of great thinkers and subjects alike in a straightforward, accessible manner. With subjects ranging from philosophy to politics, art, and beyond, the For Beginners series covers a range of topics in a graphic style ...” Examples include “Philosophy for Beginners,” “Freud for …,” “Jung for …,” “Nietzsche for …,” “Kierkegaard for …,” “Literary Theory for …,” “Sociology for …,” “Anarchism for …,” and many more. Books in the series may be found at https://www.forbeginnersbooks.com/. These substantive books adequately illustrate the foundation and force of 21^st century thinking.

Two more books corroborate those mentioned above. They certainly show the extent to which the culture has progressed along the lines of decay highlighted by Whitehead and Schaeffer. First, “The Long March: How the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s Changed America” (2001) by Roger Kimball. (Kimball’s book title alludes to Mao Tse-tung’s “Long March” in his quest to make China a Communist state. Consult Edgar Snow’s book “Red Star Over China” for an account of the long march.) Kimball shows how the "cultural revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s took hold in America affecting our innermost assumptions about what matters in a worthy culture. He believes that the counterculture transformed attitudes toward self and country, sex and drugs, and manners and morality. This laid the foundation for today's "culture wars."

Second, “America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything” (2023) by Christopher F. Rufo. China fell to communism in 1949. In the 1960s, Mao launched China’s Cultural Revolution. China’s revolution was bloody, fast -- and a failure. People opposing Mao were sent to “re-education camps”. What if America started a revolution along the same lines, based on the same bad ideas, but just slower, calmer, and more effective? Rufo discusses left-wing intellectuals and activists who systematically took control of America’s institutions to undermine them from within.

Moving on, any of William Shakespeare’s plays, especially on DVD, are good candidates. (Plays were meant to be seen, not read.) Exceptional actor and director Kenneth Branagh directed and starred in several of Shakespeare’s plays. “The Taming of the Shrew” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton certainly challenges stereotypes.

Suppose you’re not sure about the recipient’s reading tastes. Then what? A gift of books about books might serve as a guide – assuming the recipient has any interest at all in reading. Os Guinness and Louis Cowan co-authored “Invitation to the Classics.” They contend that pursuing the classics awakens the fullness of the soul. They invite the reader to discover works from Homer to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn through recommendations of specific classics suggested by scholars.

Finally, if still in a quandary yet wishing to give something along the line of books, a gift subscription to the “Claremont Review of Books” is always appropriate. As their moniker proclaims, this quarterly journal publishes book reviews and essays naming some of the better fiction and non-fiction books in print. Claremont’s four annual issues are available for less than $20 a year.

For the book lover, a lifetime of learning never ceases. Leave the formal “continuing education” programs to others. Pursuit of a self-directed reading program beyond the classroom intensifies a love of learning which the four walls of a classroom may only stifle. That said, why not consider giving books as gifts this Christmas?

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).