Dakota Beacon

Christmas ‘tis the season for giving! What better way to say “I love you” than with the gift of a book? A recipient’s prerequisite for receiving a gift book might be a wee bit of inquisitiveness about the world around him or her. Suggestions to follow include books meant to be edifying, revealing, and instructive. They are all quite readable, but not superficial. Detailed reviews may be found on-line.

Every home should have the Bible. (Consider the New King James Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, American Standard Bible, or New Revised Standard Version.) If it were the only book in the house, and read diligently, it would be sufficient. Additionally, the home should also have a copy of the US Constitution and The Declaration of Independence.

An important genre of books traces the regression 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.” 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.” 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. DVDs based on Whitehead’s and Schaeffer’s books are also available under the same titles.

The following series of books underscore the small steps taken in the demise of the West’s foundational heritage and reinforce 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 humorous comic book-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/. Don’t be fooled by the “comic book-style” representation. These substantive books adequately illustrate the foundation and force of 21^st century thinking.

“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 minds of historians.

Any of William Shakespeare’s plays, especially on DVD, are candidates. (Plays were meant to be seen, not read.) Plays directed by and starred in with Kenneth Branagh are exceptional. Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” staring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton challenges stereotypes.

Suppose you’re not sure about the recipient’s reading tastes. What then? A gift of books about books might serve as a guide – assuming the recipient has any interest at all in reading.

“Another Sort of Learning” by James V. Schall, S.J., carries the unwieldy but auspicious subtitle: “Selected Contrary Essays on How Finally to Acquire an Education While Still in College or Anywhere Else: Containing Some Belated Advice about How to Employ Your Leisure Time When Ultimate Questions Remain Perplexing in Spite of Your Highest Earned Academic Degree, Together with Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to Be Found.” A Jesuit at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Fr. Schall knows of what he speaks.

“The Life of the Mind,” another book by Fr. Schall, presents a sequel to the before mentioned book. This, too, contains many, many suggested books addressing “ultimate questions.” It was from “The Life of the Mind” that I first became aware of “The Education of a Wandering Man” by Louis L’Amour. L’Amour’s memoir, written shortly before his death in 1988, offers his personal reflection on his love affair with books and learning. In his memoir, he lists year by year the books he both read and collected along with his guide on how to find time to read.

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 the moniker proclaims, this quarterly journal publishes book reviews and essays identifying some of the better current printings of fiction and non-fiction. 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.

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.”

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