Required Reading

On my recent trip to Manila, I brought along three books.

Grant Comes East

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

The Code of the Wooster's

I didn't get a chance to crack open "The Code of the Woosters," so it will come along on the next journey. Wodehouse is timeless.

If you're a Civil War buff like our own Saint Paul or even a Civil War buff buff like Atomizer (he enjoys spending his time studying people who enjoy spending their time studying the Civil War), you'll enjoy "Grant Comes East." It's a sequel to "Gettysburg" and the second work in the Gingrich/Forstchen alternate history trilogy. History purists are sometimes turned off by the alternate history genre, but this is what I would call reasonable alternative history, not "what if the South had AK-47s?" a la Turtledove.

Rarely have I heard as much hype about a book as I had prior to reading "The Looming Tower." Usually when your expectations are set so high you're bound to be disappointed, but in this case there is a reason for the hype. This book is indispensable for anyone who wants to understand the roots of Al Qaeda and what they seek to achieve. You'll read it now and refer back to it often.

Whilst on the subject on books, I should report that I just started reading Father Richard John Neuhaus' Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, And the Splendor of Truth and, after only a few chapters, I'm already recommending it for those with an interest in the Church. A quick sample:

Dissent from the official teachings--typically from teachings that do not sit well with the surrounding culture, and most typically from teachings touching on sexuality--is taken to be a mark of having grown up. The disposition is this: "Yes, I am Catholic but I think for myself." The somewhat implausible assumption is that what one thinks up by oneself is more interesting than what the Church teaches.

Father Neuhaus will be joining us on the Northern Alliance Radio Network at noon on March 10th to discuss this book and other matters of religion in the public square. Mark your calendars.

SAINT PAUL AVERS: Recommended reading for Atomizer and his fellow Civil War Buff Buffs is Confederates in the Attic.