The Sacred Gift of Life: Orthodox Christianity and Bioethics by John Breck, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998. Distributed in Canada by Novalis, 1-800-387-7164. 288 pages softcover, $26.95. "Personality can be transplanted: Shy mouse made sociable, Discovery raises hope of ‘gene psychiatry' for humans." So scream the day's headlines as I prepare to review The Sacred Gift of Life: Orthodox Christianity and Bioethics by John [...]
The Book of Ted: Epistles from an Unrepentant Redneck, by Ted Byfield (Keystone Press Inc., $34.95, 269 pages) The American columnist George Will once said that before there was Ronald Reagan there was Barry Goldwater, before there was Goldwater there was National Review, and before there was National Review there was William F. Buckley. The point was that political movements have their beginnings in [...]
Letters to Gabriel: The true story of Gabriel Michael Santorum, by Karen Garver Santorum with a foreword by Mother Teresa and an introduction by Dr. Laura Schlessinger ($22.95). Karen Garver Santorum is the wife of a prominent pro-life senator and mother of three who, when she found out she was expecting her fourth child, decided to write "letters" to her yet-to-be-born child. [...]
Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe, by Gavin De Becker (Random House, 1999, $34.95). The recent high-school shottings in Littleton, Colo., and Taber, Alta., provide a timely, if tragic background for the release of Gavin De Becker's new work, Protecting the Gift. A consultant on public safety and security, De Becker has gained special expertise within U.S. government circles in the [...]
Class Warfare: The Assault on Canada's Schools by Maude Barlow and Heather-Jane Robertson, Key Porter Books, 1994, $19.95. How ironic that the authors, on record as pro-reproductive choice, should be so anti-education choice. The inconsistency is glaringly obvious to anyone whose vision of reality isn't splintered, but apparently not to them. The authors of Class Warfare deplore the rhetoric and politics of [...]
The Death Peddlers: War on the Unborn, by Rev. Paul Marx, O.S.B. (Human Life International Canada, 1998, 208 pages, $12.45 postpaid.) In 1971 Fr. Marx attended a special pro-abortion symposium in California. Calling himself simply "Doctor," since he had a doctorate in sociology, he applied to attend, and got permission to tape the proceedings. He wrote this book in 1971 based on [...]
By Love Refined: Letters to a Young Bride, by Dr. Alice von Hildebrand (Sophia Institute Press). Perhaps it's just me, but I once had a tendency to think of marriage in terms of romance. I had often been told that even the best marriages must weather rough times - but I was sure that mine wouldn't. As far as I was concerned, [...]
Truth About Rock: Shattering the Myth of Harmless Music, by Steve Peters and Mark Littleton (Bethany House Publishers, 1998, 205 pages, $14.50 CAD).Reviewed by Paul Tuns The Interim Many if not most people would say that rock music is just another option on the entertainment smorgasbord; that going to a rock concert is no different from attending the theatre, and the Beatles [...]
Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorf. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987. $14.50 (Cdn) Wolterstorff, a Christian philosopher, lost his 25-year-old son in a mountaineering accident. His cri du coeur is so poignant it has consoled a generation of grieving parents in a way that no self-help book by a professional expert ever could. Lament for a Son [...]
Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring? By Michael Manning, M.D. (New York: Paulist Press, 120 pages, $14.50, ISBN: 0-8091-3804-2) For a concise and understandable summary of euthanasia, you could hardly do better than Michael Manning's Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring? This short but thorough book begins by clearly stating what the euthanasia debate is: "Is it morally, and so ought [...]
Serving as a Board Member? Protecting Yourself from Legal Liability While Serving Charities. By Dick L. Kranendonk Ed.D. Available from the author for $18.95 at (905)388-6881. Dick L. Kranendonk has written a volunteer board member's handbook which is readable and practical and which expertly addresses the principal concerns for governance. Serving as a Board Member? focuses on seven key areas which include the [...]
Mother of Mercy and of Love Therese Marie Green WinePress Publishing 95 pages, $7.95 (U.S.) Three brief diary entries in 1975 of a pregnant, unmarried 19-year-old pressured into having an illegal abortion is the first stirring witness in author Therese Marie Green’s transformation. She had tender conversations with the “living one” inside her, and acknowledged more than a month later that “my [...]
I have just finished reading – for the second time – a very interesting and informative book. It is entitled, Toward a Culture of Life. The author is Alex Schadenberg, with Father Tom Lynch. It is published by Life Centre Books Ltd., Toronto, Ontario. I have known Alex for many years and had the honour of being the celebrant at his wedding [...]
The Jericho Plan: Breaking Down the Walls which Prevent Post-Abortion Healing By David C. Reardon Acorn Books, 120 pages Book Review David C. Reardon has performed a public service in the writing of his latest book on post-abortion healing. “Public” because although the book is geared primarily to church ministers who have to deal with the often touchy subject of abortion, it [...]
Beginning Life: the Marvellous Journey from Conception to Birth By Geraldine Lux Flanagan Firefly Books, Willowdale, Ont. 120 pages, $26.00 Book Review If you thought the womb was dark and silent and that you spent your time there tightly curled up in a permanent fetal position, you need to read Geraldine Lux Flanagan’s Beginning Life: the Marvellous Journey from Conception to Birth. [...]