Notre Dame Books

In this book, Dunne describes three journeys to Jerusalem: the first, a pilgrimage of the mind; the second, a pilgrimage of the heart; and the third, a pilgrimage of the soul.

Writing in an almost musical voice, he comes back over and over to themes developed in earlier chapters to orchestrate a most insightful story that ends with a discovery of the home of "the human spirit in a life larger than life."

As with most of his books, the central issues are front and center: "Where do you come from?" and "Where are you going?" And he asks this of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in this city that is so sacred to these religions.

Read this book and you'll be considering whether the "home" you came from is the "home" you are going to. A timely book for all.

Highly recommended.

In this book, Dunne takes us with him on a pilgrimage to three places of wisdom: the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (the shrine of Holy Wisdom), the Rothko Chapel in Houston, and the Meditation Room at the United Nations.

His quest this time is to discover the answer to a question we all ask:
How may we wisely "conjoin seeing and feeling...knowing and loving"?

Or put more simply: Does wisdom dwell where my soul dwells: in my head or in my heart?

Or more pointedly, does God dwell in the hearts of those who love God wisely?

What Dunne discovers and is able to share may be pointed to with the phrase by Newman: "Heart speaks to heart."

Highly recommended.

We are very pleased to discover this series of books for our nine year old son who has not been interested in sitting down to read a book until now. However, I do feel compelled to mention that although the text is watered down for comprehension by young readers, don't expect that the themes to be watered down, too. The tragic end with three main characters dying is still here and that may be too much for a young reader. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the conclusion reveals Jekyll's suicide.

Just remember to refresh your memories on these "classics" and determine the appropriateness for your young reader.

ISBN 1570642702 - I've been a fan of Wishbone since the first time I happened upon an episode, so I had high hopes for the book series. Any books that can tie in to a popular TV series is bound to attract some young fans and whatever gets them reading is a good thing.

When the kids choose teams to play roller hockey, an un-athletic boy named Nathaniel is the last chosen - for good reason. Nathaniel has a very hard time staying upright on his wheels and the other team, led by Damont, laughs at him. Samantha decides to teach him to skate and Joe and David become jealous over the time she spends with Nathaniel.

While this is going on, Wishbone imagines himself as Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of Notre Dame, who falls in love with Esmeralda because she shows him kindness. Her physical beauty catches the eyes of others, including Quasimodo's master, Frollo, whose jealousy drives him to attempt murder - and let Esmeralda take the blame for it, rather than own up to what he's done.

The parallel between the two stories is a bit vague, but that's not important overall. The current-day story, as always, just serves as a way to introduce kids to classic literature so any small similarity is sufficient; in this case, illustrating a "don't judge a book by its cover/don't judge too hastily" moral. The writing is all right, though not spectacular. Young fans won't mind that Friedman isn't quite a Victor Hugo!

In South Bend, Indiana, literature professor Roger Knight and his brother retired private detective Phil are big fans of Notre Dame sports. The siblings especially enjoy talking sports past and present with the university's assistant sports information director Fred Neville, a fellow bachelor. However, that pastime ends when Fred suddenly dies from poisoned coffee.

Fred's death shakes the Knight siblings, but not as much as the appearance at the mass of two women claiming to be his fiancées. Naomi McTear wears an engagement ring and sat in the family pew while departmental secretary Mary Shuster dresses in widow black. Adding to the confusion of the Knights is that they thought Fred was falling in love with point guard Griselda Novak. As they assist South Bend police Lieutenant Stewart on the investigation, Roger and Phil wonder whether a good Catholic could have committed suicide or did one of his women slam dunk him?

Though the mystery is decaf, the insight into the university especially its sports program and history is a delight and will recruit more fans. Using the women's basketball team as a prime backdrop adds depth especially since they won the national title three years ago. The Knight brothers retain their charm and Griselda is an intriguing student athlete. Though this is the seventh game at Notre Dame, Ralph McInerny provides a fresh tale that showcases the university with a lighter than usual case as the mechanism.

Harriet Klausner

A fine natural-law manual. The textbook is a clear and punchy synthesis of Thomistic moral philosophy. I especially liked the precision of the terms used. It's wonderful to have the tutiorists and the proabiliorists back. My only reservation is that a conservative political agenda seems to crimp the ethical analysis. Check out the unsatisfactory discussion of war.

Michael Steele has been doing books on Notre Dame football for many years. Some, like Rockne: A Bio-Bibliography (1983) are very detailed, but most, especially this book, are more in the coffee table genre. But that's o.k. because Steele is modest about his books, and makes no special claims for them.

The photos in this book are excellent and not only include many of Rockne at various stages of his life, but also of his famous players. Steele also includes pictures of many important sites in Rockne's life, and even some diagrams of plays.

The text moves swiftly through the famous coach's life and career. On occasion, Steele repeats an old and questionable chestnut, but for the most part, he gives straight-forward game-by-game details. The final section of the book contains long interviews with a number of men who played for Rockne and/or were students at Notre Dame in the 1920s. Since all of these men have since died, the interviews are often poignant, even if they are more nostalgic than truly informative.

If you are looking for a deeply researched and footnoted biography of Knute Rockne, this is not the book for you. However, if you want a pleasant journey through the coach's life, take this trip with Michael Steele.

Professor Murray Sperber, Author of Shake Down the Thunder (1993), and Onward to Victory (1998).

It has been 40 years since Samora published this work. At that time, there were only some 4 million Spanish speaking people in the American Southwest. Now, conservatively, there are over 15 million.

But much of the work is still germane. Though some sections are thankfully obsolete. Like the striving for equal opportunity. Remember that the book was written when Jim Crow still ruled the South. There was similar discrimination against Latinos, though perhaps not to the same institutionalised extent.

The chapters on migrant farm workers resonate. The working conditions are still often deplorable, with little oversight by the government. The chapter on the emerging middle class was accurate in its projections. This middle class has now largely merged with the "Anglo" middle class.

Felix Padilla's 1985 classic stands as the first and,even today, one of the few social science studies on the dynamics and formation of a pan-Latino ethnic identity. Padilla's study is set in Chicago and examines the structural conditions and social inequalities endured by Chicanos and Puerto Ricans in the Windy City throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s; these inequities fostered the emergence of a new Latino ethnic identity and mobilization in the 1970s that transcended individual Mexican and Puerto Rican identity.

Padilla contends that a pan-ethnic Latino identity emerges when two or more Spanish-speaking ancestry populations are confronted with similar social conditions (such as poverty, discrimination, or poor educational facilities). Such conditions may serve as a basis for solidarity and unity between two or more Spanish-speaking groups (in this case Chicanos and Boricuas) as they unite to seek redress for such grievances. As the old saying goes, "there is strength in numbers."

Padilla points out that there are two basic models of Latinismo: the ascribed model and the emergent model. The ascribed model seeks ethnicity as a primordial category; Latinos constitute an a priori ethnic group based on Spanish as a cultural commonality. On the other hand, the emergent model and its adherents see Latino pan-ethnicity as a socially constructed concept that arises when Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, etc unite in efforts to challenge systematic inequalities that they face. Padilla clearly favors the emergent model, although he does not totally discard the ascribed framework - pointing out that many "Latinos" cherish Spanish as a key element of symbolic ethnicity.

Padilla does a great job in detailing the emergence of a pan-Latino ethnic identity among Chicanos and Puerto Ricans in Chicago during the 1970s. The move towards a pan-Latino identity originated in the early 1970s when Mexicans and Puerto Ricans unitied to challenge discrimination in Chicago's white collar employment sector. Federal affirmative action policy enhanced efforts towards pan-Latino unity as it legitimized and confirmed claims of inequality and discrimination. The sucess of early efforts in opening up new job opportunities for Mexicans and Puerto Ricans was taken as proof that pan-Latino unity held promise in fighting racial and ethnic discrimination.

Padilla's book is important because, all too often, larger American society uses the label "Latino" indiscriminately - implying that Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, etc. are automatically a unified, homogenous group. Nothing could be further from the truth. A homogenous "Latino" culture does not exist, cultural differences and differences in historical experiences mark each group that is encompassed under the rubric of "Latino." Examing the experiences and social history of, for example, Puerto Ricans and labeling it as "Latino culture" or "Latino history" is misleading and a misnomer, as Puerto Rican experience in the United States is vastly different from Cuban experiences and Chicano experiences. Padilla argues that social scientists and the media must stop using the label "Latino" indiscriminately and realize that this pan-ethnic label is a political phenomenon that denotes a conscious attempt at inter-group unity to achieve a collective goal. As such, scholars should dedicate themselves to investigating the factors and conditions that serve to promote attempts at "Latino" unity.

I strongly suggest reading this book in conjunction with "Latino Crossings" by Nicholas DeGenova and Ana Ramos-Zayas. While Padilla focuses on the conditions that foster pan-Latino unity, DeGenova and Ramos-Zayas examine factors that impede and prevent such unity (inter-group prejudice and stereotypes being the main culprit to such efforts).

Notre Dame has to change with the times or it will never survive in the cutthroat competitive world of academia. Students, teachers and workers don't like the direction the school is taking, more secular and less religious oriented. Professor Raul Izquierdo is an atheist who talks to his classes about his beliefs which upsets the pious Catholics who believe that what he is doing is wrong.

Henry, a security officer is a brilliant man whose whole life was geared to going to Notre Dame but despite high grades and SAT scores he was rejected. Professor Wack who has an office next door to Raul despises the atheist and in a fit of ire sets fire to his trash can. Threatening letters are sent to the Provost, the Dean of Arts and Letters, the football coach and Professor Wack. The school is concerned so they hire private investigator Phillip Knight and his brother, a Catholic Studies professor, who also is a private investigator to investigate. While they inquire about the letters, Raul's car is blown up and he is later found by a professor in his office strangled to death. There are many suspects but Roger perseveres because he thinks the police have arrested the wrong man.

Fans of academia mysteries will enjoy THE LETTER KILLETH that gives a writer's view of Notre Dame and the political in-fighting that goes on in academia. This is a well thought out mystery with three suspects who all have good motives to want to see the victim dead making the cast of secondary characters most interesting. Roger, an extraordinarily obese man, is comfortable with himself as a brilliant private detective with a mind that never rests until he sacks the criminal.

Harriet Klausner