Category Archives: Society and Culture

The way of men – pagan and Christian

Posted on January 10, 2022 by smellincoffee

Late last year I re-read Jack Donovan’s The Way of Men, written for identifying what it means to be a man, and what men need and want. Donovan argues that men are largely driven by the need for the respect … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion and Philosophy, Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 2 Comments

When Harry Became Sally

Posted on November 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement© 2018 Ryan Anderson251 pages In the summer of 2015, a former non-issue affecting an extreme minority became, seemingly overnight, a mainstream talking point. All manner of individuals suddenly began announcing they … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 9 Comments

American Contempt for Liberty

Posted on September 23, 2021 by smellincoffee

American Contempt for Liberty© 2015 Walter Williams432 pages American Contempt for Liberty caught my eye immediately, for its title alone, for I’ve had a growing suspicion that the failure of the American republic lies not only in the ever-expanding state, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Nomadland

Posted on June 24, 2021 by smellincoffee

Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century© 2017 Jessica Bruder273 pages America has always been a nation on the move, but some people take that more literally than others.  Nomadland takes us into the aftermath of the great recession, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Steal this Book

Posted on June 8, 2021 by smellincoffee

pub. 1971 Abbie Hoffman308 pages At some point in the early 2000s, I stumbled onto a digital copy of Steal this Book and was appropriately scandalized. Because of the unique religious subculture in which I was raised, most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Tuesday trifecta: hacking, prepping, and making shine

Posted on March 9, 2021 by smellincoffee

I’ve been dog & cat-sitting away from my computer since last week, and without a TV or computer to distract me I’ve been doing that ‘reading’ thing. First up, I read Just in Case, a prepping-for-newbies book the library acquired … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, science fiction, Society and Culture | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Present Concerns and even more Lewis quotes

Posted on December 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Although Present Concerns’ title makes it sound as though it consists of essays by Lewis written about 1940s issues,   the contents still speak to our present day.  One of the passages, quoted to me from a friend, leapt out … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Is Reality Optional?

Posted on November 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” – F.A. Hayek From economist and cultural critic Thomas Sowell come this amusingly-titled collection of essays,  loosely gathered … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Vanishing American Adult

Posted on September 15, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming of Age Crisis , and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance© 2017 Ben Sasse320 pages Why are teenagers and young adults floundering into maturity? Ben Sasse believes that much of the problem is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Coddling of the American Mind

Posted on September 7, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure© 2018 Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt352 pages There was a time when I was a youthful idealist, full of love and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 17 Comments