Books

The sexual revolution, the decline of the family, and the rise of identity politics are interrelated, says Mary Eberstadt, astute senior research fellow with the Faith and Reason Institute. In Primal Screams, she connects these dots. Sexual freedom undermines family values, leading to the breakdown of marriages and families; lacking this foundation where we traditionally find our identity, young people seek their “identity” elsewhere by latching onto ideological groups or tribes, on the right as well as the left, as their self-defining cause in what Eberstadt calls “The Great Scattering.” Their outrage at the perceived flaws of society represents a cry for help as they mourn the loss of real family and community.

Many may not have heard of Cardinal Péter Erdő, the archbishop of Esztergom Budapest and primate of Hungary, but after reading this far-reaching interview readers will become thoroughly familiar with his early life, his experiences as a priest and bishop, the Church in Hungary during and after Communist rule, and his perspective on the Catholic faith and its place in today’s world.

Here’s the book that stirred up no small amount of controversy in January when, just prior to the book’s release, the pope emeritus asked that his name be removed as co-author. Whatever the concern is, Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah each contribute chapters to this work and collaborated on the introduction and conclusion to the book.

We hear so much of how the family home is a “domestic church.” Brick by Brick offers a solid set of blueprints for making that happen. André and Angelè Regnier raised five children into adulthood who not only kept the Catholic faith, but also became missionaries of Catholic Christian Outreach, an apostolate the Regniers founded.