Category Archives: Boston College Book Reviewer

Book review by Martha Bayles

In her review of Shadi Bartsch’s book Plato Goes to China, Boston College faculty member Martha Bayles writes that the author does not fulfill the promises she lays out in the opening pages of her book. Bayles goes on to … Continue reading

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Review: When Magic Failed

Professor of Near Eastern Studies Franck Salameh, chair of BC’s Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies Department, has written a review of Fouad Ajami’s memoir, When Magic Failed: A Memoir of a Lebanese Childhood, Caught Between East and West. The review … Continue reading

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Review of Paul Farmer’s book

Canisius Professor of Theology James Keenan, S.J., vice provost for global engagement at BC, reviewed Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History by Dr. Paul Farmer. In his new book, Farmer, the renowned physician and anthropologist who … Continue reading

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Book review by Alan Wolfe

Professor Emeritus of Political Science Alan Wolfe, former director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, has penned a book review for the New York Times of Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by Benjamin M. Friedman … Continue reading

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Salameh book reviews

In Middle East Quarterly, Boston College Professor of Near Eastern Studies Franck Salameh reviews the book City of Beginnings: Poetic Modernism in Beirut by Robyn Creswell. According to Salameh, City of Beginnings is “a learned, nuanced, and deeply searching guide” … Continue reading

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Book review from Kathleen Hirsch

Kathleen Hirsch, a part-time faculty member in Boston College’s Philosophy Department, penned a book review of Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife by Bart D. Ehrman for the Boston Globe. She writes that the author Ehrman “knows his … Continue reading

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Graver’s NYT Books review

Professor of English Elizabeth Graver has written a review of Niall Williams’ novel, This is Happiness, for The New York Times. In his latest work, Williams’ narrator, 78-year-old Noel Crowe, reflects back on the time he spent in his grandparents’ … Continue reading

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Searching for home

The thread running through Michael Brendan Dougherty’s book My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son’s Search for Home (Sentinel/Penguin Random House, 2019) is the author’s spiritual development, which culminates in the discovery of his own vocation as a father. … Continue reading

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Bayles on The Big Picture

BC faculty member Martha Bayles offers her take on the new book The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies by entertainment journalist Ben Fritz in a piece for The American Interest. She writes that The Big Picture “offers … Continue reading

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Understanding Detroit

In her review of the Kathryn Bigelow movie “Detroit,” released 50 years after the 1967 riots/rebellion in the Motor City, Martha Bayles faults the filmmakers’ attempts to capture the essence of Detroit, writing: “Instead of letting Detroit’s unique history enrich … Continue reading

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