Literature

Not Your School’s Reading List 2: God and the Human Condition 4
- Literature
- December 1, 2022
At Intellectual Takeout, we strive to offer not only commentary on current events but also tangible advice for engaging with our increasingly chaotic world. That’s why we’re proud to present this ongoing series of literature recommendations. This week’s entries include works examining our culture’s Judeo-Christian religious heritage. While we don’t necessarily agree with all the
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Why Fairy Tales Aren’t Just for Kids 9
- Culture, Literature
- November 29, 2022
“Children must hear nothing but the vital truth, so far as we can give it [to] them,” G.K. Chesterton wrote over a century ago. “I say the vital truth: it is found mostly in fairy-tales…” Recently, I watched two movies back-to-back: Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella (2015) and Jon Turteltaub’s romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping (1995).
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An Undeserved Nobel Prize in Literature 3
- Literature, Culture
- November 2, 2022
One purpose of literature is to draw people closer to the good, true, and beautiful. Authors find formulas to express the best of human nature, even when framed by tragedy or adversity. The writer should present perspectives that elevate, captivate, and draw others to consider sublime ideals. Thus, many literary authors were revered and remembered
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How to Connect Teens With Good Books 8
- Literature
- November 1, 2022
Lately, I’ve been reading from M. F. K. Fisher’s The Art of Eating. I say “from” because this thick volume contains five books Fisher wrote on cooking and dining. And her prose is as exquisite as the dishes she recommends. While reading this book, the thought suddenly hit me: Why aren’t our students reading this
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Some Thoughts on Halloween and Ray Bradbury 2
- Culture, Literature
- October 31, 2022
In 2015, blogger Amanda Russo posted a humorous piece “Why Halloween Is Actually A Pretty Weird Holiday.” As Russo says, on Halloween we encourage our kids to take candy from strangers. We threaten our neighbors with “Trick or Treat.” We spend a chunk of change buying and giving away sugary treats, often to people we
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Raising Girls to Be Real Women 4
- Family, Culture, Literature
- October 18, 2022
I recently wrote an article providing some forgotten tips on how to raise boys to be real men. But boys aren’t the only sex that we need help raising. Boys are getting sucked into the feminist vortex of our culture, but that vortex also is swallowing girls at perhaps an even greater frequency. So how do we raise
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