Ever since Hanna discovered that Oprah Winfrey was having an enormous influence on people's reading habits by endorsing certain books, she has been clamoring for some way to get her own opinions out there in the marketplace of ideas. (You know how beagles are!)
So from now on this page will feature various books and recordings that Hanna has found to possess exceptional worth. Who am I to second guess her?
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| Hanna says, "The dog who knows nothing of the world before he was born is doomed to remain forever a puppy." |
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Lie awake nights worrying about an "environmental catastrophe"?
Read this book. We've got bigger fish to fry. Much bigger. We're talking sharks to minnows.
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| Eugene Sledge served with the 1st Marine Division on Peleliu and Okinawa. His memoir takes its place among the great works of history, as written by those who lived it. By turns harrowing and poignant, he was quoted extensively in Ken Burns' recent documentary. Definitely not for the squeamish.
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| C S Lewis' masterpiece has been the gateway to faith for a great many people. Having endured the trenches of World War I, and triumphed over his own atheism, his arguments can resonate with even the most worldly and cynical. He tells you not merely what to believe but why.
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| If you were put off by the relentless gore of Mel Gibson's Passion, try this little low budget masterpiece. The complete version renders the entire Gospel of John in all its wondrous humanity and all its theological grandeur. The performances are excellent throughout, most notably Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus. He manages to combine an earthy charm with the gravitas to make you (and his disciples) believe when he repeatedly says, "I'm telling you the truth!"
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| Dennis Prager is that rarest of birds, a philosopher and theologian who writes and speaks like a regular person. His wisdom is accessible, even to dog walkers. This is his finest book, a series of essays that sum up his thinking in nice bite size chunks. He will make you think.
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Any man who has been reviled and lied about as much as Clarence Thomas deserves to have his story heard. And what a story it is!
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| Richie Furay left the rock n roll lifestyle way back in the '70s when he found a higher calling. Since then, he's been pastoring a Calvary Chapel church near Boulder, Colorado. This is his first secular album in a long time. For anyone who ever couldn't resist grinning and tapping a foot to his classic work with Buffalo Springfield and Poco, this will not disappoint.
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| When Unto This Hour was published in 1984, it helped trigger a revival of interest in the Civil War. (It was the first book on the subject Hanna read. She read nothing but Civil War for 10 years!) Wicker's novel tells in minute detail of the battle of 2nd Manassas, a masterpiece of deception and daring, a three day bloodletting that had the Union wondering if they'd ever win a battle. Against this epic backdrop, Wicker weaves the tales of his fictional characters alongside the likes of Lee and Jackson. All of human nature is on display, the glorious and the sordid marching side by side as history comes to life.
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| This was the finest movie of 2008 though Hollywood found it way too politically incorrect to honor it as such. Clint's snarling, grumbling curmudgeon, Walt Kowalski, makes Dirty Harry seem warm and cuddly by comparison. But Walt has important lessons to teach us about humanity. That actions really do mean more than words, that, as Viktor Frankl put it, there really are only two races, the decent and the indecent. And the title song will break your heart. "It beats a lonely rhythm all night long."
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