Hello and welcome to ex libris (“from the library”), my monthly roundup of book discussion and recommendations. This work will be better with your contributions, so please feel free to chime in below if you’d like!
The Books That Made Me: An Occasional Series
The Original Home Schooling Series: Charlotte Mason
ATTENTION: THESE BOOKS ARE NOT ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING.
Sorry for yelling; people tend to tune out immediately if they’re not interested in homeschooling.
But no — these are not about homeschooling as we understand it in the Year of our Lord 2023. Mason was a teacher-educator-reformer in Ambleside, England at the turn of the twentieth century. She ran a training college for schoolteachers.
Her ideas butted up against some ideas of her time. In a world where children —especially poor children— were regularly cast aside and not educated in the same manner as others, Mason insisted that all children were “born persons,” capable of learning and worthy of a generous education.
These books have been kind friends to me in the seasons of parenting children young and older, providing principles and wisdom for learning. Some of the advice they offer is a bit dated — Miss Mason had ideas about what fabric to wear, for example — and some is timeless. In 2023, people struggle to pay attention; Mason wrote about developing the “habit of attention” as a part of learning over one hundred years ago. She influenced my library picks for my kids. She helped me be patient with them as they grew.
There’s too much to unpack here, as there are six volumes. If you have little ones, start with Volume I, Home Education1. If you’re further along, you might benefit more from Volume III, School Education, or Volume VI, Towards a Philosophy of Education. But I also really love Volume II, Parents and Children.
Our aim in Education is to give a Full Life.––We begin to see what we want. Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Thou hast set my feet in a large room; should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking––the strain would be too great––but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest. We cannot give the children these interests; we prefer that they should never say they have learned botany or conchology, geology or astronomy. The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?
-Charlotte Mason, (Vol. 3, p. 170-171)
Look here for access to these titles.
This month’s book stack:
Bullies and Saints: by John Dickson. This is a quick tour through church history with a careful eye toward the flaws of Christ’s people down through the ages, with some of the virtues mixed in. I first heard John Dickson on The Holy Post a while back, so if you’d like to know more before committing to reading this, you can start there. The book is not geared toward academics but toward the everyday churchgoer. I found it helpful! “Think of this book as an exercise in noticing the ‘log’ in the eye of the church.”
Faithfully Present: by Adam Ramsey. Full disclosure: This book is published by my employer! I found this to be a kind friend in the midst of a tumultuous season of life. Ramsey reminds us that we are limited by our time and our place, and he encourages us to welcome that reality instead of kicking against it. He hooked me with lots of quotes from Wendell Berry and CS Lewis, too. This would be a good encouragement to you if you’re struggling with where you are right now. If you aren’t struggling with that right now, you will be sometime in the future.
The Odyssey: translated by Emily Wilson. The oft-heralded Wilson translation, penned by a woman steeped in classics! Our book club read this together over the summer. It was my second time through it. The poetic form2 sang at times for me, but unfortunately, I just don’t think I’m cut out for ancient literature. I end up feeling like it’s…really ancient. I come away feeling like I can’t get my arms around it. It’s hard to carry. I think any student of classics should have this under his or her belt, but then I give you leave to move on with your life.
Untrustworthy: by Bonnie Kristian. I wish every Christian I know would read this book before next year’s election cycle. I wish every Christian I know would read this book before reading another news article. Kristian examines the “knowledge crisis” in America, looking at it from several angles: the loss of the idea of expertise, the proliferation of conspiracy-mindedness, the role of social media, emotions, and other factors. In a very Chestertonian way, she proposes that part of a cure for this might be…living our lives. Going outside. Playing with our kids. Imagine that.
A note on purchase links: I’m a happy supporter of independent bookshops, so the links I provide will almost always go to my affiliate link at bookshop.org. For my local readers, I heartily recommend you buy them through our favorite, Goldberry Books, but you might have a shop closer to you. Of course, you can always find these selections on That Big Website That Ships Quickly, But Not As Quickly as It Used To, and Remember How They Sucked Us All In By Being a Bookstore to Begin With? I’m also a big fan of saving money and patronizing your local library. Happy reading!
Once again, it cannot be overstressed that this book is not about homeschooling.
it’s in iambic pentameter!
But, like… are these books about homeschooling?
Kidding… kidding… thanks for the good recommendations!
A very loud “YES!” to what you said about Mason’s books--they have formed me as a person and a mother so much this past year, and I’ve only read two of her volumes. I can’t wait to read the rest.