A Visit to Vanity Fair: Moral Essays on the Present Age

As a new mother, I have time only for short jaunts through a book. This one was perfect and worth the time I spent on it. I appreciated Alan Jacobs' discernment in quoting (and modeling his style after) time-tested writers; despite the subtitle, he avoids the wearisome tendency to employ endless examples from pop culture in making his points. When he does mention the present age--such as in his Harry Potter piece--his perspective is rooted in age-old wisdom. The book is worth picking up for that essay alone--I wish all Christians boo-hooing Harry would take the time to actually read Rowling's books, with Jacobs' essay in the other hand.