The “Dangerous Memory” of Traditional Roman Catholicism

Book Review: Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius & Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass. Peter Kwasniewski. Brooklyn, NY:
Angelico Press. 2020. 388 pp. $19.95.

As someone who absolutely hates the summer months for their heat and humidity, reading (indoors) was always a cool, relaxing escape from the blaring sun and nonstop sweat. I may not have gone to Disney or Denmark, but my summers since childhood featured a number of great adventures contained within the pages of various books I nabbed from Barnes and Noble. One of these books was the young adult novel, The Giver by Lois Lowry. I first read it when I was 10, and, to this day, it remains one of my favorite novels.

The Giver follows the story of a 12-year-old boy, Jonas, who lives in a utopian society characterized by “Sameness”. In this society, there are no strong emotions, and everything from language to climate is carefully controlled. War has long since ceased, as have any forms of strife and conflict. Parents have a cool and detached relationship with their children; in fact, even birth-mothers are separated from their biological children to prevent emotional attachment. Everything in society is conditioned so that everyone and everything is pleasant and convenient. At the age of 12, every child is considered an adult…