Fr. Schall's meditations on the profoundest themes of western civilization are essential reading for anyone interested in its fate — regardless of their religious convictions or lack thereof. And it would be a rare creature who would not beforced to re-examine the depths and dimensions of his soul to take account of Fr. Schall's powerful argumentation. His book is especially welcome at a time the west faces yet another challenge from radical Islam and its own continuing deterioration from its own nihilism within.