Why didn't anybody tell me?
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Aug 30, 2004
How did I get this far in life without ever having read Come Rack, Come Rope, by Robert Hugh Benson?
And why is such a great novel so hard to find?
The good news, I suppose, is that since nobody sat me down with the when I was a teenager, I've had an unexpected delight in middle age.
For reasons unknown to me, most American high-school students are required to read Catcher in the Rye. If you think it's important to make teenagers more self-absorbed, that's just the ticket. But if you want them to read a riveting account of the English martyrs-- and see what kind of ideas that puts in their heads-- try this:
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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