had prompted her charitable acts, thatnPharisaism had been the cloak for sin,nshe learns the practice of religion as anjoyful love as well as a duty.nBoth Modern Baptists and NorthnGladiola focus on characters whose sinfulnpride is painfully shattered. Humblednby circumstance, Mr. Pickens andnMrs. Coco grow to accept and lovenpeople they once thought utterly detestable.nIndeed, many of the characters innboth novels are detestable. All arenflawed in one way or another; all arenrelated to Adam. James Wilcox seemsnto be familiar with the salty theology ofnhis fellow Southerner, William Campbell.nA Baptist preacher from Mississippinand author oi Brother to a Dragonfly,nCampbell sums up the Christian messagenin eight words: “We’re all bastardsnbut God loves us anyway.” All of Wilcox’snsmall-town Louisianians are bastards,nbut he loves them anyway. Andnso will all but the most puritanicalnreaders. Those who respond to thenthemes running through the stories andnsketches of Nathaniel Hawthorne andnwho can appreciate the irony, absurdity,nand grotesqueness found in FlannerynO’Connor’s fiction will find enjoyablenreading in Wilcox. ccnMichael Jordan is a graduate studentnat the University of Georgia.nDefending thenHigh Frontiernby Herbert LondonnRobert Jastiow: How to Make NuclearnWeapons Obsolete; Little, Brown;nBoston; $15.95.nFor some time now, many have acceptednthe logic of nuclear defense. Thenstrategic and moral superiority of ansystem that relies on killing weaponsninstead of people seems—on the face ofnit—undeniable. By suggesting we buildnsuch a defense. President Reagan alterednthe nuclear calculus in which ourncivilian population is currently heldnhostage to the whims of our enemy. Yetnwe have been told time and again bynrepresentatives from the Union fornConcerned Scientists that faith in strategicndefense systems is scientificallynindefensible. Either, it is argued, ourninventiveness is insufficient to deal withnthe complications of tracking and destroyingna bullet in space traveling atn16,000 miles per hour, or Soviet countermeasuresnwill make any defense futile.nBut Robert Jastrow’s latest booknlays to rest scientific arguments againstnthe strategic defense initiative. Meanwhile,nthe Union for Concerned Scientistsncan hope for another Three MilenIsland.nPrepared in the form of a legal brief,nJastrow’s book refutes each of the argumentsnmarshaled against the so-callednStar Wars Defense. For those who arguenthat a defense can be neutralized byn”shining” a missile, or spinning it, orncoating it or launching it with a fastburnnbooster, Professor Jastrow demonstratesnwhy each of these tactics entailsnsignificant drawbacks. To the argumentnthat an offense can overwhelm a defense,nJastrow counters with an analysisnshowing that the Soviets would have toninvest the impossible sum of $2 trillionnto maintain their present offensive capabilitynafter a defensive system with ann80 percent kill ratio was in place.nReaders bewildered by the exoticnarray of proposed technologies will benglad for the lucid explanations of thenmost promising lines of development. Itnwill come as a surprise to many thatnoff-the-shelf technology can be deployednat this very moment to providenan adequate degree of protection againstnThree Outstanding New BooksnTHE RATZINGER REPORTnAn Exclusive Interview On the State of the ChurchnJoseph Cardinal Ratzinger with Vittorio MessorinIn this controversial, highly publicized interview, Cardinal Ratzingernspeaks candidly and forcefully about the state of the Church in thenpost-Vatican II era. Ratzinger’s forthright, measured criticism ofncertain forms of Uberation theology, and his removal of thenimprimatur from two widely read books in the U.S., are wellnknown. In this extensive, wide-ranging interview, Cardinal Ratzingernaddresses a variety of critical issues in the Church, making clearnwhat he thinks the problems are—and their solutions.n”it must be clearly stated that a real reform of the Churchnpresupposes an unequivocal turning away from the erroneousnpaths whose catastrophic consequences are already incontestable”.nSewn soft-cover, $9.95 — Joseph Cardinal RatzingernA CHESTERTON ANTHOLOGYnEdited by P. J. KavanaghnG. K. Chesterton is one of the most widely quoted 20th centurynwriters. His influence has been enormous, and this volume spearheadsnthe great revival of interest in Chesterton’s works. Thisnsubstantial work shows the many sides of Chesterton’s mind. Wenare given a wide variety of highly readable and enjoyable selectionsnfrom his no els, essays, poetry, and apologetics. The best summarynof Chesterton available.n”This deserves to become the standard introduction tonChesterton.” —London Times Sewn hardcover, $16.95nCOLLECTED WORKS OF G. K. CHESTERTONnVol. I: Orthodoxy, Heretics, Blatchford ControversiesnThis first volume of Chesterton’s writings contains three of hisnmost influential and engaging works.n”Chesterton’s writings are so rich in good sense, in wit, and innplain, profound and cheerful truth that almost every page deservesna review to itself.”‘— The SpectatornSewn soft-cover, $12.95; Sewn Hardcover, $17.95nrSgj looatios pRessnAffn ^^ COPIES TITLEnC.K. CHESTERTONnCOLLECTED WORKSn^rnBox 18990 San Fr.iiiiiMu, < S M! ISnAMOUNTnNamenStreetnCity State Zip RnPlease include $1.50 for postage and handling. (California residents please add 6’/29’c sales tax.)nnnJANUARY mB / 29n