Jeff Minick

Practicing frugality builds strong character through self-discipline, self-denial, and the wise stewardship of our time.

Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for July 31–Aug. 6

Depending on which study you choose to believe, the average person complains anywhere from three to 30 times a day.

In this installment of ‘When Character Counted,’ we meet the James-Younger gang, the town, and a heroic bank official who stopped their robberies and murders.

This summer I once again drove six hours one-way for a physical with my doctor.

Ditch the overscheduled camps and screens. Learn how unstructured neighborhood play builds resilient kids and stronger communities.

So the unnamed 82-year-old narrator declares early on in Mark Helprin’s novel “Elegy in Blue” (Harry N. Abrams, 2026, 256 pages). He then proceeds to blend his present with his past, a life turned upside down by the murder of his beloved wife, the destruction by arson of nearly all that he owned, his wealth wiped away by a vengeful set of crazed parents and a legal system gone awry, and the challenge of battling an evil drug cartel that has set up shop in Brooklyn.

Abigail Adams and other influential figures saw character as the cornerstone of education, emphasizing independence and self-discipline.

In 2014, I was a prompter for a local homeschool poetry festival. With copies of all the poems to be recited, from pre-K kids to highschoolers, I

Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for Aug. 7–13