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CHOICE Review

It is hardly surprising that we should have waited so long for a book on Merton and education. Although he wrote on an amazing diversity of subjects, he never wrote on education; and although he taught novices at Gethsemane for many years, he has never been considered an educator. Writing out of a thorough knowledge of Merton's copious output, Del Prete, by taking incidental references to teachers and teaching and by working out implications for education of Merton's thoughts on a variety of topics, has produced a book that very likely represents what Merton himself would have said had he devoted a book to the subject. The thesis is this: the whole person should be educated into self-discovery; self-discovery is both personal and communal, involving the discovery of Christ both in one's self and in others. This leads to consideration of such matters as truth, attentiveness, communication, dialogue, and teachers. This is a theoretical work: it does not deal with such matters as curricula or pedagogy. It does not compare Merton with other thinkers on education, nor does it place him in the context of the history of the philosophy of education. It offers no critical evaluation of Merton's ideas. It would be of particular interest to a Christian teacher in a Christian institution, but it is broad in scope and should interest anyone engaged in the educational enterprise. Complete bibliography and index. -W. C. Buchanan, Grand Valley State University