What's Wrong With the World


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.5 stars; 115 reviews)

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) has been called the “prince of paradox.” Time magazine observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out.” His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction.

The title of Chesteron’s 1910 collection of essays was inspired by a title given to him two years earlier by The Times newspaper, which had asked a number of authors to write on the topic: “What’s wrong with the world?”. Chesterton’s answer at that time was the shortest of those submitted - he simply wrote: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton”. In this collection he gives a fuller treatment of the question, with his characteristic conservative wit. (Summary by Wikipedia and Carl Manchester) (7 hr 4 min)

Chapters

Dedication 3:02 Read by LibertusMaximus
The Medical Mistake 7:43 Read by LibertusMaximus
Wanted, an Unpractical Man 10:29 Read by LibertusMaximus
The New Hypocrite 13:06 Read by Jordan
The Fear of the Past 9:22 Read by dlorimer
The Unfinished Temple 12:06 Read by Jordan
The Enemies of Property 9:51 Read by pattymarie
The Free Family 8:05 Read by Jeannie
The Wildness of Domesticity 8:54 Read by Zloot
History of Hudge and Gudge 11:03 Read by Craig Campbell
Oppression by Optimism 6:36 Read by Houldsworth1
The Homelessness of Jones 9:21 Read by Houldsworth1
The Charm of Jingoism 8:21 Read by Craig Campbell
Wisdom and the Weather 14:12 Read by davevoelker
The Common Vision 7:11 Read by Jeannie
The Insane Necessity 14:37 Read by Zloot
The Unmilitary Sufragette 6:50 Read by Houldsworth1
The Universal Stick 13:55 Read by dlorimer
The Emancipation of Domesticity 10:06 Read by NickNumber
The Romance of Thrift 11:36 Read by Anne Cheng
The Coldness of Chloe 8:35 Read by von
The Pedant and the Savage 6:24 Read by von
The Modern Surrender of Woman 8:03 Read by pattymarie
The Brand of the Fleur-de-Lys 6:42 Read by von
Sincerity and the Gallows 6:49 Read by Craig Campbell
The Higher Anarchy 8:25 Read by Ransom
The Queen and the Suffragettes 3:44 Read by Ransom
The Modern Slave 7:12 Read by Ransom
The Calvanism of To-day 5:20 Read by Gary Gilberd
The Tribal Terror 5:59 Read by Gary Gilberd
The Tricks of Environment 4:35 Read by breathe
The Truth About Education 6:03 Read by breathe
An Evil Cry 6:25 Read by breathe
Authority the Unavoidable 10:02 Read by Craig Campbell
The Humility of Mrs Grundy 8:15 Read by von
The Broken Rainbow 11:04 Read by valli
The Need for Narrowness 5:11 Read by von
The Case for Public Schools 15:47 Read by valli
The School for Hypocrites 12:32 Read by Craig Campbell
The Staleness of the New Schools 6:42 Read by Jeannie
The Outlawed Parent 7:20 Read by Craig Campbell
Folly and Female Education 8:26 Read by Alana Jordan
The Empire of the Insect 14:17 Read by David Barnes
The Fallacy of the Umbrella Stand 8:34 Read by Raerity
The Dreadful Duty of Gudge 6:16 Read by Craig Campbell
A Last Instance 2:34 Read by Jeannie
Conclusion 8:45 Read by Jeannie
Three Notes 8:06 Read by Alana Jordan

Reviews

Well-written


(5 stars)

This is a fascinating and well-reasoned book, but likely to raise eyebrows or perhaps even blood pressure, particularly if it is read shallowly. Here Chesterton speaks out for justice and reform. Here he defends the traditional family and speaks with immense respect for women and for not forcing them into the same mold as men. Here he says, "With the red hair of one she-urchin in the gutter I will set fire to all modern civilization."

A bold and fitting title to a true classic


(5 stars)

Switch around a few words and you could read parts of this in any news outlet. The hypocrisy of the capitalist and socialist is spelt out in clear and common terms. every chapter should be read and reflected upon then read again until each term is properly understood. A treasure of information awaits the reader on what, where and why a family is. If you must skip the whole thing read the conclusion, it provides a true summary of what is, a truly great and highly philosophical text.


(5 stars)

I’ve read this book and listened to its reading several times and guess what, It’s always new. I always get new insights; it’s almost like reading for the first time every time. Or like it’s been rewritten since the last time I read it. 😅

Part 4 chapter 10 is very badly read...


(5 stars)


(4.5 stars)

Overall the reading was excellently done, but there were two chapters read with an accent so thick I couldn't understand them and had to skip over them! Other than that issue, a quality recording of a quality book.


(3 stars)

He's just too smart for me. I think I will need to read several times to understand.


(5 stars)

A wise critique is a critique that is still relevant. 100 years later.

Technically difficult


(3.5 stars)

I found this interesting group of essays difficult to listen to primarily because of the wild variations in volume from one narrator to another. One woman was so quiet that I simply couldn't turn it up enough, even wearing earphones. The essays themselves were certainly thought-provoking, particularly those on women. I will have to find out more about the author. Was he just a product of his place and time?