Got 8 Books for $2 at Menagerie by AWL, a Local Nonprofit Thrift Store

I like visiting and shopping at thrift stores. Fortunately, my town has a few wonderful ones, including The Menagerie by AWL in Niles, Ohio, about eight miles from me. It’s a nonprofit organization operated by the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County, Ohio. Given I was a dog whisperer for a while, the AWL association is a special intangible quality about this thrift store. Of course, Saint Vincent de Paul has a quality thrift store, which is a bit closer to me, too.

The Menagerie by AWL

Anyway, the shop, like so many thrift stores, offers discounts that change nearly every week. They put different color tags on items, so one week it might have “red tags for $1” or “four books for $1,” and such.

Over the past two weeks, it has had the “four books for a dollar” special. So, I stopped by recently and bought a few books.

Eight Books

1. The Vitamin Herb Guide. A Global Health Publication. (4th Ed. 1987)
2. State and Local Government, The Essentials. Ann Bowman and Richard Kearney. (3rd Ed. 2006)
3. CliffsNotes: Machiavelli’s The Prince. (2001)
4. Atheism on Trial: Refuting the Modern Arguments Against God. Louis Markos. (2018)
5. A Confederacy of Dunces. John Kennedy Toole. (1980)
6. What Catholics Really Believe. Karl Keating. (1992)
7. Matthew, Vol. I (Chapters 1-13). J. Vernon McGee. (Revised Printing 1980)
8. The Holy Bible. New American Bible. (Parish Remembrance Edition. 1971.¹The New American Bible (NAB) Parish Remembrance Edition, published in 1971, is a special version designed for Catholic congregations. It features a unique layout and additional pages for personal records.

Bibles

I bought the Bible because I wanted a Catholic version that was pre-woke. I actually like my main Bible, though, for the most part (see below).

It’s an heirloom Catholic version with excellent notes.²I don’t mean my highlights and notes visible on the first page of the Book of Daniel and on the scrap piece of paper. Also, it’s large, measuring nearly 9” x 12” and 2 ¼” thick, so it’s easier on this OG’s eyes.³Old guy. However, it is the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE 3rd Ed. 1991), which has been modified, including being converted to “gender-neutral.”

1960s Cultural Revolution

A lot changed after the 1950s. By 1970, the influence of the Marxists really started to take root. Even my beloved Notre Dame, once a glorious all-male university, caved to wokeism and converted to a co-ed university in 1972. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s College, whose campus sits adjacent to ND, and shares some small lakes and running trails, is still all-female. Why didn’t those in power pressure it, and so many other all-female schools, to become more “inclusive” and admit males?

That stated, I have a lot of respect for the leadership of the few all-male Catholic Schools remaining, since they have remained steadfast and resisted the sneaky ways of infiltration and subversion. One good example: Saint Ignatius High School (est. 1886), an awesome private, all-male Catholic school just west of downtown Cleveland and about 60 miles (ca. 97 km) northwest of my location. Motto: “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” (For the Greater Glory of God).⁴Go Wildcats! Also, the all-male Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA, about 85 miles (ca. 137 km) southeast of my homestead.

Quite unfortunately, most formerly all-male Catholic schools have been influenced to convert to co-ed. Below is a snippet from an article written by a guy who attended an all-male Catholic School back in the day. He seems to feel sad about the state of affairs for all-male Catholic schools. In the article, he references Central Catholic in Portland, Oregon that converted to co-ed back in 1980. However, he still states that the quality of education and experience at the co-ed Catholic schools are a magnitude better than what’s offered by public schools, especially in Portland:

Catholic school was a perfect place for a kid like me. And yes, I remained a troublemaker. A class clown. An instigator of various escapades. But everybody expected that. The whole place was designed to withstand the rambunctious and destructive nature of teenage boys, to reroute that energy and put it to good use.

As it turned out, I never got in serious trouble there. Not for four years. No fights. No conferences with my parents. And since there were no girls to pick up and carry around, I never did that either.

Blaze Media: “I was a ‘problem student’ — until all-male Catholic school let me be a boy” by Blake Nelson

Closing Words

I’m fairly content with all my books and a relatively thriving garden. After all, it was Cicero, a Roman statesman and philosopher, who said, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

Essentially, Cicero’s idea suggests that “a balance of physical and intellectual pursuits leads to a well-rounded life. A garden nurtures the body and spirit, while a library feeds the mind. Together, they create a harmonious environment for personal growth and fulfillment.”

Footnotes

• 1
  The New American Bible (NAB) Parish Remembrance Edition, published in 1971, is a special version designed for Catholic congregations. It features a unique layout and additional pages for personal records.
• 2
  I don’t mean my highlights and notes visible on the first page of the Book of Daniel and on the scrap piece of paper.
• 3
  Old guy.
• 4
  Go Wildcats!