The Search for Meaning
Americans Talk About What They Believe and Why
-
- $6.99
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
“This thought-provoking oral history illuminates the vibrant panorama of values and beliefs that is shaping America.”—Coretta Scott King
What do Americans, as a people, believe in? What are the experiences that have transformed their lives? How does faith—in God, in human goodness, in politics, progress, money, or pleasure—illuminate our actions?
These are the questions that Phillip L. Berman asked when he set off on a four-year, 35,000-mile odyssey to chronicle America’s moral imagination. By the time he was through, he had spoken to some five hundred people from all walks of life. What they told him makes this engrossing and radiantly insightful book the first oral history of the religious and philosophical beliefs of contemporary Americans.
Vividly compelling in the extraordinary variety of its many voices, The Search for Meaning offers a full-scale portrait of the moral state of the union.
“Fascinating characters . . . colorful interviews . . . one of the most inspiring of its genre.”—San Francisco Chronicle
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this oral history, Berman ( The Courage to Grow Old ) captures the voices of a variety of Americans as they discuss the meaning of life and the paths they are taking to realize that meaning. ``How we ought to live on this tiny planet in this immense and incomprehensible universe'' is, in one subject's words, the concern of these people who speak of pivotal experiences in their lives. The approaches are diverse. We hear from hedonists for whom sex is dominant; from two women who make joy palpable in the Soul Sisters Cafe; from a former Jesuit seminarian whose concept of God is radically expanded from earlier catechetical teachings; from a Ku Klux Klanner; an Auschwitz survivor; a sanctuary worker--all speaking of their moral and spiritual beliefs or lack thereof. The interviews are compelling in their revelations and unpredictability. Photos not seen by PW.
