Habits of the Heart, With a New Preface: Individualism and Commitment in American Life - Softcover

"(A) brilliant analysis. Easily the richest and most readable study of American society . . . since The Lonely Crowd."--Newsweek "Habits of the Heart is, rare among works of scholarly origin, an outspoken and even emotional plea for attention to an argument, and a danger. Its power is in the passion of its analysis, the vision of us...narrowing the gap between the inordinate rewards of success and the not less inordinate punishments for failure, in economic terms, in the society."--Los Angeles Times

First published in 1985, "Habits of the Heart" continues to be one of the most discussed interpretations of modern American society, a quest for a democratic community that draws on our diverse civic and religious traditions. In a new preface the authors relate the arguments of the book both to the current realities of American society and to the growing debate about the country's future. With this new edition one of the most influential books of recent times takes on a new immediacy.