The preeminent social critic here distills and recasts 30 years of
research on American radicalism, feminism, and cultural history
(in, among other books, The New Radicalism in America, Haven in a
Heartless World, and The Culture of Narcissism). The result is a
profound and intellectually honest work of breathtaking historical
scope that could easily set the terms for political debate in a
post-cold-war world in which the ideologies of right and left seem
totally exhausted. In Lasch's view, what links so many across the
political spectrum (including liberals in the middle) is an
intransigent faith in progress, despite the calamities of our
century and the pervasive evidence that our culture is in decline.
Lasch's grand project is twofold. On the one hand, he traces the
intellectual roots of modern notions of optimism in the future,
secular versions of conventional beliefs in fortune and providence.
From Adam Smith's theory of insatiable needs to the Marxist sense
of being on the winning side of history, those who looked to the
future - whether it was of a great mass of consumers or of a
classless society - often found real people getting in the way of
economic growth. As counterpoint, Lasch's larger purpose here is to
provide "a more attentive hearing" to those who all along have
rejected "progress" - a group of forgotten or misinterpreted
thinkers who advance "a more strenuous and morally demanding
definition of the good life." From Henry George's sense of the
"organic unity of poverty and progress" to Reinhold Niebuhr's call
to spiritual discipline (with extended glances at Emerson, Carlyle,
Royce, Sorel, Cole, and Martin Luther King along the way), Lasch
discerns "a single tradition or sensibility." And that "petty
bourgeois culture" or "lower-middle-class" consciousness - which he
also finds in a number of social movements but especially in
American populism - has much to recommend to our present day. Its
moral conservatism also means a respect for workmanship, loyalty,
and equality, and it steers us from the vices of envy and
resentment. Neither a jeremiad nor a panacea, Lasch's massive
history is exactly what we need: a cleareyed study of our usable
past. (Kirkus Reviews)
"A major and challenging work. . . . Provocative, and certain to be controversial. . . . Will add important new dimension to the continuing debate on the decline of liberalism." —William Julius Wilson, New York Times Book Review "An extraordinary book by one of our wisest social and political observers. Lasch's brilliant analysis of our secular dreams and hopes, our blind spots and foolishness, ought to help us all figure out what we believe and where we are headed." —Robert Coles
"Christopher Lasch has written a great book about the most important things. As a major contribution to public discourse, The True and Only Heaven will be at the center of discussion for years to come." —Robert Bellah, coauthor of Habits of the Heart
"The battle that has been going on for the past two decades among historians and philosophers, nothing less than a struggle to define the historical nature of America's political soul, has been joined by Christopher Lasch. His provocative and learned book offers fresh perspectives on many topics and illuminates the relevance of Christian and classical thinkers for our troubled era." —John Patrick Diggins
"Powerful and moving. . . . A magisterial synthesis." —Michael Stern, San Francisco Chronicle
"A profound and intellectually honest work of breathtaking historical scope that could easily set the terms of political debate in a post-cold-war world in which the ideologies of right and left seem totally exhausted. . . . A cleareyed study of our usable past." —Kirkus Reviews
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