Why do Americans collectively devote 20 billion hours of their time
each year to helping others? To find out, Wuthnow
(Sociology/Princeton; The Restructuring of American Religion, 1988)
surveyed 2110 adults across the land, many of whom provided
in-depth interviews; he presents his conclusions in this
penetrative, well-written work. Americans, explains Wuthnow, are
instinctively uneasy about describing exactly why they perform good
deeds. He helps to clarify their motivations with a deft narrative
that weaves together the stories of very different types of good
Samaritans - from the rescue-squad worker with his "iceman"
approach to helping others, to the pediatric cardiologist who
combines professionalism and empathy as she deals with the bereaved
parents of babies she's lost, to the Presbyterian missionary who's
inspired by evangelical fervor. Each subject is willing to work
through a plurality of motivations to get to the bottom of his or
her desire to do good because, according to Wuthnow, "Motive-talk
provides connections with our cultural heritage. It associates us
with the various values we have been taught to accord prominence."
In each case, Wuthnow uncovers a need to reconcile individuality -
which he sees as a defining American cultural value - with
altruism. The author finds that most Americans, even liberal
clerics, prefer to describe their impulse to help others in terms
of self-fulfillment rather than theology, and that most
"situationalize' their stories, focusing on individuals rather than
on principles. In spite of what Wuthnow sees as a tendency of
Americans to set limits on their caring, a striking 31 percent, he
reveals, are involved in "charity or social-service activities,
such as helping the poor, the sick, or the elderly." Elegant,
illuminating, and of significant interest in this decade of need
and limits. (Kirkus Reviews)
"Vigorously argued, beautifully written, drawing intelligently on
evidence from surveys and from some extraordinary interviews, "Acts
of Compassion" sheds a great deal of light on a central area of
American life, namely volunteerism and charity. . . . A book for
the serious scholar and the concerned layperson alike."--Robert N.
Bellah, coauthor of "Habits of the Heart" and "The Good Society"
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