DOC The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope (William E. Massey; Sr. Lectures in the History of American C) by Andrew Delbanco in History

Review

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Tim Keller's Go To BookBy David George MooreI recently interviewed Tim Keller.During that interview; I asked this question:Moore: I have read four of your books (The Reason for God; Counterfeit God; Every Good Endeavor; and Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering). Though they are very different books; I noticed that all four cite Andrew Delbanco’s; The Real American Dream: a Mediation on Hope. Why is that book so formative to your thinking?Keller: It is a terrific analysis of contemporary American culture; put into the context of American history. Delbanco says that American cultural history has had three phases—each one centering on one high priority. He lists them: “God. Nation. Self.” I don’t think you can improve on the simplicity and penetration of that analysis.I don’t think his book is necessarily more formative than any other book to my thinking; but it is so broadly applicable—to psychology; vocation; politics; sexuality; religion; or whatever. That’s why it’s hard not to cite it; no matter what the subject.Now that I have finished Delbanco's book; I concur wholeheartedly.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Time for Every Thinking Person to Reread this BookBy Bob SwidlerI loved this book when I read it in 1999 after reading Richard Rorty's review on it in the NYT Book Review. It affected me so greatly that I carried it around with me when travelling as a kind of reminder of the meaninglessness of making self-gratification the centerpiece of my existence. Then I read it again recently (post-election) and realized that it is even more relevant today than when it was written.The focus on the "self" in America today is even more pronounced than it was then. Delbanco's idea that something was coming - some sort of justice that would stop separating those with hope from those without - has shrunk into the background as individuals and even US society as a whole focus on their narrow self-interests.As people and institutions realize that the focus on the self is not making them any happier; that "all this getting and spending amounts to nothing more than fidgeting while we wait for death"; as Delbanco quotes de Tocqueville as saying in his brilliant 1835 treatise called "Democracy in America"; they develop a form of melancholy that only a new focus on helping others and contributing to the greater good can relieve.Although Delbanco's book is anything but Dystopian; as it is subtitled "A Meditation on Hope" and; indeed; offers an uplifting message that something is coming to relieve the unrelenting focus on self-aggrandizement that terrorizes American society today; it is remarkably prescient in describing the third era since America's founding (following God and Nation) as its most meaningless and explaining why something more meaningful must replace it if America is to retain its place in the world as the country most envied and admired.Please start reading this beautifully written tome again to remind yourselves why our current state of affairs cannot continue as "the incomplete joys of this world will never satisfy the human heart."1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Wisdom In A NutshellBy John A. Van DevenderI rec'd this book as a Christmas gift... it was a joy to read it.The life of a Professor of Humanities must have at least moments of sheer pleasure. This book is exactly what it says it is: a meditation on hope. In essence it evokes the image of a thoughtful man; sitting in his back yard or on a porch; puffing on his pipe and contemplating the state of things... or; as I used to say when engaged in a similar occupation; thinking "big thoughts." It would indeed be delightful to have such an activity inherent in one's life's work and therefore; being a Professor of Humanities would fill that bill.Delbanco's scope is an overview of American history since its inception as a distinct people. His focus is on the distinctive quality or focus that one can assign to the the three phases that he sees in that history. His lens is on the cultural distinctions; or prevailing sentiments; that characterize each of those three phases. It is a very productive meditation and one that I personally find very appealing. I don't think I will ever speak of American history again apart from the categories he establishes: the "God" phase; the "Nation" phase and the "Self" phase. It's an over-simplification of course... but it works at a lot of levels and his observations are very well established.As he says in his prologue; Delbanco understands hope as being inextricably grounded in the "story" that human beings organize out of the "inchoate sensations" of their common experience. The truth of this "story" is not really the point; it's the necessity of it. Apart from "story"; as Delbanco develops in his closing section; life flattens and the longing for transcendence generates some pretty unwholesome reactions. This last section is his best and no serious thought about the challenges posed by our culture should be undertaken without at least interacting with its contents.It's a quick read... it's well written... and it provides lots of references to other works that would be very productive for expanded study for those just beginning their thinking on the subject.