I felt the book was very well written. It opened my eyes to see what is happening in the world beyond my sheltered suburban highschool life. It also caused me to ask myself questions and think about the future, and it made me ponder the problems of the world which I will live in.

Essays and interviews by thirty noted leaders and thinkers as varied as V.S. Naipaul and Nelson Mandela examine the condition of the world at millenium's end and offer a variety of cautions and prescriptions for the world to come.
Pierre Trudeau and Isaiah Berlin on nationalism, , Akbar H. Ahmedon on Islam and the West, and Lee Kuan Yew on East Asia are among the distinguished contributors to the New Perspectives Quarterly, from which this work is drawn.
Highly recommended as a valuable resource for perspectives on our troubled future, and for tragic/comic relief there is Oliver (I-don't-have-to-tell-the-truth-I'm-an-artist) Stone, decrying the public cynicism of which he ia a principal architect.

(The numerical rating above is an ineradicable default setting within the format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.

Dave Burgess' commitment to social justice began in the American missionary culture of his childhood in China and continued through his student years at Oberlin College and Union Theological Seminary in the late thirties. He and his wife Alice lived and worked side by side with farm and factory workers in several states in the 1940's, combining community organizing with Dave's ministry as an ordained United Church of Christ clergyman. In the fifties Dave worked closely with the labor unions. In the sixties he was invited into high level agency leadership positions in India, Burma and Indonesia. His book has fascinating material on the Peace Corps, UNICEF, and the insatiable curiosity of the FBI. As a sixties India Peace Corps volunteer myself I read these chapters closely.

So now here is Dave, living in Benicia and still dedicated to justice, peace, and serving the poor. He is active in the local UCC congregation. He founded the Affordable Housing Affiliation, which has broken ground for a small low income housing complex, the first to be built in Benicia for two decades.

Dave celebrated his 83rd birthday recently. I have had the honor of meeting him; we live in the same small California city. You will find his memoirs inspirational. I pray that we can all take to heart the words of Jesus that Dave Burgess lives by: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required..." Deacon Susan M. Reeve, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Benicia, CA.

"A generation's history would be incomplete without this story told by Dave Burgess. He and his wife Alice continue to draw from deep aquifers of faith 'to do justly, and love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God.' No pilgrim has left surer footprints of faith and service." Bill Moyers, from the Foreword.

"A fascinating story of a rank and file U.S. worker and strong family man, who projected U.S. democracy onto the grassroots of distant lands and foreign cultures. Its vibrant text and captivating personal photos will inspire all who open its pages." Victor Reuther, former Assistant to the late Walter Reuther, AFL-CIO Vice President.

"From his decades of unswerving dedication to justice and peace, David Burgess has distilled the highlights of service to the poor, and to his God. An extremely rich and rewarding autobiography of a remarkable man." James MacGregor Burns, historian and Professor Emeritus, Williams College.

"Burgess has given us a superbly worded, clearly organized, authentic personal account of his ethical and vigorous life of public service as first a sensitive student, then a political activist and labor organizer, a Christian, minister and USFS official, and as a versatile striver for a better life for all people." Alexander Heard, Chancellor Emeritus, Vanderbilt University.

"David Burgess represents the very best of Christian social activism in our time. In these days when some of us have so much and so many so little, David's honest and well told commitment to progressive social change is a source of inspiration and instruction. It deserves to be read by all those who desire an inside view of the history of vigorous social activism over seven decades, as well as by those committed to building a more just and caring society in the immediate years ahead." Paul Sherry, former President of the United Church of Christ.

"This book provides us with a new way to understand the history of social activism from the 1930s through the 1990s. Specifically, Burgess's story sheds light on American social gospel-inspired liberalism as it manifests itself in pacifism, labor union organizing, international humanitarianism, and inner city church work and development. The life story approach provides a personal perspective and insight into the ideas, motivations, and satisfactions associated with this work. More importantly for our historical understanding, by telling his own story, Burgess helps us to see the connections between what might seem on the surface to be very different movements. Fighting For Social Justice will help students, historians and the general reader to get a sense of the cohesiveness of American left-liberal reform in the mid-twentieth century." History Professor Tracy E. K'Meyer, University of Louisville.

I had heard of John Gardner but had not read any of his work. This book is one of the most inspiring I have ever read. Gardner talks about what it really means to be an American, and what we all need to do if we are going to have a country we can be proud of.

In this time of political fear and war mongering, it is great to be reminded that dissent is not un-American and in fact it is your patriotic duty to stand up for the ideas and beliefs you hold true. And Gardner was true to his word. He stepped down from the Johnston administration to protest the war in Vietnam and went on to found Common Cause. I'd like to see a politician do that today.

What I found most relevant is his theme that if you want a working democracy you have to work for it. He constantly is reminding us that people need to be involved and engaged in the political process if democracy is to survive. Too many people today have been scared out of the process and too many others accept blind allegiance as patriotism.

When founding of Common Cause, he wrote "The impulses to lie, cheat, steal and defraud will never die. The swindlers and charlatans and well-dressed crooks who prey on the citizen by manipulating the political process will always be with us." Sadly his words have proved to be all too true.

For those who need to be inspired that there is still hope for a real and true American democracy, this book is for you.

If you want to make the world a better place, buy this book.

Based on his years of experience, Bill Moyer knows how to design effective nonviolent social change movements that can challenge entrenched power, overcome resistance, and implement positive alternatives. Moyer explains how grassroots democracy really works and shows how to build powerful change movements that uphold widely held values like honesty, democracy, fairness, compassion, and protection of the envionment. He also shows how conventional politics meshes with grassroots organizing.

The section on how Moyer's ideas fit in with the sociology and polictical science literature is easy to read and interesting. The current scholarly literature on social change movements is quite meager and Moyer's model makes a big contribution to change theory.

Finally, the examples at the end of the book are enlightening and heartening.

Read this book and then go out and make the world better!

The book is roughly 512 pages long. It is formatted as an intervirew that Bill Moyers, the host has, with some of the most intellectually enlightening people of our generation. The book is divided into two sections: Our changing American Values and American Values in the New Global Society. The topics discussed usually correspond to thetheme of the section. The book is culiminated from the TV of the same name that ran on PBS for a time. Among the people profiled are Noam Chomsky, arguable one of the most important intellectuals alive, Isaac Asimov, (1920-1992)an extremely prolific writer of science and science fiction, E.L Doctorow and Joseph Heller, who sadly died in December of last year.

The book is essantially Bill Moyers talking with men and women on the topics on which they usually major or like to discuss in. For example, Bill had a candid interview with Chomsky on the idea of democracy and how propoganda is used in it. He discussed with Steven Weinberg, an influential scientist, some of the ideas behind behind science and how truly beutiful science really is. And others from Isaac Asimov talking about the future to a couple of different black writers and acadamians talking about the role of racism in society and how it can be overcome.

This book is great for many reasons. One of them is the fact that it does, in my opinion of course, portray not just one side of the argument but in some senses it brings differnt people of different views and let them in a sense talk about things and look at things in a different way from what the other person said. There is a wealth of information. Plus, this book isn't "liberal" or "conservative." Its a book that presents a lot of different views. Most importantly it allows people to get and understand new ideas that could help them understand the world around them more and especially from people who have spent their whole life devoted to that topic. This book is like a dinner conversation with some of the most genius men of the past 20 or 30 years.

The ideas covered here are ideas from how life is led, to the problem with our educational system. It aint just about boring things that "an average Joe" wouldn't care about. I believe that this book can be very insightful even for the average intellect reader.

So buy this book and prepare to be immersed in incredible ideas and thoughts that could help you support or maybe change your own.

Unlike most poetry books, this one focuses on the poet's insights into his/her own work and some very accessible poems by modern poets. Moyers refuses to get bogged down in the technique of poetry (rhyming, meter, scansion, etc...) and instead focuses on each author's comments and explications of his own work. Each chapter picks one poet and starts with his/her reading at the festival and then an informal Q and A that sheds light into how poets become poets. No surprises here -- most who write it can't think how they could NOT have written, even at an early age. In some cases, poetry literally rescued their authors from their borderline lives. For anyone interested in the creative process, this is an easy to follow and enlightening short volume on poetry and poems.

As an English teacher, I already love reading books on poetry anyway, but Bill Moyers is such an amazing interviewer (as any viewer of his amazing NOW show on PBS already knows) that he brings out elements of the poems and the poets that make the reading more profound. I discovered some great poets I was not previously familiar with (Coleman Barks, Lorna Cervantes) and was thrilled to see Stanley Kunitz discuss one of the most riveting poems ever put to paper, "Touch Me." If you have not read this poem, go online immediately and check this one out. Kunitz is in his 90's, but is an inspiration to all by the vitality he exudes in his life and in his poetry. Including "Touch Me" in the book would have guaranteed 5 stars from me alone, but the other worthy additions make this a great read even for a casual lover of poetry.

Hi, I am someone who has loved English Literature, and struggled with it during the high school years, as English was not my mother tongue. Poetry was always the hardest to grasp. I've always wished I could get to know it better, but I've felt the high barriers time and again. Over time, I began to distance myself from Poetry and secretly hated The Art. Until this book that is! =o) Bill Moyers is such a wonderful guide to this Difficult Land - he makes it accessible, and helps me to understand and better appreciate contemporary poetry. Each chapter is based on an interview with a certain poet. He starts off by describing each individual; how he or she looks, acts, and what type of influence(response) they have on the audience. It is like meeting someone in real life. Then the interview unfolds into a discussion about what the poet's life is like, how they began to write, and what their main themes are. But the virtue of this book lies in that the book doesn't stop at being a gossipy interview. It remains focused on getting to know their poems. Each chapter is punched in by several poems and the poet explains them, which is just so much better than the Cliff's Notes! Bill Moyers writes so beautifully, and with ease - I read this book in the subway during my commute. This is certainly a book to have for the leaves-falling autumn.

Granny D is real. That's the highest praise I can bestow. You feel you've met the real person and that she's presented herself, warts and all. I actually read this book with pen in hand, marking points to write down to form a synopsis of her wit and wisdom for later reference. This is certainly not something I do more than once in a decade. I'd expected more of a description of the walk itself, and less of a memoir, but I was delighted with what I got. I loved her and the people she met along the way. Though she and I have differing viewpoints on several issues, I thoroughly respected her and was nearly overwhelmed with the magnitude of her undertaking and her optimism.

This is an inspiring story on two levels: as a chronicle of an elder woman's courageous effort to mobilize attention and action to the cause of campaign finance reform, which she considers a step in the redemocratizing of America; and as her spiritual autobiography, the summation of her life experience and perspective.

Granny D speaks to me when she says that "people have a great, unmet need that expresses their passions and values . . . they think they are being cheated out of that life--that they will die and it will have passed them by. They see an old woman doing something she believes in, and she somehow carries this ineffable something for them. Our shallow culture makes us people of great longing, for we are not always provided with opportunities to live out our most meaningful beliefs."

What begins as a journal of her remarkable trek, walking along roadsides at the pace of ten miles a day from California to Washington DC, transforms into another kind of account, the inner journey that brought her to this enterprise, the singular incidents and loving relationships that shaped and fostered her through her long life. By the end of this book, she can examine both her triumphs and trials and ask, "Do we see who we are, finally? Do we see, behind the curtain, the scars and insecurities that have controlled us? And when we see them and look them squarely in the eye, do they lose their power over us, backing down from their bullying bluster? Indeed they do. We become free to take our life in whatever shape it has become, and find a good and enjoyable use for it, serving others and ourselves."

Granny D shows that old age doesn't have to be synonymous with dotage, with being passive and indifferent to our world, to what goes on around us--to what the future may hold. She shows that age and accompanying infirmities are, at worst, inconvenience, not an excuse to block or ignore the desires of the heart and the active mind. She demonstrates, no matter the immediate outcome, the power of one. And she reminds me of a remark attributed to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that if one does not have a cause to live for, then one has no reason to die.

Granny D's book is not about politics but it is about citizenship, patriotism, and real life. She sets the tone at the very beginning of the book and sticks with it.

"If you are not much interested in campaign finance reform -- the reason for my protest walk -- do not worry: I will not pester you too much about it as we journey together between these covers. You will not need imaginary earplugs I hope, just a good imaginary good hat."

Plainly, Granny D intends to become everyone's grandma during her walk. And, she does it. You'll just love her!

In this historically wide ranging book, the authors overlook the large numbers of excellent programs on many of the cable channels. My understanding of the authors point of view is that the government has lost a wonderful outlet for its propaganda. Cable television has lead to the fulfillment of televisions promise, and has also rendered PBS obsolete.

If you are at all interested the history of television, and how it got to be the vast wasteland that it is, you need to read this book! It ultimately gives a glimmer of hope to those of us who think television is too far 'Down the Tube' to be redeemed.

I am the CEO of a public television station, so I read the book with great interest and in an informed and critical frame of mind. I found it intelligent, analytical, and very felicitous in its combination of fact and philosophical judgment. It's a pleasure to read, and should be enjoyable and useful to anyone nterested in television, whether as a viewer or as a professional.

In Cold Anger, Mary Beth Rogers examines how the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), a network of church-based organizations, transforms the faith, religious beliefs, and values of disenfranchised, resigned, and politically powerless people into powerful public action that benefits the entire community. At the same time Rogers also reveals how not only the poor and working class have unwittingly given away their political power, but how white, upper-middle-class citizens have also consented to having power taken away from them in their benign trust of elected public officials.

The "cold anger" of the title is "not one based on sour resentments or a false sense of entitlement," but rather, "an anger that seethes at the injustices of life and transforms itself into a compassion for those hurt by life." Anger for Ernesto Cortes, co-founder of the IAF, and the people he organizes is "an emotion of hope-not of despair."

Rogers tells the story of how Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS), the first IAF-inspired organization of congregations, used that cold anger to move the city of San Antonio to spend more than $500 million for West Side improvements, including storm sewer systems that virtually ended flooding there. Through research actions, COPS members "exploded the myth most of them had accepted for years-that the city in its wisdom would take care of them in good time."

"We weren't looking for any handouts," according to one COPS member. "We're taxpayers and we found out our tax money wasn't working for us."

"The concept we're trying to develop is one of community, communal responsibility," says Cortes. "The work we do is about power and about building power and teaching people how to organize around their own interests, how to be effective. We need power to protect what we value."

Not surprisingly, many church members are initially uncomfortable with the idea of power. IAF organizers, however, seek to replace the traditional understanding of coercive power with one of relational power. According to Cortes, "there are only two ways to build power like this. It takes organized money or organized people. We're obviously not going to have a huge concentration of money, so when we're talking about power as a social concept, we're talking about two or more people coming together with a plan and acting on it." In addition, Cortes says, "we're trying to teach a system of internal accountability so that corruption won't happen." Cortes credits a large part of his understanding of relational power to Paul Tillich's Love, Power and Justice, in which Tillich proposes that love and power must be joined to produce justice.

"Organizing is a fancy word for relationship building," says Cortes. "If I want to organize you, I don't sell you an idea. What I do, if I'm smart, is try to find out what's your interest. What are your dreams? I try to kindle your imagination, stir the possibilities, and then propose some ways in which you can act on those dreams and act on those values and act on your own visions. You've got to be the owner. Otherwise, it's my cause, my organization. You've got nothing!"

Rogers describes the relational style of Sister Christine Stephens, a Catholic nun turned political organizer. "It is selective and sensitive, probing rather than prying. It is like maneuvering a freshly crafted key into a door lock, which, when it fits, seems to open you as well as the other person."

"When you sell, you tend to be arrogant," says Cortes. "You know it all ... You quit listening. You're not attentive."

"In proposing, rather than selling," Rogers writes, "Cortes believes you have to have flexibility, curiosity, patience, and a little vulnerability. And that involves some self-revelation as well as propositioning. The best organizers and leaders learn how to reveal themselves in small doses as part of the process of drawing out others ... The successful one-on-one becomes a give-and-take relationship, not a one-sided interview."

"If we don't go anywhere, it's because these one-on-ones don't develop ... This is where the spiritual action is," according to Cortes. "We teach people that the relationship is more important than the issue ... For you to grow and develop, you have to get out of yourself into the skins of others." According to Cortes, every time we engage another individual on a deep level of human understanding, we also develop ourselves spiritually and politically. "The one-on-one is the most radical thing we teach."

IAF organizers and leaders commit themselves to working with other people on a one-on-one basis "to help them grow beyond themselves and participate as a full citizen in the public life of their community."

The IAF ultimately distinguishes itself from other organizing efforts by attracting people not to issues, but rather, by encouraging church leaders to act on their gospel values, the roots of their public and private beliefs. "This is not merely politics we are engaged in," according to one COPS member, "but correcting injustice, which is God's work and the mission of the church."

This would make a great movie -- a textured portrait of the vibrant but politically powerless Hispanic-American culture which has found its champion in Ernesto Cortes. Rogers's book brings his pioneering efforts in Texas to light and life in a way that's truly inspiring.

I began reading JC books in the late 80's and could not get enough. The PBS Series still holds my interest and attention.
Having lost my copy of the original transcripts I purchased this edition without regard to the Editor and find this edition and this editing misses something from the original.
I am sure it will serve many that are unfamiliar with JC, but I want the un-edited version as it changed my life forever.

Since this book is basically the transcripts from Bill Moyer's excellent televised interviews with Joseph Campbell, "The Power of Myth" frequently comes off as a "Reader's Digest" coffee table condensation of Campbell's life and work. Since the interview, by its very nature is limited in its scope and focus, "The Power of Myth" simply does not possess the depth of Campbell's other work.

This really is no matter as what is present provides the reader with a fine introduction to Campbell's passionate devotion to World Myth. Campbell's life thesis, that man posseses the innate desire and need to create myth, is a compelling idea the binds us all to ourselves and each other.

"The Power of Myth" is NOT to be taken as a religious tome. In that context, it certainly does come off as a cockeyed New Age concoction of non-commitment. It is meant, however, to be taken as a work of deconstructionist literary criticsm that seeks to celebrate the common threads running through all cultures and perspectives.

Campbell openly celebrates man's ability to imagine as well as his devotion to ideas. He does not seek to debunk or trivialize the devout (one must be careful to realize this as they read Campbell). His scholarly intent as I see it, is to encourage and nurture the seed of faith inherent in all and encourage everyone to embark on their own heroic adventures of discovery.

"The Power of Myth" serves as an excellent bibliography of sorts as it lists the many great folktales and religious texts which demand re-reading. Campbell urges his audience to read for themselves and search for their own discoveries.

If one is searching for a far more in depth study of myth, I cannot praise enough Campbell's excellent "The Hero With A Thousand Faces". As is, "The Power of Myth" is a fine starting point.

This is the transcript of the Bill Moyers interview with Joseph Campbell done with him years and years ago-a stunning interview-a stunning book. Readers will enjoy the book format because let's face it-when Crazy Joe Campbell was talking-sometimes we needed more time than which was given to "absorb what was said." From talking about the Great Seal on the American dollar bill and it's mythological connections-to pouring over a letter from Chief Seattle to George Washington about the purchase of land, this book is never uninteresting.

And to give Bill Moyers due credit as well as an excellent journalist who always knows the right question to ask-and whom unlike a lot of journalists today-actually cares about what he is and was covering. In fact, sometimes Moyers says something quite insightful on his own-it is the coming together of two great minds in a question and answer format-that produces the end result of genius-pure genius. If you are unfamiliar with the Bill Moyers interview, I would recommend purchasing it on here, the 6 tapes, or waiting until PBS airs it again-they always do. Afterall, it's one of PBS's all time ratings grabber. The reason I say that is hearing the way Joe Campbell speaks, seeing in flesh just how engaging of a man he is-allows the reader to "imagine him speaking through the book." To me-that makes a huge difference.

This book is a winnner all the way-regardless of what religious background you hail from-what sort of philosophy if any you engage-this book will certainly impress you the reader. It could actually change someone's life in the context of stimulating someone's interest enough in mythology-to begin looking into it. Or, it can broaden your insight into your own spiritual life in of which you have already established. Any way you toss this book up-it's heads. So buy it.