The coauthors of Habits of the Heart unravel a story that penetrates the profound personal dilemma Americans face (as individuals and as a culture) as we grapple with commitments to both public and private life. These equally urgent priorities often seem to place our individual freedom and our social responsibility at odds with each other.

In hundreds of interviews conducted during five years of research, Robert Bellah and his partners found that, in the quest for individualism, the modern American is caught in a struggle between two seemingly conflicting polarities: ". . . the deep desire for autonomy and self-reliance combined with an equally deep conviction that life has no meaning unless shared with others in the context of community . . . The inner tensions of American individualism add up to a classic case of ambivalence."

In Habits of the Heart, Bellah, et al probe American culture. One of the prevalent themes they find is the combined fear that society may engulf the individual, but on the other hand, ". . . if the break with society is too radical, life has no meaning at all." They reveal the traditions that spawned and nurtured this ambivalence, examine what this means in our lives now, and forecast where we are likely headed if we play out this hand. Bellah and his team personalize their report by letting the readers in on some of the real-life concerns, joys, and predicaments expressed by the subjects in their research.

Although Habits of the Heart is not as gripping as a Robert Ludlum thriller, nor as enticing as a Judith Krantz novel, it is an illuminating and thought-provoking work.

Review by Liz Swerling