Gospels of Wealth is available from Praeger Publishers and Amazon.com.
Praeger: $59.95
Hardcover - 304 pages (December 30, 1994)
Greenwood Publishing Group; ISBN: 0275946436
Prager: $19.95
Paperback - 304 pages (December 30, 1994)
Greenwood Publishing Group; ISBN: 0275950948
Order now
Amazon: $72.95
Hardcover - 304 pages (December 30, 1994)
Greenwood Publishing Group; ISBN: 0275946436
Amazon: $24.00
Paperback - 304 pages (December 30, 1994)
Greenwood Publishing Group; ISBN: 0275950948
Order now
Gospels of Wealth
How the Rich Portray Their Lives
By Paul G. Schervish, Platon E. Coutsoukis, and Ethan Lewis
There is fascination and suspicion about the wealthy. Yet there is a dearth of material in which the wealthy speak for themselves about the meaning of their lives. Gospels of Wealth provides such narrative material. This book is a novel venture in social science. It is the first book to have a broad range of wealthy individuals recount their lives in detail, and, importantly, the first to formulate a sociology of wealth that goes beyond conventional, power-elite, Marxist, and status-group theories.
The authors begin with an analytical framework for studying the biographical narratives of the wealthy. Next, 12 contemporary Americans directly and vividly recount how financial and spiritual aspects of their lives unfold and invariably intertwine. A concluding section explores rules for interpreting the "truth" of moral biographies and for undertaking a critical assessment of such narratives. The book’s theoretical framework and first-person accounts will appeal to general readers as well as researchers in sociology, American studies, philanthropy, economic life, and cultural studies.
CONTENTS: Preface; The Wealthy and the World of Wealth by Paul G. Schervish; Brendan Dwyer: The Primacy of Ideas; Rebecca Jacobs: "Give Me Mexico, That’s What I Want"; Benjamin Ellman: The Recipe for Entrepreneurial Success; Gretchen Dowell: The Uneasy Intersection of Wealth, Family, and Identity; Norman Stryker: Expunging the Guilt of Unmerited Wealth; Laura Madison: "The Call"; Ross and Beverly Geiger: God’s Regents; Dale Jayson: "Strive for Perfection"; June Radkey: Launching a Business and Reconstituting Her Life; Thomas Cooke: The Moral Career of Patrician Wealth; Camille Russo: "What My Book Would Say"; David Stephanov: "Them with the Gold Makes the Rules"; Truth and Falsehood in Gospels of Wealth by Paul G. Schervish; Biographical Sketches; Bibliography; Index.
Paul G. Schervish is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Social Welfare Research Institute at Boston College.
Platon E. Coutsoukis is Assistant Director, Research & Policy Development, Center for Corporate Community Relations at Boston College.
Ethan Lewis is Assistant Professor of English at Sangamon State University.