Description
Book Synopsis
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 t
Table of 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, Money, and Identity Norman Stryker: Sponging the Guilt or Unmerited Wealth Laura Madison: "The Call" Ross and Beverly Geiger: God's Regents June Radkey: Starting a Business and Transforming Her Life Thomas Cooke: The Moral Career of Wealth Camille Russo: What My Book Could Say David Stephanov: "Them with the Gold Makes the Rules" Afterword: Truth and Falsehood in Gospels of Wealth by Paul G. Schervish Biographical Sketches Bibliography Index
