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Contemporary culture blasts us daily with dubious models of how we should behave -- from the strip club aesthetics of MTV teen idols to the clawing, hell-bent competitions of reality TV, it seems that every corner of our media-drenched society is saying: Shed your dignity, exploit yourself and others, and you'll be on the path to glory. In The Private Adam , the noted rabbi and social commentator Shmuley Boteach reflects on the role of the hero in contemporary culture and contends that the media celebrates and rewards the values of the classical hero -- the aggressive macho warrior of ancient Rome who is motivated solely by self-promotion -- and that the glorification of this figure has rendered us a crueler, harsher, and more shallow society. In contrast, Boteach celebrates the Private Adam, the everyday men and women whose heroism stems from their lives of selfless actions and small sacrifices, even if an equestrian statue will not be erected in their honor. lluminated with inspiring examples from history and contemporary life and filled with valuable advice, The Private Adam is Boteach's most thoughtful book yet.
About the author
Shmuley Boteach is host of the daily national radio program The Rabbi Shmuley Show on Oprah & Friends and Sirius XM Satellite Radio and host of the award-winning national television show Shalom in the Home on TLC. He is also the international bestselling author of twenty books, including the New York Times bestselling Kosher Sex and Ten Conversations You Need to Have with Your Children. In 2007, Boteach was labeled "a cultural phenomenon" and "the most famous rabbi in America" by Newsweek, and was also named one of the ten most influential rabbis in America. He has been profiled in many of the world's leading publications, including Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, London Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post. Shmuley and his wife, Debbie, have nine children.
Summary
Contemporary culture blasts us daily with dubious models of how we should behave -- from the strip club aesthetics of MTV teen idols to the clawing, hell-bent competitions of reality TV, it seems that every corner of our media-drenched society is saying: Shed your dignity, exploit yourself and others, and you'll be on the path to glory.
In The Private Adam, the noted rabbi and social commentator Shmuley Boteach reflects on the role of the hero in contemporary culture and contends that the media celebrates and rewards the values of the classical hero -- the aggressive macho warrior of ancient Rome who is motivated solely by self-promotion -- and that the glorification of this figure has rendered us a crueler, harsher, and more shallow society. In contrast, Boteach celebrates the Private Adam, the everyday men and women whose heroism stems from their lives of selfless actions and small sacrifices, even if an equestrian statue will not be erected in their honor. lluminated with inspiring examples from history and contemporary life and filled with valuable advice, The Private Adam is Boteach's most thoughtful book yet.
