Authentic Patriotism How to Restore America's Ideals---Without Losing Our Tempers or Our Minds

by Kiernan, Stephen P.

• ISBN13: 9780312573409
• ISBN10: 0312573405
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-21
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Summary

A provocative, inspiring account of our neglected American ideals and the people who are living them todayand restoring our nation's dreamPatriotism has become a loaded word: one that is wielded against people with whom we might disagree, or whose cultural origins don't match our own. But our founding fathersWashington, Jefferson, Adams, and otherssaw patriotism as a dynamic force: an act of service, in an evolving nation that defined its purpose by offering all people a better way of life. In Authentic Patriotism, author and award-winning journalist Stephen P. Kiernan explores the original ideals that have been lost in our current climate, where war and economic turmoil have eroded our sense of civic obligation. Kiernan describes "a nation adrift," out of touch with its originsand then introduces a range of inspiring people who have revived our national purpose by taking action: The out-of-work college graduate who led an economic and environmental renewal of her blighted home community. The retired executive who pioneered a revolutionary concept in health care for people without insurance. The minister who created a legendary choir, with the goal of uniting children of different races, genders, and classes in one voice. The family who donated their daughter's heart, so that another might live. These and other "New Americans" are profiled in a book that offers hope, ideas, examples, and practical resources for readers who want to renew the American spirit.

Author Biography

Stephen P. Kiernan is the author of Last Rights, an investigation of end-of-life care in the American medical system. He has written for The Boston Globe and other publications, and for fourteen years wrote for The Burlington Free Press. He received the George Polk Award for medical reporting and the Joseph Brechner Center's Freedom of Information Award, and has been a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Financial Journalism. Kiernan lives with his two sons in Vermont.

Table of Contents

A Nation Adrift
A Human Benefit	p. 3
No Longer the Fringe	p. 10
The Need for a New Way	p. 19
Founding Principles	p. 36
Authentic Patriots
Seven Steps to a Cure	p. 51
ôThe Noblest Question in the Worldö	p. 79
A Culture of Caring	p. 111
Until Proven Innocent	p. 137
The Win-Win-Win-Win-Win	p. 177
The Gift Everyone Can Give	p. 201
Authentic Patriotism: Five Elements
Element One: Doing Good, Saving Money	p. 223
Element Two: Doing Good in Place After Place	p. 231
Element Three: The Real Gold	p. 238
Element Four: A National Movement	p. 247
Element Five: Everyone an Authentic Patriot	p. 269
To Learn More, to Do More	p. 279
Sources and Resources	p. 281
Acknowledgments	p. 295
Index	p. 297
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