In the Middle of This Road We Call Our Life: The Courage to Search for Something More - Hardcover

James W. Jones, Ph.D., Psy.D., is a professor of religion at Rutgers University.

Leaving behind the plethora of New Agey authors, Jones proffers no comprehensive weltanschauung, no self-inventories, no mental exercises, no whiny testimonials of dead-end suffering relieved by surefire routes to redemption. Because of what he forbears to write, his championing of spirituality translates into a wise contemplation of what ails the inner lives of 35-year-old professionals, married, with two kids--a rough tag of the target readership. Such types tend to be, in Jones' presentation, susceptible to the precepts of rational modernity. They then feel isolation and meaninglessness and visit Jones for psychological succor. Their helper happens to be a college religion professor as well, who thinks connecting with the transcendent is as important as diagnosing any

emotional defect. Jones' thesis is that the modernist exaltation of personal autonomy over the self's need for community impedes the discovery of a purpose in life. Those in a seeking mode, as were the lawyer, eye-surgeon, and stockbroker who were among Jones' cases, might be curious about his advocacy of a merging of spirituality with psychology. Space ads and author tour should heighten this title's visibility. Gilbert Taylor