The tumult of the 1960s witnessed assaults on once-cherished social institu-

tions, the onrush of urban decay and the generation gap. For many Ameri-

cans escape lay in the past. They staunchly reaffirmed the values of the

family, they sought refuge in communes and a return to the land where a

simpler life offered utopia.

In these essays, first collected in a special issue of SOUNDINGS: An Inter-

disciplinary Journal, such feelings are placed in proper context. As one

writer puts it: "we are under obligation to develop an enriched under-

standing of the relationship between urban structure and urban person...

the city is now our home; in the most traditional and profound sense of the

word, it is our land." Other writers describe the family as niheteenth-

century ideal, and there are incisive analyses of establishing viable day

care programs, the real problems of modern agriculture and both the

myths and realities of Israel s Kibbutzim movement.

Through the volume runs a common theme: where does man go now that

he has breached all earthly frontiers; how does he shape his life and pre-

serve his individuality in the face of rampant technology. For many readers

the answers may be found in this tensely provocative anthology.