A review by kendranicole28
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman

4.0

We are a culture enamored with self and identity, and the recent discussion of late seems to be centered around sexual identity. Why this current obsession? How did we get here? In this exhaustive analysis of this trend, theological historian Carl Truman makes a case for the sexual revolution being a symptom, rather than a cause, of the human search for identity. Trueman traces the roots of the sexual revolution that go back for centuries, examining psychological paradigms and sociological frameworks and tying past movement and trends to the present manifestations of the concept of self. He shows how Christians have played an (often unknowing) role in these shifts and helps us understand how we are to respond.

This book is dense and not an easy read, but the concepts are fascinating and enlightening. Trueman gave me a better understanding of past and present ideologies related to the self and sexuality. Though it was somewhat frightening to see how some of our current “craziness” related to these concepts has such deep roots, it was also heartening to realize that a lot of these seemingly new ideas are not coming out of nowhere; in other words, we are currently just experiencing a new iteration of something that has been going on for generations. Trueman is unapologetic about his stance on certain issues but offers clear and unbiased analysis of other views as well. If you find yourself confused and wanting to understand the sexual discussions prevalent in current culture, I would highly recommend picking this one up.

This review first appeared on my personal blog, https://kendranicole.net/june-2021-quick-lit-nonfiction-reads/

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