American values and institutions are under stress, from terrorist attacks by opposing worldviews abroad to widespread domestic skepticism that American traditions are more valuable than others. In this book, Donald Devine asks whether these values can survive or be defended in a West that questions all traditions. Devine raises questions that are answered as the chapters develop, keeping readers engaged, while preventing quick dismissals of the concerns held by those not inclined to support the book's thesis_that Western vision and American values are worth questioning or defending. All standard solutions are considered and are brought together in an investigation of Western values that has a traditionalist bend, but still leaves the largest questions open for the reader to contemplate_including whether American values will in fact survive.

"The author reminds us that freedom is never forever—it must be continually reborn, protected and justified. It is under attack, both from without and within, as the war on terror and the war in Iraq intrude themselves daily. …But the main concern in this richly philosophical, carefully documented work is revealed in its subtitle, 'American values under siege.' Mr. Devine holds that America's cultural recovery and security lie in our getting back to basics. Without knowing our roots, he argues, we have become a nation adrift, a drift reflected in the tattering of our national culture from Hollywood to Broadway." - The Washington Times