The American Soul Rush

With a particular focus on the exclusion of women and working-class participants, Goldman successfully illuminates the gap between the Esalen ideal and the actuality of spiritual democracy. Resisting the urge to romanticize or caustically dismiss Esalen and its inclusive bricolage spirituality, Goldman has produced a meticulously researched and accessible text that is recommended for classes on American religion, sociology of religion, and new religious movements. ~Religious Studies Review

Goldman's study is the first book to take a hard look at how issues of social class and male chauvinism have influenced the governance and direction of this seminal institution....Goldman's greatest contribution in The American Soul Rush is to remind us that it is not a coincidence that wealthy enclaves like Marin County have become meccas for seekers interested in Buddhist meditation and other techniques designed to foster 'higher consciousness. ~San Francisco Chronicle

This book is a useful introduction to these issues and to the work of Walter Truett Anderson, who created archival resources on which Goldman depends...Recommended [for] lower-division undergraduates and above, [and] general readers. ~CHOICE

Based on careful and thorough research of archival files, oral accounts, legal and financial records, and unpublished manuscripts, newspaper and magazine articles, field notes, and scholarly writing, American Soul Rushis an important addition to the Qualitative Studies in Religion series as well as our understanding of Esalen specifically....For students of American religion and culture as well as unaffiliated spiritual seekers curious about their contemporary roots, Goldman's book is a must read. ~Linda Sargent Wood,Nova Religio

Finally, a reliable, insightful, and very entertaining revelation of goings on at the front of California spirituality. ~Rodney Stark, Co-Director, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University

Sure to become a standard work on the evolution of Esalen and the spiritual counterculture of North America in the decades following World War II. Goldman demonstrates clearly the influence of Esalen and its participants far beyond Big Sur. - ~Douglas Cowan, Renison University College, Waterloo, Ontario

Goldman conducted in-depth interviews with former Esalen participants and founders.. ~Publishers Weekly